Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

About these brown butter cookie bars

Cookie bars are like brown butter chocolate chip cookies but without the hassle of rolling individual cookie dough balls. The cookie dough is baked in an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan. The dough is made using melted butter, so there is no need for a hand mixer or stand mixer.

• Fast – Except for letting the brown butter cool down, this cookie dough needs no chilling prior to baking.
• Flavorful – Thanks to the addition of brown butter, which imparts a caramelly, nutty flavor, these bars are extra flavorful.
• Full of chocolate – The caramel notes of brown butter pair really well with rich dark chocolate. There’s plenty of chocolate in the actual bar, and extra chocolate chips on top.
• The addition of brown butter is also amazing in brown butter brownies, brown butter Swiss meringue frosting or brown butter ice cream.

Method

Brown butter

1. Begin by browning the butter as that needs a little time to cool.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, let the butter melt completely. Avoid using a dark pan as you will struggle to see the caramelization of the butter and run the risk of burning it.
3. Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids in the butter have caramelized into a deep amber color and the butter has a nutty aroma.
4. Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl, including all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan (they’re the best bits!). Allow it to cool down for 10 minutes before continuing with the recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C.) Line an 8x8inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper.

Cookie dough

1. Once the butter has cooled, add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix it together well.

1. Once the butter has cooled, add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla.

1. Mix well to combine.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

1. Tip the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir them with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until mainly all combined, but with a few streaks of flour remaining.

1. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until combined.

1. Tip the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan. Press it into an even layer and smooth it out. Top it with some extra chocolate chips.

Baking

1. Bake the cookie bars for around 25 minutes until the edges are browned and the top is set and light golden brown, but still a bit soft in the middle.
2. A little sea salt (optional) – Once baked, you can sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt if you like.

Serving

1. Let the cookie bar cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing the cookie slab from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookies out. The cookies will be quite soft while still warm but they will firm up as they cool to room temperature.
2. To serve, slice the cookies into individual cookies with a sharp knife. Slice 4 rows horizontally and 4 rows vertically to create 16 pieces.

Storing

Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The dough can also be frozen for future cookies.

Freezing instructions

Press it into the lined pan and freeze until stiff. Remove it from the pan and wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, place the frozen cookie slab into the pan, lined with parchment paper. It can be baked from frozen but may need an extra minute or two of baking time.

More cookie bar recipes

If you loved these cookie bars, I would love if you could leave a 5-star review! Here are some more cookie bars you might like too!

• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars
• Small-batch cookie bars
• Snickerdoodle cookie bars
• M&M cookie bars
• Easter cookie bars

Continue to Content

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

These brown butter chocolate chip cookie bars are thick and chewy. Full of chocolate chips and toasty brown butter flavor.

Print

Ingredients

• 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
• 150g (¾ cup, packed) soft brown sugar
• 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
• 218g (1 ¾ cups*) all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 170g (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping

Instructions

1. Let the butter melt in a saucepan. Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour the browned butter into a large bowl and allow it to cool down for around 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 8x8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
3. Once the butter has cooled, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir them with a wooden spoon until mainly combined but with a few streaks of flour remaining. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
6. Tip the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish.
7. Press the dough down into the dish and smooth it out.
8. Bake the cookie bars for around 25 minutes or until the edges are browned, and the top is set and golden brown but still slightly soft in the middle. This may take less or more time, depending on your oven.
9. Let the cookie bar cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing the cookie slab from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack. The cookies will be pretty soft while still warm but will firm up as they cool to room temperature.
10. To serve, slice the cookies into individual cookies with a sharp knife. Slice four rows horizontally and four rows vertically to create 16 pieces.

Notes

*The cup sizes provided are US-sized cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results, use grams.

Recommended Products

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• 
  USA Pan Bakeware Square Cake Pan, 8 inch

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 130mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 2g

This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist