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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/
These just didn’t turn out for me. I am an experienced baker and followed the instructions. I didn’t have a problem with the cook time or anything. But, the cookie layer was very greasy and the whole thing had a very weird, cake-y texture. I tried putting them in the fridge and eating them the next day. It didn’t help. I tried heating them up, even put them with ice cream. Didn’t help. Usually with desserts, if one element is off I can still eat them. But I am so sad.. I couldn’t eat these 🙁 I have no idea where I went wrong! Maybe it was just not meant to be.
Hi Elle! I am really sorry to hear that! Is there anything you changed about the recipe? I would love to help you out! xTieghan
These are amazing, however, I totally over cooked them and did not get the coveted crinkle top! I don’t know what I did wrong. Also the cookie ingredients list 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, but I don’t see it anywhere in the cooking instructions. Thanks!
Hi Crystal,
Sorry add the salt with the flour and baking soda. The key to the crinkle top is to really beat the eggs. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I don’t have an 8×8 inch square baking tray but a 9x9inch instead. How should I adjust the cooking time or the ingredients to make it work? Thank you! I’m really looking forward to making these 🙂 x
Hi Holly! That should work fine! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Hey – I wrote a review previously and didn;t love it when it was freshley made (blasphemy). Going back for a bite the next day, I thought the brownies were delicious – there was something about letting them sit and cool that made the flavors intensify and the texture was also more brownie-like the next day! I’d totally make this again.
Also, I wanted to “reply” to my prior comment, but for some reason I couldn’t get the reply function to work.
Thanks for the awesome content!
Hi Christine! I am really glad these turned out well! Thank you for leaving another comment! xTieghan
Made these exactly as instructed and they turned out perfectly. Fudgey, crinkly, the best way to cure mid-week quarantine blues.
Thank you so much Sofia! xTieghan
Hey Tiegan! This is in response to YOUR response to my comment around the sugar 😛 For some reason it would not let me “reply” to your response. But I wanted to say…. I LOVE that there is no “added” sugar… we will just ignore the sugar in the nutella 😉 I will be trying these today!!! Have loved baking up a bunch of your recipes since the pandemic. Did pretzel bagels yesterday! YUM!!
Hi Lauren! I am glad the pretzel bagels turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying them! Also, hope you love these brownies! xTieghan
Is it correct there is no sugar in the brownie layer?
Hi Lauren! Yes, that is correct! The nutella will make it sweet enough! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Hey, Nutella is super expensive here in and I don’t always have it on hand. If I want to do the substitute recipe for crinkle top brownes, but I saw it needs a bigger pan (9×13) should I cut it in half or could I just layer the entire brownie butter over the cookies ?
Hi Maria,
I would cut the recipe in half. I hope they are delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTeighan
I absolutely love your recipes! Will try this tonight! Are there any substitutes for the brown sugar though? Maybe maple syrup?
Thanks!!! 🙂
HI! I worry using maple will leave you with a cakey brownie, but you could certainly try! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
These are AMAZING. I even accidentally baked them at 380 instead of 350 (?! Ha) and they were still gooey blobs of heaven with a tasty cookie bottom. Holy crap. We actually need to hide these because I ate half the pan already.
Thank you for this recipe!
Haha I am glad these still turned out so well! Thank you so much Athena! xTieghan
Your recipes are so easy to follow. And your photos always look so Devine!
I made this recipe yesterday to the T with no substitutions or alterations. I found it needed about 15 minutes of cook time more than specified in the recipe so the brownies would set. I thought the entire thing was more bready texture than cookie/brownie texture.
Not bad- definitely still edible, but just not in a sweet-toothed desserty way.
Hi Christine! Please let me know if you have any questions on this recipe! I am sorry it did not turn out the way you hoped! xTieghan
I made these tonight and they were so easy and very delicious! I only had a glass 8×8 pan though so did have to bake an extra 20 minutes longer! Will definitely be making again!!
Hi Catie! I am so glad these turned out so well for you!! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
oh my god!!! definitely trying this out… specially cause in in quarantine and that means COOKING ofc to try to pass by time
stay safe!!
https://dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com/
Beijinhos Jessy
Love it! I hope this turns out amazing for you Jessica! xTieghan
Tried these last night as a last minute dessert for some unexpected guests! These rocked! Ate them while they were still warm with a little scoop of ice cream. But part of me wonders if a peanut butter cookie bottom also might be worth a shot (cause who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate!) Thanks for the awesome recipe. 🙂
Yes yes yes! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! PB bottom sounds amazing! xTieghan
I don’t see the alternative brownie recipe if Nutella can’t be used due to an allergy?
Hey Lauren! Linked to the brownie recipe bellow. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crinkle-top-brownies/