Gooey Brookies

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These are hands down the best brookies I’ve EVER had, and the wild part is they start with two boxed shortcuts instead of a from-scratch marathon. A brookie is exactly what it sounds like, a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie fused into one thick, gooey bar, and mine come together with just Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix on the bottom and Nestle Toll House cookie dough pressed on top. That is basically it. You get a fudgy brownie base, melty chocolate chip cookie pockets, and none of the effort of making two separate doughs, because ain’t nobody got time for that.

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What Makes These Brookies So Good

It is all about the two textures hitting at once. The brownie half bakes up dense and fudgy, the cookie half stays soft and gooey with melty chocolate chips, and where they meet in the middle is the best bite in the whole pan. They come out thiccccc (yes, that many c’s), rich, and kind of ridiculous in the best way.

The other thing I love is how little work this takes for how impressive it looks. It’s the same lazy-genius energy as my 2-ingredient Oreo mug cake, where packaged stuff does all the heavy lifting and nobody guesses it was that easy. Brookies are basically that trick scaled up to feed a crowd!

What are brookies made of?

Brookies are made of two layers: brownie batter on the bottom and chocolate chip cookie dough on top, baked together in one pan. My version keeps it semi-homemade with Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (plus eggs, water, and oil) and store-bought Nestle Toll House cookie dough. If you want that same rich, fudgy brownie flavor in a standalone treat, my Dubai chocolate brownies lean on the exact same Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix as their base, so you already know the bottom layer here is going to be bomb.

Can you make brookies with brownie mix and cookie dough?

Yes, and it is legit the easiest way to do it. A boxed brownie mix and a tube of refrigerated cookie dough give you both halves of a brookie without measuring out two separate batters. Make the brownie mix according to the box, spread it in your pan, then scoop the cookie dough into pucks and press them into the batter. That’s the whole hack. For a deeper look at the classic scratch method, The Kitchn breaks down what a brookie actually is, but complex doesn’t always mean better, and this shortcut is proof.

Tips for Making Brookies

Line the pan with a parchment overhang

Line your 9×9 pan with parchment paper long enough to stick out over two opposite sides. Once the brookies cool, you just lift the whole slab out by the overhang and cut clean squares on a board instead of digging them out of the pan.

Scoop the cookie dough with an ice cream scoop

An ice cream scoop gives you nine even balls of dough, which you then flatten into hockey-puck shapes and press into the batter in three rows of three. Even pucks mean the cookie layer bakes evenly instead of some spots being raw while others overbake.

Chill the dough if it gets soft

Store-bought Nestle Toll House cookie dough is easy to work with, but if it warms up and gets sticky while you scoop, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes so the pucks hold their shape. It’s the same dough I wrap around ube halaya in my ube-stuffed chocolate chip cookies, and chilled dough behaves way better in both.

Tent with foil so the top does not burn

The brookies bake for 40 minutes uncovered, then you tent them with aluminum foil and give them 10 more minutes. The foil lets the thick center keep baking without scorching the cookie top. At the 50-minute mark, poke the center with a toothpick and keep going in 5-minute intervals until it comes out clean.

Cool before you cut

Let them cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before cutting. They will still be soft and gooey in the middle but set enough to slice without falling apart. For the cleanest cuts, wait a full 2 hours if you can hold out that long.

Storage & Leftovers

Brookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days, and they stay soft and gooey the whole time. For longer storage, wrap the bars individually and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw at room temp or warm one in the microwave for a few seconds to bring back that fresh-baked pull. They are SO good slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Equipment

• 9×9 baking pan
• parchment paper
• mixing bowls
• spatula
• ice cream scoop
• aluminum foil

Ingredients

• 2 boxes Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (16.3 oz each)
• 4 Eggs
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 9 scoops Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough (using an ice cream scoop)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper long enough to stick out above two opposite sides, which makes it easy to lift the brookies out after they cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl, make the brownie mix according to the package instructions. I make each box separately, but you can do both together if your bowl is big enough. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or by gently shaking the pan.
3. Use an ice cream scoop to make 9 balls of cookie dough. Slightly flatten each one into a hockey-puck shape and press them into the batter in three rows of three.
4. Bake for 40 minutes. Open the oven just long enough to tent the top with aluminum foil, then bake 10 more minutes. At the 50-minute mark, poke a toothpick into the center. If it comes out with batter, keep baking in 5-minute intervals until it comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before cutting (2 hours for the cleanest cuts). They will be soft and gooey in the center but set enough to slice.
6. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Could you make the brownie batter and the cookie dough from scratch? Sure. But nobody has ever eaten one of these and then asked me which parts came out of a box, and that tells me most of what I need to know.

They come out thick enough that one is actually enough, which is not a sentence I use about dessert very often. 🙌

If you make these brookies, leave a star rating on the recipe card below and drop a comment to let me know how they turned out. It really helps other readers find the recipe, and I love hearing what you think!

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