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The very BEST Salted Cookie Crinkle Top Brownies. Homemade chocolate chip cookie dough, layered with homemade fudgy brownie batter for the truly ultimate cookie bar. Sweet chocolate chunks are swirled throughout the brownie batter before baking to perfection. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Thereโs nothing not to love about these chocolate layered brownie cookie bars. Each bite is filled with doughy chocolate chip cookies and fudgy molten browniesโฆwith an extra crinkly top. The best of both worlds.
These brownie cookie bars may not be my most creative recipe yet, but theyโre truly one of my most delicious. Iโm not sure Iโve met a cookie bar thatโs better. A soft delicious cookie layer on the bottom and extra fudgy, molten brownies on top. Two most loved desserts combined into one.
So. Very. Good.
And perfect for these last days of February. Yes, the month flew by, but Iโm excited to welcome in March on Sunday. February wasnโt the easiest month, but thatโs life. The bad months help you appreciate the good ones! You just keep pushing forward. And I have a really exciting week ahead of travelโฆplus an insanely delicious dessert to talk about todayโฆall very good things!
Now, these bars? They took me almost no time at all to get just right. They were oddly one of those recipes that worked pretty well the very first time I made them. I knew instantly that I would be sharing the recipe as soon as possible. Of course, while the recipe is delicious, the photos gave me some trouble. In an effort to get the photos just right, Iโve now made these brownies more than a handful of times over the last couple of weeks. Thankfully these brownies are delicious and Iโve been sharing them with everyone who turns up. Itโs probably safe to say that I have this recipe pretty much perfected.
Which is great, because you absolutely need to make these, preferably tonight as an end of the workweek celebration treat. We all deserve a little indulgence every once in a while throughout the week.
The detailsโฆstart with the cookie dough.
These bars start with the cookie layer. This is my go-to cookie base. Made with the classic list of ingredientsโฆbutter, sugar, an egg, lots of vanilla, flour, and plenty of chocolate chips. Very much the classic recipe, and so delicious!
Once mixed, press the cookie dough into a square brownie pan.
Letโs talk about the brownie batter.
Now, move onto the brownie batter, which I find to be extra special.
This is the brownie recipe I shared in the HBH Super Simple cookbook, it has only five very simple ingredients.
The secret lies in a generous amount of chocolate hazelnut spread, better known as Nutella. The Nutella is mixed with a couple of eggs and a touch of melted butter, then whisked until smooth. Then just add the flour and chocolate chunks. The Nutella keeps the brownies sweet and chocolatey without having to add any additional sweeteners or cocoa powder. SIMPLE, but SO GOOD.
If you donโt enjoy Nutella Iโm still going to urge you to give this a try because the hazelnut flavor doesnโt really come through. On the other hand, if you simply canโt eat Nutella due to an allergy, I provided an additional brownie recipe in the notes sections of the recipe.
Once the batter is made, spread it directly over the cookie doughโฆ.
Now bake the bars.
There are a couple of things I want to note while baking. First, these brownies take longer than your average brownie to bake up since theyโre thicker than your average brownie. Theyโll need to bake for about thirty minutes. I then tent them with foil and continue to bake for another ten to fifteen minutes, until the brownies are just barely set in the center.
Using foil prevents the tops of the brownies from becoming too brown and preserves their beautiful crinkled top. And yes, I do think that crinkle top is beautiful, itโs what I strive for in a brownie. I love a crinkle topโฆwith sea salt on topโฆof course.
Let the bars cool off a bit, then lift them out of the pan. At this point, you should really let the bars cool completely before cutting. Trust me I do understand if you need to steal a corner or two while the bars are still warm. Theyโre warm, gooey, and very messy, but SO very GOOD.
My only suggestion? Bake these salted cookie crinkle top brownies as soon as you get home from work today. Enjoy them just a smidge warm, maybe while snuggled up on the couch, and in full on weekend mode.
Hey, Iโm convinced. Happiest (sweetest) Friday to you all โ ENJOY!
A few of my favorite bar recipes.
Fudgy Avocado Brownies with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
5 Ingredient Triple Decker Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Lastly, if you make these Salted Cookie Crinkle Top Brownies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Salted Crinkle Top Brownie Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Crinkle Top Brownies
- 1 cup Nutella
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks , (optional)
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish and line it with parchment paper.2.ย In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until combined. Add the egg, beating until combined and creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, and saltbeat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. 3. To make the brownies. In a medium bowl, whisk together the Nutella, eggs, butter, and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the flour and mix until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes more. Fold in the chocolate chunks (if using). Evenly spread the batter over the cooker layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then cover the pan with foil and continue baking another 10-15 minutes, until the brownies are just set. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let cool.4. Eat warm (a little messy, but delicious) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.ย ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. The whole family enjoyed them. Thank you for sharing!!
