Brookies: Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookie Bars

Brookies are chocolate chip brownie cookie bars. We’ve expressed our love of cookie bars before.  Maybe they’re not your thing if you’re a traditionalist and go for classical desserts like this classic oatmeal cookie, but if you take your desserts in all form then step over to the dark side and try out this super easy brookie recipe.

Why all the fuss about brookies?

What’s the big deal, they’re just cookie brownie bars, right? Should you be excited about these? Should we really be awarding brownie points for simply combining a cookie and a brownie together? See what I did there? I know….sorry. I just couldn’t stop myself!

While it’s true that combining a cookie and a brownie together isn’t rocket science, there is some precedent for simple food combinations.  The cronut and the flagel top the list of food hybrids that have become popular. So perhaps the better question is why not chocolate chip brownies?

Haven’t you ever stood in your kitchen and struggled with the decision of whether to make brownies or chocolate chip cookies? Well, now you don’t have to!  Brookies give you the best of both worlds. I’m a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies, but at the same time I love the ease of brownies and the gooey consistency of a cookie bar — it’s one of the reason why we love cookie bars.

No matter what you think about the brookie, you can’t deny it’s growing popularity. It’s even become the calling card for a new L.A. dessert hot spot.

Which comes first, the brownie or the cookie?

While maybe not at the level of the chicken/egg debate, I’ve often wondered which layer should come first, the brownie layer or the chocolate chip cookie layer?

In the cookie-on-top-corner we have Pinch of Yum with their Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies. And in a quick and very unscientific search of the web, it does seem like maybe there’s a slight  preference for having the brownie layer on the bottom and then the cookie layer on top. But, I have seen it both ways and I haven’t heard a decisive argument for doing it own way or another.

Of course, all this makes the assumption you are using a baking pan and layering in the 2 types of batter for your brownie cookie bars. But, if you decide to make a brownie cookie in true cookie form then you can always get creative with your brookies like they do over at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I LOVE the look of these! They look a lot like the Yin and Yang symbol with the cookie and the brownie flowing into one another. In Chinese philosophy the concept of Yin an Yang represents how opposites can actually be complementary. Now, we’re getting a little philosophical about the discussion of a cookie brownie which is a little silly, but, nevertheless, I think the duality of the brookie is something we can all get our forks behind. Ya know! 🙂

Brookie Recipe Tips

1. Save some time and use a brownie mix! While we are often proponents of baking things from scratch, when it works, it works. And we find many brownie mixes to be pretty fantastic so why not save yourself some time and use a store bought mix? The chocolate chip cookie part on the other hand, you might want to make from scratch. Like everyone, we’ve bought cookie dough before, but it just never quite seems to hold up to the homemade version. We do just usually use the very popular Toll house recipe which you can find on the back of their yellow chocolate chip bag, but we tend to sub in wheat flour for regular flour.
2.  Choose your baking pan accordingly. If you love really think and gooey cookies then choose a smaller square baking pan. If you want to go more of the traditional route then a 13 x 9 inch baking pan will do the trick. Or, of course, you could go the traditional cookie route and form cookies on a baking sheet.
3. Got milk?! C’mon, I don’t have to say it do I? A glass of cold milk is a must as a complement to the cookie brownie eating experience
4. Try it both ways. Are you going to put the brownie layer on the top or the cookie layer on top? Don’t fret too much over this decision…why not just try it both ways? You could do a bottom and top layer that are half of each or give yourself an excuse to make brookies again. How could that be a bad idea?
5. Choose your gooey level. Everyone always likes their brownie and cookies slightly different. If you’re someone who loves it when they are super gooey then shave a few minutes off the cook time. If you’re more of a fan of the more cake like texture then let them cook slightly longer.
6. Share with friends! Did you ever read that book The Best Mouse Cookie by Laura Numeroff with your kids? It ends by saying the best cookie is the one you share with friends! So true and this also applies to brookies. Not just because sharing great food with friends is amazing, but also because it’s not a bad idea to pass some of those calories around so that you don’t consume them all yourself. 🙂

So we hope you decide to try brookies, but be careful…you might just open up the flood gates to a whole new world of brownie bar madness!

Here’s the easy brookie recipe:

Brookies

Print Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. brownie mix (plus whatever is needed to make the brownies--usually eggs and oil)
• 1/2 c . butter , softened
• 1/2 c . brown sugar
• 1/4 c . white sugar
• 1/2 tsp . vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 c . whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp . salt
• 1/2 tsp . soda
• 1 c . chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Make the cookie layer first: cream butter and sugars in a bowl.
• Mix in vanilla and egg.
• Add dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt) and stir until combined.
• Mix in chocolate chips.
• Spread the cookie mix into a pre-greased 13x9 inch pan.
• Make brownie mix according to packaged directions.
• Pour over top of cookie mixture in pan.
• Bake for 28-32 minutes.

Notes

The perfect mix of a brownie and a cookie