Brownies are sort of like cheesecake, aren’t they? There’s nothing better than the perfect dense, fudgy brownie, just like not much can beat a classic piece of creamy cheesecake. Yet with both of these desserts we’re always fiddling around with different versions, swirling things in and layering things on the top and the bottom (incidentally, peanut butter goes well with both!). It’s an endless merry go round of dessert experimentation, where there really can never be a bad result. Feel free to check out all of my brownie recipes and cheesecake recipes to see how many times I have spun around this little kitchen carousel. But like a little kid at the amusement park, you never want the ride to stop, so we keep going… which is where these amazing brownies come in.

When I first saw these over on RecipeGirl I stopped in my tracks. Aside from looking amazing, they were pure genius. I’ve done the whole chocolate chip cookie/brownie combo, but chocolate chip cookie dough?! SO much better! The topping for these brownies is very similar to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip that a friend passed along to me years and years ago, which is always a huge hit. Both the dip and the topping for these brownies are egg-free, so no raw egg consumption. (Your mom just breathed a sigh of relief.)
You know how milk and cookies go well together? And how it’s great to wash down a rich brownie with a glass of milk? Yeah, you’re going to need at least one glass of milk after one of these babies – they are sweet and rich, and everything that is right with the world.
Back to the merry-go-round to do more kitchen experiments!
One year ago: Homemade Pop-Tarts
Two years ago: Chunky Pecan Pie Bars
Three years ago: Pasta Fagioli
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
Yield: 32 brownies
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 25 minutes
For the Brownie:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flourFor the Cookie Dough:
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups mini chocolate chips1. Prepare the Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, with enough to hang over all four sides. Butter the foil. In a medium glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the melted chocolate until combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
2. Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Spread the cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter (my favorite way to slice brownies!) to cut the brownies. Store the brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.
(Recipe adapted from RecipeGirl.com)





















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Amy, I have my pan of brownies in the oven as I type, and I am seeing that it looks very high and wondering if I will even have room for the cookie dough layer. It’s also taking a fair bit more time to bake, since 30 minutes have gone by and it’s still gooey in the middle. =/
I made these for my sister to take back to school with her today, they are AMAZING. Thanks so much for the recipe!!!!
I made these last night and they turned out very good! Delicious! While the brownies were in the oven I made my cookie dough, I tasted it and totally agreed with some other’s comments who said it was bland. I melted about 1/2 a cup of peanut butter in the microwave and mixed it in with the dough to give it some flavor (and how can you go wrong with chocolate and cookies and peanut butter?!) I think this change made them sooooo much better. But other than that this recipe is great!
The brownie part did not come out! I baked it for the time stated, and after 50 mins in the oven, increased the temp to 350, brownie part remained doughy, never cooked. I assumed maybe because there’s no leavening in it (baking soda/baking powder). The cookie dough part was gritty because of the sugar. I wasted my time, and wasted expensive product (brown sugar, eggs, butter, chocolate). I do not recommend this recipe at all!
A quick note on the cookie dough topping. Make sure you beat the butter and sugar together really well until light and fluffy. This will help with some of the grittiness. But since it’s a COOKIE DOUGH topping, it tastes like cookie dough and has the same texture! So, expect it to taste like cookie dough on top of a brownie!
Have you ever eaten raw cookie dough? It’s got a gritty texture. I have no complaints at all about the cookie dough topping of this recipe.
This recipe does not look good, why would you not want to bake the cookie dough layer? Me myself, i can not stand to eat raw cookie dough. I know you said no eggs in cookie dough, but you can not make cookie dough without eggs. I think i will use the COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIE recipe. You a box of brownie mix, prepare as directed on box. Spray 9×13 baking pan, spread brownie mix in pan. Use Betty Crocker cookie mix, prepare as directed. And dollop on top of brownie mix, and bake. Turns out WONDERFUL. Its a no fail recipe. ” ALL BOX MADE”
I made these yesterday and they turned out as pictured on this site and were really tasty! A unique and delightful dessert. I thought the brownie part would bake up too thick, but they turned out fine. Once you put the cookie dough on top you can press it into the brownie to make a nice, even top. Once they chill, they set-up nicely and cut into perfect little bars. The extra chocolate chips and chocolate drizzle aren’t necessary as these are very rich (and yummy) on their own.
Also, don’t use a boxed brownie mix! They won’t be the same!
I’m just so surprised at the vast swing of comments on this brownie! I loved the cookie dough top, and the gritty texture is fine because….it’s cookie dough, that’s what it’s supposed to be like. But while i won’t use a boxed brownie, the next time I make these I’m going to use my own fudgy brownie recipe, much more moist and dense, like the picture. If you like cakey, crumbly brownies, this is the recipe. Another hint for getting moister, denser brownies is to put them in the freezer for a few minutes right after you get them out of the oven…they’ll collapse a bit and become more fudgey.
If I only have 1% milk, will that work? Whole milk is the only ingredient I don’t have and I live 20 minutes away from the nearest grocery store.
Hi Amanda, You should be fine with 1%. Enjoy the brownies!
