Salted Caramel Brookies

These Salted Caramel Brookies combine my favourite salted caramel cookies with soft, gooey homemade brownies, all baked in one pan! The perfect solution when you can’t decide on brownies or cookies!

Are you a cookie or a brownie person? 

I tend to fall either way, depending on what I’m craving that day, and my family has always been split down the middle. Half are die-hard cookie people and the other half brownie lovers.

When you want to please everyone, what do you make?

Salted Caramel Brookie Bars!

What are brookies? As you may have guessed, they are brownies and cookies all in one pan! These Chocolate Caramel Brookie Bars start with a layer of decadent homemade brownies and are topped with an easy chocolate chip and salted caramel cookie dough! 

Whip up each one individually, pour the brownie batter into the pan and top with the salted caramel dough. It’s really that easy!

The end result is a chewy, gooey chocolate brownie topped with a salted caramel chocolate chip cookie. Good luck eating just one!

Ingredients & Substitutions

For the Brownies:

• Unsalted butter – The butter will be melted for the brownies but you will need it taken out the night before or at least a few hours in advance so that it is softened to room temp for the cookie top
• Sugar – Of course! What are brownies without sweetness?
• Pastry flour – Pastry flour is similar to all-purpose flour but lower in protein. If you don’t have pastry flour you can substitute all-purpose flour easily in this recipe. Pastry flour is just a little lighter.
• Cocoa – Can’t have brownies without chocolate!
• Salt – Just a pinch is all it takes to enhance the flavour of any dish.
• Espresso powder – One of my secret ingredients. Espresso powder when added to chocolate helps to give the chocolate a deeper richer flavour.
• Eggs – A staple to hold the brownies together.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Melted chocolate chips help create the ooey, gooey chocolate flavour and texture!

For the Cookie Top:

• Unsalted butter – Again, you’re going to want to allow this to soften to room temperature.
• Sugar – Regular white sugar to start.
• Brown sugar – Lightly pack your measuring cup – no need to press it down firmly.
• Vanilla – A little splash of flavour. 
• Pastry flour – Softer than all-purpose flour. I prefer it in my baked goods.
• Corn Starch – Used in this recipe to give the chocolate chip cookies a softer more cakey texture to compliment the brownie bottom.
• Baking Soda – Gives the cookie dough a little rise.
• Salt – Just a pinch for flavour.
• Chocolate chips – The chocolate in the chocolate chip cookie
• Salted caramels – Roughly chopped. When these melt in the dough, you’re left with a soft and slightly chewy caramel texture!

How to Make Salted Caramel Brookies

Preheat an oven to 350ºF.  Grease a 9″ X 11″ baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

For the Brownie Bottom:

Add 1/2 cup of flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder to a small bowl.  Mix well.

In a large bowl add 3/4 cup melted butter, 1 1/4 cup sugar and two eggs. Whisk together until well blended.  Add half of the cocoa mix to the egg mixture and mix well.  Add the remaining cocoa powder and whisk until combined.  

Melt the chocolate on low heat for 40 seconds and stir until the chips are completely melted.  Fold the melted chocolate into the cocoa batter.

Pour the brownie batter into the lined baking dish and spread evenly into the corners and across the bottom.  Set aside.

For the Cookie Top:

In a large bowl 1 cup of softened unsalted butter with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.  It will turn whiter than it started.  Add in 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 2/3 cup sugar and 2/3 cup brown sugar.  Beat with the hand-mixer until combined.  

Place a large sieve over top of the bowl and add in the 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp salt. Using a spoon stir until the dry ingredients drop through the sieve into the butter mixture.  Remove the sieve and then mix with a spoon just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined. 

Add in 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped salted caramels.  Mix to combine evenly.

Drop dollops of the cookie mixture over top of the brownie mixture and gently use a spatula to spread the cookie mixture out over the top of the brownie mixture.  

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out almost clean.  This is a thick treat so give it a little jiggle and make sure the centre is set before removing them from the oven.  Being brownie and cookie with all those chocolate chips it is gonna be tough to get a clean toothpick without drying the brookies out so aim for almost clean and no jiggle.

If the cookie top begins to brown too much place aluminum foil over top to keep the cookie top from over-browning.  Once set, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before cutting and serving.

How to Store This Cookie Bar recipe

You can store these Salted Caramel Brookies Cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  This entire pan lasted one day in my house so the danger of them going stale is unlikely!

Can I freeze brookies Cookies?

Yes! You can freeze your Brookies Bars for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely, and place them in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer. Remove from the freezer and allow to defrost on the counter when you’re ready. 

Brookie Bars Variations

The basics of a Brookie are a bottom brownie layer and a top cookie layer. But I have seen this flipped or even the two batters mixed. To mix it up just add dollops of the cookie dough and the brownie batter to the pan to create one even layer dotted with both recipes and then bake.

While I love the salted caramel flavour, you can also make this recipe with your favourite cookie dough. Some popular variations include chocolate chip cookie dough, M&M or monster cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough or even sugar cookie dough. Baking times may vary so keep an eye out to make sure the cookie layer doesn’t burn. 

Can I use premade cookie dough or box brownie mix?

While I personally like to make these brookies completely from scratch, you can absolutely make these with box mixes for both the brownies and cookies. I would recommend picking one to make from scratch and the other a box mix – for example, homemade cookies with your favourite box brownie mix.  Prepared mixes can affect baking time, so just keep a close eye on your Brookie Bars as they bake, if you opt for a box mix. 

Other Homemade Cookie Recipes:

• Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
• Raspberry Jam Valentine’s Cookies
• Cocoa Spritz Cookies
• Vegan Funfetti Sugar Cookies

Pin it for later!