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These chocolate chip cookie bars are so rich and gooey! The browned butter gives them great flavor and the dark chocolate chunks are like little pools of heaven. You can swap out milk or semi-sweet chocolate if that’s more your speed, too.
Can we talk about chocolate chip cookies for a minute here?
They’re my favorite. That simple, classic cookie that everyone instantly recognizes, with no strange ingredients or difficult steps. Just a perfectly soft, somewhat chewy, chocolate loaded cookie. My favorite recipe comes straight from Anna Olson of The Food Network. I discovered her recipe when my girl, Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction, shared her slightly modified recipe. Since then? Total favorite. They became an instant hit and I always go back to that recipe.
I went ahead and doctored the recipe up just slightly by turning them into bars, browning the butter to give it some more depth, and replacing my usual milk chocolate chips with a bar of dark chocolate, chopped into chunks. The pools of melty chocolate will make you lose your mind. Truth. Best part about cookie bars? You don’t need to chill the dough before baking!
I baked an entire 9×13 pan of these cookies for only 15 minutes which meant that they were so perfectly underdone that they just melt in your mouth. If you don’t like gooey cookies, keep these in the oven for an extra 3 or 4 minutes. Don’t go too long, though, because who wants crispy, crunchy cookie bars?
You’ll want to let these bars cool for as long as you can stand it (for me, that meant about 30 minutes) before cutting. Like I said, they are underdone and gooey. They will fall apart if you don’t let them cool a bit. Then again, nobody said you can’t eat these with a fork, so if you’re really impatient, go ahead and dig in!
My daughter took one bite of these bars and proclaimed them the best ever. Her exact words were “these taste like a miracle.” Have I convinced you to let these be your favorite cookie, too?
Dark Chocolate Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces dark chocolate chopped (milk or semisweet can be substituted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat and cook until it melts. Whisk the butter constantly. It will foam and bubble.
- Continue whisking until the butter has turned a golden brown color and smells nutty. Remove from the heat, let cool 5 minutes, and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the butter and sugars together until well combined. Stir in the egg and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment or foil. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes exactly for bars with a gooey, underdone center. Bake a few minutes longer for firmer, more set bars.
- Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting, longer if you don't want your bars to fall apart.
Nutrition Information:
Can’t get enough cookies? Check out some of my other favorite cookie recipes!
Salted Caramel Browned Butter Cookie Cups
Oatmeal Craisin Breakfast Cookies
Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookie Cups
Whitney says
How do you think this would do as a make ahead? I was thinking of making the dough in the morning before work, refrigerating all day, and then making at an house party I’m going to in the evening. Do you think it would ruin the delicious gooeyness?
Karly says
@Whitney,
I think that would work just fine…they should still be gooey and melty! You’ll need to bake them a bit longer though, I’d imagine, since they’ll be cold. Just keep a close eye on them!
Hamda says
ok tried the cookies and my family loved them! they just needed a little something so I added some coarse sea salt on top of the second batch for that sweet and salty combo taste. (the best of both worlds!) this recipe is a keeper!
Karly says
@Hamda,
Sea salt is always a good addition!
Alyssa {Cake, Crust, and Sugar Dust} says
Ok… I cannot get over that melty chocolate in your photos! Your pics are amazing, and those alone convinced me that I MUST make these!
Hamda says
I just want to say I love love LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE your recipes. I’m going to try this one for mothers day. can I make the cookies round though if I press the dough and roll it into a ball (like normal cookies) or will the cookie fall apart?
Karly says
@Hamda,
You can definitely make these into regular cookies. Just be sure to chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking. You might also be better off with dark chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate so it’s not quite so melty.
Hamda says
@Karly,
nooooooo!!!! the melty chocolate is the best part!
fine square it is -_-
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
I seriously almost fainted. This is amazing. I need these! Pinning now!
Petra says
Utter food porn, recipe saved, I have to make these! They looks incredible 🙂 (via Food Fetish Friday)
Jackie says
Oh my. A ooey-gooey sweet treat I won’t be able to resist trying! I can almost feel it melting in my mouth from those pictures…
Lisa @hooplapalooza says
ok ok. all the comments above-ditto.
Tracy | Pale Yellow says
The melted chocolate streaks are too much to handle! Gooey is my middle name. these look absolutely phenomenal!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Oh so gooey. Hand over the bars 🙂
Joanne says
Your daughter is wise beyond her years. These are definitely a miracle.
Tara says
Oh my goodness, these look amazing. I am such a sucker for soft, gooey chocolate chip cookies, too!
Chandra@The Plaid & Paisley Kitchen says
Oh My Word!!! I want to face plant into these right now!
Ashton says
oh……myyyyyyyy……gosh. I mean… just omg. These look incredible, and I will OBVIOUSLY have to make these ASAP!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Holy chocolate explosion!! Yum!