Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These brown butter chocolate chip cookie bars are thick and chewy. Full of chocolate chunks and toasty brown butter flavor.
They are so easy and fast to make. It’s a no-chill cookie with a brown butter base, which gives it so much flavor, and it has deliciously chewy centers with slightly crisp edges. This is the cookie bar base that I based my sourdough cookie bars on!
A key ingredients
Method
- Melt down the butter in a saucepan, then keep cooking and regularly whisking until browned.
- Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and let it sit until it has solidified but is still soft.
- Whip together the brown butter, white and brown sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
- Whisk in the egg, then stir through the dry ingredients.
- Lastly fold through the chocolate chips or chunks.
- Press the dough into a lined pan and bake until golden.
- Let it cool in the pan before lifting out and slicing. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt.
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!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- 1 large egg
- 220 g all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Melt butter in a light‑colored skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir regularly as the milk solids turn deep golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. 170 g unsalted butter
- Pour into a heatproof bowl (it will have reduced to around 145g after being browned) and let cool at room temperature until opaque and soft-solid, or chill in the fridge for 10–15 minutes, checking often to prevent it from becoming too hard.)
- While the butter cools, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 8×8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
- When the butter is cooled and ready, add the sugars and vanilla. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, whip the mixture until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. 150 g soft brown sugar, 50 g granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla paste
- Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the egg. 1 large egg
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add this dry mixtire to the butter mixture until just combined. 220 g all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. 170 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cookie bars for around 22-24 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.
- To serve, slice the cookies into individual cookies with a sharp knife. Slice four rows horizontally and four rows vertically to create 16 pieces.
