Brown Butter Brookies

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These Brown Butter Brookies are the ultimate dessert combo! They are rich, fudgy and gooey bars made with brown butter brownie batter and brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough. They are easy to make and the perfect choice for when you can't decide between brownies and cookies (in fact, I prefer them over both individual desserts!).

close up of a batch of brown butter brookies from the top which have been cut into squares. they have a shiny surface with a mixture of cookie dough and brownie batter

3 fudgy brown butter brookies stacked on top of each other. they have a mixture of brownie and cookie dough batter and look very fudgy with melted chocolate chips

Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.

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What are brookies?

Brookies are dessert bars (or squares) made by combining brownie batter with cookie dough. They have a fudgy and chewy texture, with a delicious chocolatey, buttery flavor, and are a great way to combine and enjoy the two popular desserts.

Why you should try this recipe

These brookies combine my favorite brown butter chocolate chip cookies with my perfect fudgy brownies, with slight adjustments made to both recipes to achieve the perfect flavor and texture. Here's why you need to try them:

They taste decadent, chocolatey and expensive - not sugary! I find most brookie recipes to be too sweet or vanilla-y, but these brookies do it just right! They have the perfect amount of sweetness which lets the chocolate flavor shine
They are taken to the next level with brown butter and espresso. A small amount of espresso in both batters adds a wonderful depth of flavor, while the use of brown butter instead of regular butter adds a lovely nutty, caramel flavor and aroma
They are the perfect combination of textures. Think crispy on the edges, gooey in the brownie parts, chewy in the cookie parts, and fudgy all over with lots of melted chocolate. Sounds like heaven, right!?
They're easy to make. Sure, they need a bit more work because you're making two different kinds of batter, but each batter on its own is fuss free and does not even require a mixer!

4 fudgy brown butter brookies stacked on top of each other. they have a mixture of brownie and cookie dough batter and look very fudgy with melted chocolate chips

Tips to perfect this recipe

A few important tips to get this recipe just right:

Weigh the dry ingredients! This will give a lot more accurate results, and will make sure you don't accidentally add too much flour which can make the brookies dry
Use Dutch Processed cocoa powder for the brownies. It is much more chocolatey in flavor! This one is my current favorite
Use good quality dark chocolate in the brownie batter. I recommend 60-70% cocoa; this is important in getting the right depth of flavor
Avoid overmixing both batters. When adding in the flour and dry ingredients, fold gently and only until combined
Do not skimp out on the salt and espresso. Both of these add a wonderful depth of flavor to this recipe
Use a mixture of milk and dark chocolate for the chunks. This adds a lot more depth of flavor vs using just semi sweet chocolate. I also highly, highly recommend using chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips, as they melt more and add more texture. My favorite chocolates to use in this recipe are the Lindt dark chocolate and Lindt milk chocolate. For a more expensive version, I love Valrhona Caraibe and Jivara
Do not overbake! Remember, the brookies will continue to cook and set after coming out of the oven, so let them be slightly underdone (with a toothpick coming out with a little gooey, sticky batter). If you want a more chewy, crumbly texture, you can definitely bake for longer, though!

side image of brookies with one brookie placed on top of another. the brookies are a mixture of chocolate chip cookie and brownie with lots of molten chocolate

close up of one brookie cut into half with both halves placed sideways to show the fudgy center with molten chocolate

Video tutorial

Here is a short video tutorial for this recipe that I recommend watching:

Process with photos

The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.

1. Prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough batter

For more detailed instructions and FAQs on my brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough, I highly recommend checking out this blog post! It covers common mistakes and will help you get this mixture just right.

Brown the butter, then stir in the sugars:

brown and white sugar whisked into brown butter in a saucepan

Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and espresso until smooth and caramel-y:

eggs and vanilla added to butter and sugar mix in a saucepan

eggs whisked into butter and sugar mixture until smooth and caramely

Sift in all the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate, and fold gently until combined:

dry ingredients added on top of wet ingredients to make cookie dough

half of dry ingredients folded into wet to make cookie dough

2. Prepare the brownie batter

Pour brown butter over the chocolate and mix to combine:

browned butter poured on top of dark chocolate in a glass bowl

brown butter and chocolate melted together in a glass bowl

Whisk in the cocoa powder and espresso:

cocoa powder sifted on top of melted butter and chocolate in a glass bowl

cocoa powder whisked into hot butter and chocolate in a glass bowl wish a whisk inside

Separately, whisk the eggs and sugar until light and ribbony:

sugar and eggs whisked to a light and fluffy consistency in a glass bowl

Whisk in the chocolate mixture:

chocolate and butter mixture poured into whisked eggs and sugar in a glass bowl

cocoa powder mixed into brownie batter in a glass bowl with a whisk inside

Lastly, fold in the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate:

dry ingredients sifted on top of wet to make brownie batter in a glass bowl

brownie batter with chocolate chunks in a glass bowl with a spatula

Assembling brown butter brookies

In a lined 9x9" square pan, first spread a thin layer of the brownie batter. Then dollop on both batters in an alternating fashion, and top off with more chopped chocolate:

thin layer of brownie batter in a square brownie pan

process of assembling brookies batter in a square baking pan with dollops of brownie batter and cookie dough batter

brookies batter assembled in a square baking pan

Bake, serve & enjoy!

batch of brown butter brookies from the top. they have a shiny surface with a mixture of cookie dough and brownie batter

two fudgy brown butter brookies stacked on top of each other with a bite taken out from the corner to show their fudgy texture

Frequently asked questions

Can I use regular butter instead of brown butter?

No, I do not recommend using regular butter in this recipe. It has specifically been developed for brown butter, and browning reduces the amount of moisture in butter. Using regular butter will alter the outcome.

How to tell when brookies are done baking?

Check with a toothpick inserted in the middle; it should come out with moist crumbs and a small amount of gooey batter (it should be sticky, not wet). This is a great point to take the brookies out of the oven, as they will continue to cook as they cool down. When in doubt, I recommend leaning towards underbaking vs overbaking!

How to store brookies?

Store the brookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, and reheat in the microwave to eat.

Can I make these brookies in advance?

I don't recommend making brookies in advance, because their texture is the best and fudgiest when they are freshly baked. They become dry with time.

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