Cookie Brownie Bars

Delicious oatmeal cookie brownie bars start with a rich and fudgy brownie base topped with chocolate chips, a creamy caramel layer, and an oatmeal cookie crumble to finish them off. These”brookie” bar (brownie and cookie) are make for a rich, indulgent, and fun treat.

Cookie Brownie Bars

Brownies, cookies, caramel, and chocolate? Yes, this is one crazy mash-up dessert! Since brownies and carmelitas are two of my all-time favorite treats I thought it would be fun to combine the two into one fun dessert bar. And fun hardly begins to describe these bars — they’re gooey, fudgy, chewy, and chocolatey. They’re rich and caramelly — these bars are the ultimate mash-up treat!

And, while considering there are 4 layers, it might seem like a lot of work, these bars are surprisingly easy to make. To keep things simple, we use a brownie mix for the base. The chocolate layer is simply a bag of chocolate chips and the caramel layer isn’t made from scratch either — we’re using packaged caramels. The oatmeal cookie topping is made from scratch, but I promise it’s quick and easy!

How to make Cookie Brownie Bars: 4 layers

1. Start by making fudge brownies

We begin with a boxed mix for this recipe. Brownie mixes are delicious and they’re convenient, especially since the goal for this dessert is quick and easy. If you want to make your brownies from scratch, use your favorite brownie recipe in place of the mix in this recipe (Just make sure it fills a 9×13-inch pan).

My personal favorite mix for this recipe is Betty Crocker’s Fudge Brownie Mix (18.3 ounces). There are different versions of that mix, so make sure to get the 18.3 ounce mix that will fit in a 9×13-inch pan. We slightly under-bake the brownies, because they’ll go back in the oven layer!

2. Chocolate chips next

Right on top of the brownies, we add an entire bag (about 2 cups) of chocolate chips. Use any chocolate you like — milk, semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate for a unique flavor twist. We prefer milk chocolate, but it does make these bars sweet. If you are concerned about overall sweetness, I’d stick to semi-sweet or dark chocolate.

My favorite chocolate chips to add to these cookie brownie bars is either Ghirardelli® or Guittard® (not sponsored). 

3. Caramel layer

I’ve tried a lot of different caramels in these bars and my favorite affordable caramels are Werther’s SOFT (not original) caramels. Here’s a visual of the bag (not sponsored). These caramels have a great flavor, melt easily, and are perfect for these bars.

The unwrapped caramels get mixed with heavy cream to keep the caramel layer soft and creamy. 

4. Oatmeal cookie topping

Last, but not least, we make an oatmeal cookie crumble topping. The crumble has fairly standard ingredients — flour, oats, butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract. It’s easily prepared by stirring everything together in one bowl until it forms a crumbly topping.

Cookie Brownie Bars Tips

• Line the 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. This not only keeps the clean-up to a minimum, but ensures caramel doesn’t stick to the sides and the bars remove easily.
• For the oatmeal crumble topping, allow time for the butter to cool down to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will cause the sugars to melt and become greasy.
• For the caramel layer, make sure to use heavy cream, not half and half or milk. Otherwise the caramel layer won’t set up properly and will be overly gooey.

More delicious desserts: 

• Vanilla Cheesecake Bars with a berry topping
• Carmelitas oatmeal caramel & chocolate bars
• Gluten Free Brownies with a fudge topping
• Caramel Cookie Bars with a shortbread crust
• M&M Cookies soft & chewy

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Cookie Brownie Bars

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Delicious oatmeal cookie brownie bars with a chocolate caramel brownie base - a "brookie" (brownie-cookie) bar at it's best!

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Cookie Brownie Bars

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Delicious oatmeal cookie brownie bars with a chocolate caramel brownie base - a "brookie" (brownie-cookie) bar at it's best!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cookie Brownie Bars

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 24 bars

Calories 262kcal

Cost $6.21

Ingredients

Brownie, Chocolate, & Caramel Layer

• 1 package (18.3 oz; 519g) fudge brownie mix + ingredients called for (See Note 1)
• 1 bag (10.8 oz; (307g) unwrapped soft caramels (See Note 2)
• 1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream
• 1 package (2 cups) (11.5oz, 326g) milk chocolate chips

Oatmeal Cookie Layer

• 7 tablespoons (99g) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (86g) white flour
• 3/4 cup (64g) old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup (115g) brown sugar packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• PREP: Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper (not foil). Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• BROWNIES: In a large bowl, prepare the brownies according to package instructions. Bake for 21 minutes at 350 degrees F. They won't be fully cooked through at this point, don't worry they go back in the oven!
• CARAMEL LAYER: While the brownies are baking, combine the unwrapped caramels, and heavy whipping cream in a medium sized pot over medium low heat. Gently stir until melted and smooth, about 5-8 minutes. Once smooth, remove from heat and set aside.
• ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS: As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips right on top. Immediately pour and gently spread the caramel layer on top.
• OATMEAL COOKIE LAYER: Melt the butter and then allow to cool back to room temperature. Do not add hot butter to this mixture, it will make it all greasy! In another large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Once the butter is cooled down a bit, add it into the mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon or hand mixers until you have a thick, crumbly oatmeal mixture.
• BAKE BARS AGAIN: Crumble the cookie mixture evenly over the melted caramel and bake for another 13-16 minutes or until golden brown on top.
• ENJOY: Remove from the oven and allow bars to cool and set up for at least 1 hour before cutting into the bars. Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature. Bars are best enjoyed within 2-3 days.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Betty Crocker’s Fudge Brownies are what we typically use. There are different versions of this mix, so make sure to get the 21-ounce mix that will fit the 9 x 13-inch pan. 

Note 2: I recommend Werther's SOFT (not chewy) caramels for this recipe. If you can't find this size bag, grab 3 (4.51 ounce) bags and use 2 full bags and 5 caramels from the 3rd bag.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 24servings | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.4g | Protein: 2.9g | Cholesterol: 41.4mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 2.9g

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