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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. There’s nothing not to love about these chocolate layered brownie cookie bars. Each bite is filled with doughy chocolate chip cookies and fudgy molten brownies…with an extra crinkly top. The best of both worlds.
These brownie cookie bars may not be my most creative recipe yet, but they’re truly one of my most delicious. I’m not sure I’ve met a cookie bar that’s 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 I’m excited to welcome in March on Sunday. February wasn’t the easiest month, but that’s life. The bad months help you appreciate the good ones! You just keep pushing forward. And I have a really exciting week ahead of travel…plus an insanely delicious dessert to talk about today…all 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, I’ve now made these brownies more than a handful of times over the last couple of weeks. Thankfully these brownies are delicious and I’ve been sharing them with everyone who turns up. It’s 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 details…start with the cookie dough.
These bars start with the cookie layer. This is my go-to cookie base. Made with the classic list of ingredients…butter, 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.
Let’s 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 don’t enjoy Nutella I’m still going to urge you to give this a try because the hazelnut flavor doesn’t really come through. On the other hand, if you simply can’t 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 dough….
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 they’re thicker than your average brownie. They’ll 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, it’s what I strive for in a brownie. I love a crinkle top…with sea salt on top…of 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. They’re 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, I’m convinced. Happiest (sweetest) Friday to you all – 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, don’t 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
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 272 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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. 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. ENJOY!
Notes
Alternative Brownie Recipe: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crinkle-top-brownies/
Had the same issues as other commenters. These were dry, loafy and never crinkled for me. Couldn’t be further away from “fudgy”. Just sorta puffed up and weirdly “sweat” a lot — When I took them out there were puddles of butter on top. I used a glass 8×8 and I don’t *think* my oven runs too hot – I bake a lot and normally don’t have issues with it. Only thing I can think I may have done different was use Whole Foods Brand nutella?
Hey Jessica, is the Whole Foods brand Nutella oilY? What are the ingredients? So sorry you had trouble, but hope I can help you get these right!!
Made these tonight and was a little bummed… very dry and loafy- not fudgy at all. I followed the recipe to a T, didn’t change anything. From the comments it sounds like I’m not the only one who had some issues, though I find it interesting lots of people had the opposite where it wasn’t cooked all the way through.
Hi Barbara! That is so odd.. Are there any questions I could help you with? Please let me know! xTieghan
I was so excited to make these for my husband, a more chocolate the better type of guy. I followed the recipe to the letter, but I had a cooking issue. The brownies would not set. I ended up adding 20 more minutes uncovered. The brownie finally set and the cookie dough was not overcooked. These are delicious. My husband loves them, but I could only eat a small bite due to how rich they were.
Hi Elizabeth! I am so glad you both enjoyed these so much! Thank you for trying them! xTieghan
I made these with a half batch of your crinkle top brownie recipe with the melted chocolate chips instead of the nutella ones. They’re excellent and my family is now obsessed with them. Thanks for the recipe. It’ll be in high rotation in my household.
I am so glad these turned out so well for you Natasha! Thank you for trying them! xTieghan
Recipe question… the ingredients list kosher salt for the cookie recipe but the instructions never say to add the salt at any point. Am I missing a step?? I have these in the oven and never added any salt to the cookie dough batter so I’m hoping they still turn out okay!!!
Hey! Recipe is all fixed now. Did the brownies turn out ok? If you used salted butter it should be fine! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I also had a bit of a failure. The texture is dryIsh and takes more like a brownie cake. It’s good but not fudgy brownie like although I followed the recipe.
Hi Deb! I am sorry to hear that! Is there anything that could have gone wrong while making? I would love to help, just need a bit more info! xTieghan
This is the first time an HBH recipe did not turn out for me. I always follow the recipe exactly as stated (and even cross-checked this one with her IG stories) but the center is raw to the point that, even after cooling, it’s just batter, and the cookie bottom is overdone and lost the delicious taste it had as dough. I’ve made her Nutella brownies before as well as her Salted Cowboy Chocolate Chunk Pretzel cookies, both which turned out AMAZING and are similar to what goes into these brownies. Not sure if it was the tinfoil tenting that messed with the temperature or if the Universe just didn’t want me to experience their deliciousness, but it wasn’t meant to be. Might try again in the future or just opt for her other tested and successful bakes.
Hey Daisy! So sorry for the trouble. Did you bake these in the center of the oven? Was there anything at all about the recipe that you changed? Do you know if you oven runs warm by chance? Hope I can help problem salve! xTieghan
I really wanted this to be amazing but it wasn’t. Maybe I did something wrong but the brownies wouldn’t set and then the cookie dough was really overcooked. Maybe I overcooked the whole thing and if so, I feel like there may need to be more specific instructions for when it’s done.
Usually love these recipes but this one was a fail for me.
Hey Annie, so sorry you had some trouble. Did you test the brownies by using the toothpick or knife method? If the knife comes out clean the brownies are done.
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. It’s hard to know without knowing any details. Hope I can help you! xTieghan
Do you think white rice flour would work okay as a GF flour substitute?
Hi Danielle! I do not feel comfortable recommending it, since I have not tried it. If you do need a GF substitute I would recommend cup4cup! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
deliciuos & ….this looks fabulous…can’t wait to try it.
Thank you Rewari! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Ahh, how fabulous do these sound! It can be a challenge for me to find a brownie recipe I like, but this one sounds incredible!
Hi Melissa! I am so glad you are loving this one and I hope they turn out amazing for you! xTieghan
Mmmm, these look and sound amazing! I can’t think of a better way to start the weekend than with these! Thanks Tieghan!
Thank you Lauren! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Do you see any reason this recipe couldn’t be doubled and baked in a 9×13” pan?
HI! The baking time will just be much longer. If I had to guess, closer to an hour. Otherwise, I think it will work well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi, awesome recipe and beautifully described.
Neeti https://www.bakingnfrosting.com
Thank you so much! xTieghan
So, I have made your other brownies using Nutella from your cookbook and they’re brilliant. My question though is do you have thoughts on substitutions for the Nutella? My daughter has a nut allergy so she can’t eat them. I love the simplicity of using Nutella – it just doesn’t work for our family. Thoughts?
Hi Robin! I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies from the book! Have you tried making nut-free nutella? Let me know! xTieghan