Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Chocolate chip cookie brownies combine the best of 2 classic desserts to make for a chewy, rich, and fudgy treat! They have a bottom layer of cocoa powder brownie batter with cookie dough wedged on top. Once baked, the brownies become deliciously crisp on top and around the edges while the bottom is dense and SUPER fudgy and the centers are moist and gooey!

what makes these chocolate chip cookie brownies so good?

• one bowl: For the sake of making these extra easy, dishes are also a breeze! You can whip up the brownie batter and chocolate chip cookie dough in the same bowl for minimal mess.
• ready to make as soon as you crave it: I didn't want this recipe to use any softened butter because I wanted as little wait time as possible. So we're only using melted butter for both components in this recipe (and you don't even need to wait for the butter to cool).
• easy to whip up and fail-proof: The best part about baking cookies in a pan is that you don't really need to worry about overspreading. Aside from that, whipping up the brownie batter and cookie dough is mostly just a bunch of mixing and folding.
• best of both worlds: I mean, brownies are perfection, chocolate chip cookies are perfection. Literally no downsides!
• moist, fudgy, and chewy: In the spirit of perfectly melding brownies and cookies together, this treat has all the same delicious textures and flavors as both desserts. Crispy edges, fudgy bottoms, and gooey centers!

how to quickly bring eggs to room temperature

As I said above, we're using melted butter for both the brownie batter and cookie dough, so you can skip the wait of bringing butter up to room temperature. That being said, all that's left to bring to room temperature is the eggs.

A quick and easy way to warm up the eggs is to submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. They'll be the perfect temperature by the time you're done melting your butter! The only important thing to note here is that the water should be warm NOT hot.

how to line your baking pan for brownies

My favorite trick to getting parchment paper that sits perfectly inside a square baking pan is to simply cut off the corners. This makes for parchment paper that perfectly covers the bottom and sides of the pan. To prep parchment paper for brownies, start by ripping off a piece of paper that's the size of your pan + about 2 extra inches on each side. So for an 8x8" pan, you'll need a piece of parchment paper that's about 10x10".

Lay the piece of parchment paper over your pan - this just makes it easier to see exactly how much to cut. Now, cut a 2x2" square piece off of each corner from the paper. It doesn't need to be perfect (you can see in the photo below that my cuts were not lol) but try to get it aligned with the edges of the pan as best you can. Finally, all that's left to do is press the parchment paper down in the center and it should naturally fold into the corners and edges of the pan. You can see a visual of what the cuts in the parchment paper should look like in the photo below:

how to make chocolate chip cookie brownies

1. Butter and sugars. Start by whisking together hot melted butter and the 2 sugars. The heat from the butter will help partially dissolve the sugars and this in turn will give the brownie a fudgier texture. This will also help the butter cool down faster, so you won't need to wait before adding in the eggs.
2. Eggs and vanilla. Whisk the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture until combined.
3. Remaining ingredients. Finally, finish off the brownie batter by dropping in all the remaining ingredients (flour, cocoa, salt, and chopped chocolate). Fold together until streak free and combined, but do not overmix or the brownies will end up tough!
4. Baking pan. Pour the brownies into a prepared 8" square pan and spread into an even layer. Set it aside to prep the cookie dough. You can use the same bowl to make the cookie dough, just give the bowl a light wipe with a paper towel to get as much of the brownie batter off.

5. Butter and sugars. Just like with the brownie batter, the cookie dough starts with whisking together butter and sugars together to combine. The temperature of the butter doesn't really matter here - it can be hot or cool, just make sure it's still melted and fluid. Again, the sugars will cool the butter down if it's hot, so you don't need to wait before moving onto the next step.
6. Egg and vanilla. Whisk in the egg and vanilla to combine.
7. Remaining ingredients. Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix together to combine. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

8. Layering the brownies: The final step before baking is layering the cookie dough on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Use a small cookie scoop or 2 spoons to drop dollops of the cookie dough over the brownie batter. Use a lightly floured spoon or your fingers to press the cookie dough down into the brownie batter. Sprinkle over some more chocolate on top before baking.

pan banging brownies

This is one of the secrets to making these brownies extra dense, fudgy, and chewy! It's a technique inspired by pan banging cookies from The Vanilla Bean Blog. The idea is that banging the pan of brownies on the counter partway through the bake (while the batter is partially set but still soft) knocks the air bubbles out, deflates the brownie, and creates a beautifully dense, fudgy, and chewy texture. If you want to skip this step, you can, but the brownies will be a little taller and airier.

how to tell when chocolate chip cookie brownies are baked through

These brownies will be ready to come out of the oven once the cookie dough on top is a deep, even brown color. If you jiggle the pan, the very center of the brownie will lightly wiggle but the edges should be firm. You can slightly underbake for a fudgier brownie or bake a bit longer for a cakier brownie.

Keep in mind that the brownie will continue to set as it cools - so if you want to serve the brownie at the gooey stage, serve it warm. If you want a more set brownie, allow it to cool completely to room temperature. If the brownie is still too soft for your liking, let it sit in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up to your desired texture.

chopped chocolate bar

This little detail helps make for an EXTRA fudgy brownie layer! Adding a chopped up bar of dark chocolate not only helps balance out the sweetness, but it will also melt into the batter and create a denser texture. It's important to use a bar of chocolate because it will actually melt into the batter - chocolate chips on the other hand are usually formulated to keep their shape when baking and they would just remain suspended in the batter. I personally used a bar of Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate because I find it melts the best in a recipe like this and is perfectly bitter.

more tips for fudgy and MOIST brownies

Whether you like cakey or dense brownies, I think most people agree that there's nothing worse than a dry brownie. So here are some more tips to ensure your brownies bake up tender and moist:

1. flour: To avoid dry brownies, it's VERY important to measure your flour carefully and correctly. Flour should always be measured either by weight or (if using cups) by using the spoon and level method. The spoon and level method involves lightly fluffing up your flour with a spoon to aerate it in the bag, then spoon into a measuring cup and use a flat utensil to level off any excess. Don't shake your cup to level the flour or it may pack extra weight into the cup!
2. mixing: Over mixing will overwork the gluten in your flour and can cause the brownies to come out dense and hard. This is mostly a problem with the brownie batter after you add the flour - so watch out for that.
3. baking: Overbaked brownies will obviously be dense and dry! So keep an eye on them when it gets closer to the end of the bake time. The residual heat from the pan will continue setting the brownies - so it's a good idea to pull them out of the oven about 1 or 2 minutes before they're fully baked to your liking.

storage

Keep the brownies stored in an airtight container, plastic bag, or tightly covered with plastic wrap. The less air they're exposed to, the longer they'll keep. Chocolate chip cookie brownies will keep for around 4 days at room temperature or around 1 week in the fridge.

If you keep them stored in the fridge, it's best to let them warm to room temperature before serving so they're not too firm. You can also reheat brownies on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes at 350°F to get them soft and melty again! But take care not to overheat them or they'll dry out.

check out these other recipes!

• Brown Butter Brownies
• Red Velvet Brownies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Red Velvet Cupcake Cookies

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!