Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

overhead shot of a salted chocolate chip cookie bar.

5 from 2 votes

Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Irresistible brown butter chocolate chip cookie bars are a thick, chewy, and decadent bite of heaven! Made with simple pantry staples like brown sugar, chocolate chips, and pecans along with aromatic brown butter, and a sprinkle of salt at the end to bring it over the top! The entire batch is ready in 40 minutes which is more than the time it takes to devour them all!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings bars

Author Melissa Williams

Ingredients

⅓ cup (76 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (213 g) brown sugar packed
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (57 g) pecans chopped & divided
6 ounces (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate bar chopped & divided
sea salt for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter. Melt, stirring every couple minutes, until the butter begins to create brown bits at the bottom of the pan and starts to give off a nutty scent.
1/3 cup unsalted butter
Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool for a couple minutes.
To the slightly cooled butter, add the brown sugar and whisk together. Add the vanilla and eggs, whisking again until thoroughly combined.
1 cup brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
Add in the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Use a spatula to fold together until a thick batter forms.
1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
Add in all but approximately 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate and a tablespoon of the chopped pecans. Stir to evenly distribute.
½ cup pecans, 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining chopped chocolate and pecans evenly across the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
Immediately sprinkle with sea salt when removing the bars from the oven. Let cool approximately 20-30 minutes before slicing into bars.
sea salt

Notes

Use a light-colored saucepan to make brown butter so you can see the color change and monitor the milk solids.
Don’t forget to include the brown bits in the batter for added flavor.
Allow the brown butter to cool before adding to avoid scrambling eggs or dissolving sugar too quickly.
Gently fold the ingredients together—do not overmix.
Leave extra parchment paper hanging over the edges of your pan to make lifting the bars out easier.
Swap pecans for walnuts, almonds, or peanuts for variety.
Use a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate, or opt for milk chocolate if preferred.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition