Brown-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
All the flavor of a perfect cookie, half the effort — no scooping.
Method · 10 steps
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 metal pan with parchment, leaving overhang on the long sides as handles.
- 2
Brown the butter: in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Continue cooking 5-7 minutes, swirling often, until milk solids at the bottom turn amber and it smells nutty. Pour into a large bowl (include all the brown bits) and cool 10 minutes until just warm.
- 3
Whisk brown sugar and granulated sugar into the cooled brown butter until fully combined and glossy.
- 4
Whisk in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla until thick and smooth, about 1 minute.
- 5
Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain — do not overmix.
- 6
Fold in 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips, reserving 1/4 cup for the top.
- 7
Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Press remaining chocolate chips into the surface.
- 8
Bake 22-26 minutes until edges are deep golden and the center looks just set with a faint sheen. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- 9
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately. Cool in the pan at least 45 minutes before lifting out — warm bars fall apart.
- 10
Slice into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Chef's notes
- →Weigh the flour. Cup measurements vary 15% and a heavy cup makes the bars cakey instead of chewy.
- →Pull them when centers still look slightly underdone — bars finish cooking as the pan cools and that's how you get fudgy.
- →Room-temp eggs emulsify with the brown butter smoothly; cold eggs make the butter re-solidify in streaks.
Storage
Airtight at room temp 4 days. Freeze individual bars up to 3 months.
