Go Back
+ servings

Get the Recipe: Small Batch Brookie Bars Recipe

These small batch brookie bars are made from a combination of chewy, all cocoa powder brownies and fudgy chocolate chip cookies! The recipe is small batch and made in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. It makes 8 brookie bars, enough for 2 to 4 people!
(4.55 stars) 22 reviews

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

  • ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon (2.55 ounces or 72 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) unsalted butter
  • cup tightly packed (2.5 ounces or 71 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) bittersweet, dark (between 60% to 70% cacao) chocolate, OR semisweet chocolate chips

For the Brownie Batter

  • ¾ cup (5.25 ounces or 149 grams) granulated sugar
  • cup (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) all-purpose flour
  • cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) Dutch-processed OR natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if necessary
  • ¼ cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted if necessary
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoons (.5 ounces or 14 grams) boiling water
  • flaky salt, for garnish

Equipment

  • a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
  • 2 heatproof medium bowls
  • a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop
  • an offset spatula

Instructions
 

For the Small Batch Brookie Bars

  • Prep your oven and pans. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the pan's two long sides. Spray the parchment, too.
  • Make the chocolate chip cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • Melt the butter in a medium, heatproof bowl in 15- to 20-second intervals, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir as needed. Pour the brown sugar over the melted butter and mix with a heatproof rubber spatula until just combined. When melted, add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until just combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate and mix until evenly distributed throughout.
  • Start assembling the brookie bars. Use a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion half of the cookie dough into balls, dropping each ball randomly into the prepared loaf pan as you go. Gently press down on each cookie dough ball. Reserve the other half of the cookie dough for the brookie bar topping.
  • Make the brownie batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, and salt.
  • Melt the butter in a medium, heatproof bowl in 15- to 20-second intervals, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir as needed. When melted, add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the water and mix until just combined.
  • Finish assembling the brookie bars. Pour the batter into the prepared pan with the cookie dough and use an offset spatula to smooth the top, covering the cookie dough pieces. Sprinkle the top of the batter with generous pinches of the remaining chocolate chip cookie dough. Gently press down on the pieces to meld them into the brownie batter.
  • Bake the brookie bars. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs attached. Check the bars around 30 minutes into the Bake Time—if the cookie dough is browning too quickly, cover the pan with a loose sheet of aluminum foil. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
  • Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the brookie bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Follow the instructions in the baker's notes to slice into 8 petite squares, or 2 large bakery-style bars. Garnish with flaky salt and serve. The brookie bars can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • The brookie recipe instructs you to make a cookie dough first, then a brownie batter. Both recipes require you to mix their dry ingredients in a medium bowl as its first step. Good news: you can reuse the same bowl for both the dough and batter. Save yourself from doing more dishes! In fact, you can reuse the same mixing spatulas, too. I mean... it all ends up in the same dessert anyway, lol.
  • Be mindful when melting the butter for both the cookie dough and brownie batter! You don’t want the butter to sizzle, crackle, or pop. I chop it up into 1-inch cubes then microwave it on low at 10-second intervals. If you don't have a microwave, melt the. butter in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. I stir the butter constantly while monitoring it.
  • And on that note, it's better to under-melt the butter than over-melt it. In fact, I like to pull the butter from the microwave/stovetop when there are still a couple of solid chunks left. I then stir the butter by hand to melt these chunks. Doing so ensures that my butter is warm but not overly hot. If the butter is too hot, you might risk scrambling and cooking your eggs since you're adding them directly to the butter! 
  • Make sure that the water is very hot, as close to freshly boiled as possible, when you add it to the brownie batter. This is the secret to a super chocolaty brownie! To ensure that my water stays very hot, I pour it into an insulated mug right after boiling. Then, I place a ceramic plate on top of the mug to act as a makeshift lid to trap heat inside.
  • I mentioned throughout the post that this small batch brookie bar recipe makes 8 bars, or 2 large bakery-style brookies. To make 8 brookies, unmold the bars from the pan and slice them lengthwise. Hold the two long slices together, and slice them into quarters crosswise. This will create 8 brookie bars. For 2 large bakery-style brookie bars, simply slice the unmolded brookie bar block into two halves crosswise.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!