ajoyouskitchen

Caramel Brookie Bars

I saw something similar to these in my favorite grocery store a while back and knew that I had to make my own version. It’s three of my absolute favorite things: rich, chocolate-y brownies, gooey caramel, and chocolate chip cookies. What is there to dislike?? Yes there are a few components to make, but none take long and they come together to make the most amazing dessert.

THE RECIPE

There’s only three components here, but let’s take a closer look at each:

  • the brownie layer: I doubled my favorite brownie recipe here to make the bottom layer of these bars. The brownie is perfectly gooey and not aggressively sweet, which is good with the sweetness of the other layers
  • the caramel layer: it’s going to look like a lot of caramel when you make it and honestly, that’s because it is! I didn’t want the caramel to get lost among the other layers and it definitely doesn’t here. It adds a gooey richness to the bars that is amazing
  • the cookie layer: the final layer is a good old chocolate chip cookie. I used less chocolate chips than I usually do since there’s already a lot of chocolate from the brownies and sweetness from the caramel

That’s it! These components get layered up in a 13×9 pan and baked until cooked but still a bit gooey, as any good bar should be. You could absolutely cut this in half and make it in a 8×8 pan, decreasing the cooking time, but do you really want to do that? I don’t think so, but you do you!

VARIATIONS

If you want to make this but don’t have the time to make all the layers yourself (or simply don’t want to!) you can substitute store bought versions of each. Use a brownie mix, store bought caramel sauce, and cookie dough. It’ll still work beautifully!

Want a whole different type of bar situation for your dessert? I’ve got you covered there! Check out these other recipes on the site:

Caramel Brookie Bars
Yield: 15 servings

Caramel Brookie Bars

Caramel Brookie Bars are three of my absolute favorite things: rich, chocolate-y brownies, gooey caramel, and chocolate chip cookies. What is there to dislike?? Yes there are a few components to make, but none take long and they come together to make the most amazing dessert.

Ingredients

for the caramel layer

  • 250 g sugar
  • 106 g unsalted butter
  • 142 g heavy cream
  • 1 tsp salt

for the brownie layer

  • 45 g cocoa
  • 85 g boiling water
  • 170 g dark chocolate
  • 127 g butter
  • 84 g neutral oil
  • 225 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 125 g flour

for the cookie layer

  • 170 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 160 g brown sugar
  • 67 g sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 240 g flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 212 g chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. make the caramel layer: in a large pot over medium heat, melt the sugar. this will take a bit of time, just be patient and don't turn up the heat. stir occasionally with a spatula to evenly distribute the heat. continue cooking until all the sugar is melted and it becomes an amber color
  2. add the butter to the sugar, stirring the whole time. it may seem to split at this point, but that's okay. just remove the pot from the heat and stir vigorously until it comes back together, then return to the heat.
  3. add the heavy cream and boil for one minute. remove from the heat and stir in the salt. transfer to a container and let cool while you make the other layers
  4. make the brownie layer: preheat the oven to 350*. line a 13x9 pan with a parchment sling. set up a double boiler with a large, heat proof bowl that fits over a medium sized pot. fill the pot less than halfway with water and bring it to a simmer. the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl when the bowl is placed on top of it
  5. bloom the cocoa by combining the cocoa and boiling water in the large, heatproof bowl. whisk to combine, then place the bowl over the simmering water and add the chocolate, butter, and oil. stir until everything is just melted together. remove from the heat.
  6. add in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk to combine. add in the flour and stir until it's just combined. pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18 minutes. while it's baking, make the cookie layer
  7. make the cookie layer: using a stand or hand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until light and fluffy. add in teh egg and yolk and vanilla and mix to combine. incorporate the baking soda and salt before adding in the flour and mixing just to combine. fold in the chocolate chips
  8. layer it up: once the brownies are partially cooked, top with the caramel sauce. form teh cookie dough into flat disks and arrange in a single layer on top of the caramel sauce. bake the whole thing for an additional 20-24 minutes or until the bars are set but still a bit gooey from teh caramel underneath
  9. enjoy! let cool before slicing and enjoying. store in an airtight container
© Elizabeth Lilley from ajoyouskitchen

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