Hey Samantha,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and your comment!!
Hey there!
Your alternate brownie recipe calls for a 9×13 pan and this receipt is for an 8×8.
Should I cut the brownie recipe in 1/2 or double this cookie base recipe.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi Brandi,
You can cut the brownie recipe in half or just increase your bake time. I hope you love this recipe! xT
You rock!
SO frustrated!! Baked @ 350 in an 8×8 pan for 35 min uncovered and another 15 covered…. Still took another 30 minutes to cook through. This is the 3rd time I’ve tried to bake something from HBH that did not meet the cook time suggested in the recipe.
Hi Jennifer,
So sorry to hear these did not bake properly for you. These are definitely messy if eaten warm. Are you by chance baking in a glass dish? Usually glass will take longer. Please let me know how I can help! Happy New Year!๐ฅณ๐ฅ xx
Really disappointed with how this turned out. I followed the recipe to a T and the cooking time was an issue. When I originally pulled them out after baking with tin foil, the top of the brownie part was mooshy and not cooked. I put them back in until the brownie was cooked thoroughly and the cookie part became inedible. I know there is potential for this recipe but the cooking time isnโt correct
Hi Abby,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear these weren’t enjoyed! Did you first bake without foil for 30 minutes? Let me know how I can help! xT
I am a huge HBH fan and always love Tieghan’s recipes. However, this one was a bit disappointing to me! The cook time took so much longer for me as the brownie did not set up in the 30 + 15 min cook instructions. The cookie then became over-baked and the brownie is perfectly cooked on top. The cookie part wasn’t sweet enough for me and WAY too salty. Very interesting… I wanted this to be so good and it just wasn’t great.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Can the eggs be replace with applesauce. Want yo make for my daughter but can’t have egg whites.
Hi Yvonne! I haven’t ever tried this recipe with applesauce instead of eggs so I can’t say for sure! Let me know if you give it a try!
Love love love this recipe and make it quite frequently! Any one know if the brownies freeze well??
Hey Claudia,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Sure, you can definitely freeze these:) xxT
Followed it to a T and it came out great!! just make sure you do 30mins in oven with out foil and then 15 mins with foil. so 45 mins total!!
Hey Amber,
Amazing!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was tasty for you! xT
If I could’ve given this recipe half a star, I would. We followed this recipe to a TEE, and STILL was rather disappointed! The cookie was not a cookie-like texture and the brownie was quite spongey. Also, where in Gods name was the CRINKLE!!??!!? Tbh, would not recommend unless you want to be despondent. ๐
Hey Jeff,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear you did not enjoy it. Have the BEST Sunday:) xTieghan
This recipe unfortunately did not turn out for me at all. Normally love all of half baked harvestโs recipes but, this recipe was bland and required much longer of a cooking time for the brownie top. I followed the recipe exactly as written.
Hey queen
Why would you give 1 star and just say “hey queen”?
Hi Carly,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
Unfortunately the cookies didn’t turn out a different colour to the brownies and I didn’t get a crinkle top. Not sure what I did wrong, but might try out one of your other brownie recipies ๐
Hey Liv,
Sorry to hear this, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hi! If using unsalted butter, how much salt should we add for both the cookie and brownie batter? Thank you!
Hey Rani,
I would add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I hope you enjoy this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Where are you getting the flakey sea salt?
Hey Joye,
I order Maldons flaky sea salt from Amazon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Followed the recipe to the tee and still turned out very wrong. My oven also doesnโt run hot, if anything I have to leave things in a bit longer. The main problem, as others have pointed out, is that the brownie does not come close to being edible/remotely firm in the 30 minutes. And when you leave them in longer to finish, the cookie turns into a hard, dusty cookie.
I really wanted to like these, but for some reason none of the half baked harvest brownie recipes work for me. I am almost wondering if itโs an issue that comes from me being slightly above sea level on the west coast and these recipes are created at a higher elevation? Iโm at a loss
Hi Ag! I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? Any ingredients different? Method of baking this? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. I know you said you followed the directions, but it’s hard to know without knowing any details.
I am at an elevation, but a write my recipes for sea level. Most people don’t have issues, so I am hoping I can help you! xTieghan
How do we use the crinkle top recipe as an alternative to the Nutella recipe? They are two different quantities of brownie!
Hey Jess,
They are two different recipes, I would pick the one that you want to follow:) I hope you love the brownies! xTieghan
I think what’s been requested is how to cut the other brownie recipe down so it can be used in place of the nutella brownie recipe as described in this brookie recipe.
Hi Kate,
I haven’t tested that with this recipe, so I do not know how well it will work:)