I made it, and although they are awesome, they do NOT look like the picture. I ended up with 3/4 of an inch of brownie, which was mediocre at best, and a 1/4 inch of cookie dough on top. I will attempt a 2.0 version, with several modifications, including reducing 25% of the brownie batter, and doubling the cookie dough batter recipe.
Hi! I’m wondering if you have a brownie-blondie recipe. Mine never come out right and while cookie dough is great, some people are not a fan of it and like baked blondies. Thanks!
Hi Zahava, Are you looking for a straight blondie recipe, or for a recipe that combines a blondie and a brownie in layers?
how can you eat the cookie dough if its not cook?
There are no raw eggs in the dough, so there is no need for it to be baked.
I had been craving something rich like this and these are AMAZING! Thank you for sharing!
The cookie dough batter was great! But the brownie batter was a little too cake-like and not very fudgy.
The cookie part was sooo good but the brownie part was not for me. Next time I’ll try boxed brownies and use the cookie batter recipe for the top.
Haven’t tried this recipe, but have one from Taste of Home that everyone loves! That one includes a layer of chocolate over the whole thing (1 c chocolate chips + shortening, melted) and it just completes the presentation (and taste!). Of course, now that I make the cookie dough without eggs, I usually forget the brownie and just put a bowl and spoons on the table for everyone to enjoy!!!!
I made these to bring somewhere last night and was sooooo disappointed!!
The brownie part wasn’t like a brownie at all- more like flavored butter. The cookie dough part was good. People said they were okay, but would not make this recipe again.
Hi! These sound perfect! I want to make them for my boyfriend, but for the sake of not having to buy as many ingredients while visiting him over the weekend in another state, do you think I could use a brownie mix for the bottom? Or would that mess everything up? Thanks, and I’m excited to surprise him with these when he comes home from work!
Hi Jessica, You could definitely use a box brownie mix, it won’t mess them up at all. Just make sure you buy a mix that’s “family size” – big enough for a 9×13-inch pan.
My kids loved this! Making it again as we speak! They will be happy campers when they get home from school and find this sweet treat! Thanks for sharing!
I love when my two favorite things come together in perfect harmony!!!! This looks beyond words amazing! Can’t wait to try
these brownies looked so amazing that I had to make them right away.
unfortunately, unlike the rest of the recipes I’ve made off of your site (which btw is unbelievable and I don’t know how you can stay thin) this one was a disappointment.
the brownie part was really good, but the cookie dough just tasted like margarine (my daughter is allergic to dairy so I always substitute with non dairy margarine)
Hi A, I’m sorry you were disappointed in the recipe. I’m wondering, however, if it was due to using margarine. I typically find margarine to have a pretty awful flavor on its own, and my guess is that it imparted somewhat of an off flavor to the cookie dough topping.
I made these last night. Not bad…. but the cookie dough is way too sweet for me. There should be at least some salt added to the dough to calm the sweetness a little. The brownie part came out perfect though.
Great Recipe!!!I finally made this yesterday the brownies came out pretty decent. I will try it again in the future to see if I can get better results…
Tried it and they are way too sweet. And I mean waaaay too sweet!
I made this recipe using a different recipe for brownies after reading some unfavorable reviews. The brownie part came out fudgy and really good. But my cookie dough was gritty no matter how I mix them in my Kitchenaid. Is it suppose to be that way? One more thing, the cookie dough didn’t come out that thick on top of my brownies on a 9 x 13″ pan. I should have baked it on a smaller pan. I wanted it to look like your photo above, but it didn’t. It was a thin cookie dough on top of the brownies.
I definitely hesitated to make these after reading through some of the comments but they came out SO GOOD! Don’t worry if the brownie batter looks more like a cake batter when you pour it in and when it’s baking – it came out fine and tasted like brownies. The cookie dough on top is delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hey there,
I made you recipe but they brownie came out really light fluffy and cakey. While they are good I was expecting fudgy. Do you know what went wrong? I followed the recipe to a t and checked it twice.
Thanks,
Nicole
Hi Nicole, The only thing I can think of is that the batter was mixed too much, which would cause too much air to be beaten in, making it cakier and lighter instead of fudgy.
Un blog meraviglioso! Adoro le tue ricette, sono una più golosa dell’altra!!!
I disagree with all the comments. Raw cookie dough is awful on top of brownies. I made these and the taste was fine, consistency good but eating raw cookie dough is not a satisfying dessert.
I made these last night for a family dinner and they were a huge hit! I served them with whipped cream and berries too – thanks for a great recipe!!
These look awesome. We are having a commuion at our house in 2 weeks and I am trying to make some cookies ahead of time and freeze them. Did you ever try to freeze these?
Hi Angel, I have never tried freezing them. With that being said, I think freezing the brownies would be fine, but I’m not sure how the texture of the cookie dough would hold up to freezing/thawing. I would probably make and freeze the brownies, and then top them with the cookie dough once they are thawed, if you can.
These were fantastic! I tested them out, brought them into work, and everyone raved about them. Definitely a keeper.
Hi Michelle! I want to thank you so much for this recipe…I tried it out and it was absolutely delicious! I ended up putting it on my blog as well. My family loved it! We all love cookie dough around here, and of course pairing it with a layer of brownie was ridiculously delicious. Thanks again!
These look amazing! A Pastry Chefs View From Inside A Bakery
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