Traybake Brookies Recipe

If you have an appetite for baked goods, it can be hard to narrow it down to one option among the vast assortment of treats possible. Thankfully, you don't always have to decide; sometimes, you can have it all. This traybake brookies recipe might not comprise every dessert under the sun, but it is a layered cookie and brownie delight, which should satisfy just about any craving. Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye agrees, noting that "Cookies and brownies are both utterly delicious in their own right, and so much better when they are combined." 

Here, she creates an absolute master duo, which you'll have a hard time not devouring entirety straight out of the oven. She shares, "I love how decadent these are, and how relatively quick and straightforward the recipe is." That's right, not only are these brookies unbelievably tasty, but you won't even need to put in all that much elbow grease. Rye adds, "This recipe is actually super forgiving," and comments that "as long as the ingredients are properly measured out," home bakers should have no trouble whipping up these sweet treats.

As Rye comments, the ingredients will need to be precisely measured out, and it's worth noting that some are used for both the cookie and brownie components of the dessert. For your shopping list, you'll need butter, brown and white sugar, room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, semisweet chocolate chips or chunks, cocoa powder, and white chocolate chips or chunks. 

To begin, line 9-x9-inch baking pan with some parchment paper, and set it aside. Then, melt ¾ cup of butter in the microwave, ensuring that you are using a microwave-proof bowl. To avoid making a mess, heat the butter in intervals until melted. Then, pour it into a large mixing bowl, and add in ¾ cup of packed brown sugar, and the white sugar. Give the ingredients a good mix to combine, then whisk 1 egg into the mixture. Finally, splash in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and give the contents a stir until the mixture is uniform.

Add 1 ⅔ cups of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and ¾ teaspoon of salt to a medium-sized bowl. Once the dry ingredients are combined, fold the mixture into the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until the cookie dough thickens, then mix in the semisweet chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed. 

Take the prepared baking pan, and transfer the cookie dough mixture into the pan, using a spatula to spread the mixture across the bottom. Refrigerate the cookie dough for a minimum of 1 hour. Rye warns, "It is important not to skip the stage of chilling the cookie dough, as this allows the melted fat (butter) to solidify again, and will change the resulting texture of the cookie base." 

Rye comments that "You can definitely make the cookie dough base ahead of time." She notes that it "lasts well for 3 days in the fridge, so it's perfectly possible to break up the preparation stages for this recipe."

If you are baking the brookies after 1 hour of chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F, but leave the cookie dough in the refrigerator while you make the brownie batter. Next, add 1 ¼ cups of butter to a microwave-safe bowl, and heat it until it completely melts. Once it liquifies, add the remaining 2 ½ cups brown sugar, 4 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to the bowl with the butter. Stir the contents, then fold in the cocoa powder, the remaining ¾ cup all-purpose flour, and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Finally, mix in the white chocolate chips. 

Take the cookie dough out of the fridge, and carefully pour the brownie batter over the chilled cookie base. Using a spatula, spread it out so that the entire surface of the cookie dough is covered from corner to corner. Once the oven is at temperature, bake the brookies for 45 minutes. 

Rye suggests removing the brookies "when a skewer inserted comes out covered in sticky crumbs." However, she notes that "You can slightly reduce the cooking time to give yourself slightly more gooey brownies, if that is your preference." In any case, if you follow the toothpick test, you'll be able to adjust the bake time to your liking.

The hardest part is patiently letting the brookies cool before slicing them. Rye advises waiting until they are completely cool, which is best achieved overnight, but at least 30 minutes. She shares, "My first test run of these came out very gooey (and delicious), but I got too excited to try them, and cut them while they were still warm, so they ended up a bit messy." 

Still, if you are planning on serving the brookies in clean squares, you're best off waiting until they are sufficiently cooled before you cut into them. Keep the brookies at room temperature in a sealed container, and enjoy them within 3 days for ultimate freshness.