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Praline Brookies

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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 2 hr 50 min
  • Ingredients 12
  • Servings 24
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Brookies are the fabulous smash up of brownies and cookies, all made into one amazing treat. No longer do you have to choose between satisfying your craving for brownies or cookies, because brookies let you enjoy both!
But these brookies go even further to making an irresistible sweet! An indulgent praline layer of sugary pecan goodness is sandwiched between the brownies and chocolate chips. If you’re starting to think making these amazing bars is out of your league, stop right there! These clever bars use both a brownie mix and our refrigerated Pillsbury™ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, so the prep is a breeze! Only 20 minutes and they are in the oven.

Brookies are a relaxed cookie/brownie treat that are perfect for any occasion where you’d typically enjoy either brownies or cookies…after school treats, football parties or binge-watching your favorite show. But because they are so special, you can also serve them warm for dessert with ice cream, whether it’s a weeknight dinner, a special occasion or part of your holiday cookie tray.

Want to make your brownies and chocolate chip cookies from scratch? We’ve got amazing, top-rated scratch Fudgy Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies to fill the bill!
Updated Mar 14, 2024
Bake-Off® Contest 42, 2006
Joanna Crumley
Hubbard, Oregon
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What is a Brookie?

Brookies are brownie cookies, where brownies are topped with cookie doughs to make one delicious treat with two distinct layers. Our easy brookie recipe uses both a brownie mix, and refrigerated cookie dough, with an easy praline mixture in between, bringing brookies up another notch in the gooey, indulgent bars you can’t resist scale. They are better together than either a plain brownie or a chocolate chip cookie could ever be, as you get to enjoy both sweets in one delicious delicacy. And because they are more special than plain brownies or chocolate chip cookies—they literally are perfect for any occasion from snacking to a holiday dessert.
When you start with your favorite brownie mix, make a quick homemade praline layer, and top it off with our refrigerated cookie dough, it only takes 20 minutes to get them into the oven, rather than having to make each layer from scratch. It’s a quick way to have a very special and indulgent treat without a lot of work!

How to Make Brookies

Once you know how to make brookies, and just how easy it is, you’ll want to make these delicious treats for your family and friends often. For the full directions, see the recipe, but are the basic directions for how the brownie cookie bars are put together:
Make and Partially Bake the Brownies: Use your favorite brownie mix, the vegetable oil, water, and eggs to make the brownie batter. Partially bake the brownies so that they can hold the next layers on top of them.

Make the Simple Praline Filling: Butter, two kinds of sugar, pecans and vanilla are cooked on the stove top while the brownies are baking. This yummy concoction gets poured over the partially baked brownies.

Top with Cookie Dough: Slices of unbaked cookie dough is placed on top of the praline filling. During baking, the cookie dough will spread to cover the filling and become the top layer of the bars.

Serve It Your Way: You can serve the squares warm with ice cream, for an amazing dessert or let the squares cool completely, so they are an easy treat you can eat with your hands.

Decadent Brownie Cookie Ingredients

Brookie bars get their amazing flavor and textures from common ingredient that form a brownie layer, a praline filing and a cookie layer:
Fudge Brownie Mix: The first time-saver to making these brownie cookies! One mix cuts down on the number of ingredients you need to purchase or measure, to make the brownie layer.

Vegetable Oil, Water and Eggs: The ingredients you need to make a chocolatey, fudgy brownie base layer.

Butter: Adds richness and a gooeyness factor to the praline layer that makes these bars even more special.

Milk: Adds moisture and creaminess to the praline mixture, for a caramel-like flavor.

Granulated and Brown Sugars: Both sugars are added to give the praline layer the right balance of sweetness and caramel color to the classic praline candy flavor.

Vanilla: Added to the pecan mixture to enhance the flavors of the other filling ingredients.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: The second time-saver in making these 3-layer bars so easy! Slices of the dough are strategically placed on top of the praline mixture so that they will bake together in the oven to form the cookie layer.

Ingredients

Steps

  • 1
    Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark pan). Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Make brownie mix as directed on box using oil, water and eggs. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 25 minutes.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat butter, milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pecans and vanilla to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside until brownies are baked.
  • 3
    Immediately pour praline mixture evenly over partially baked brownies. Cut cookie dough crosswise into 4 equal pieces; cut each piece into 4 slices. Carefully place slices in 3 rows of 5 slices each, using last slice to fill in spaces. (Spaces between cookie dough pieces will spread during baking to cover top.)
  • 4
    Bake 23 to 28 minutes longer or until cookie topping is deep golden brown. If serving as bars, cool 2 hours; cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. If serving with ice cream as dessert, cool 20 to 30 minutes; cut into 4 rows by 3 rows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some variations for this praline brownie cookie recipe?

There are several ways you can put a spin on these cookie brownies! Try one of these or use them as inspiration for making a new flavor of brookies your family will enjoy:
Brownie Batter Stir-Ins: Stir in one of these ingredients to the brownie batter before you spread it in the pan:

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or white vanilla baking chips or use 1/2 cup of each.
  • 1 cup chopped nuts such as pecans, almonds, walnuts or macadamia nuts.
  • 1 cup candy-coated chocolate candies
  • 1 cup chopped creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
  • 3/4 cup coarsely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium) and 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips.

  • Alternate Nut Filling: Substitute coarsely chopped almonds, walnuts, or macadamia nuts for the pecans.

    Change Out the Flavoring: Substitute 1/4 teaspoon almond, maple, or rum flavoring for the vanilla in the praline filling.

    Swap the Cookie Dough: Try Pillsbury™ Sugar or Peanut Butter Refrigerated Cookie Dough instead of the chocolate chip cookie dough.

    Or try our Chocolate-Oatmeal Brookie Bars or Peanut Butter Cup-Cookie Dough Brownies next!

    How to Store Brookies

    To enjoy our brookies at their peak of freshness, you can wrap either the pan of bars with plastic wrap or a plate of them wrapped with plastic wrap. Store them on the counter for up to 3 days.
    There is no need to take up any room in the fridge storing them, as it’s not necessary, and won’t really extend the amount of time for you to enjoy them.

    If you wish to freeze the bars so that you can get a jump on baking or enjoy them later, remove them from the pan and wrap them tightly with aluminum foil. Place the foil pack inside a freezer food-storage bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen brookies, remove them from the plastic bag. Let the foil-wrapped bars stand on the counter for several hours or overnight.

    How To know when Brookies are Done?

    It is harder to tell when our brownie cookie recipe is done, than it is for regular brownies or cookies, because of the layers and two baking times, but have no fear! We have tested this recipe with both time and a doneness cue to help you be able to determine if they are baked through.
    Brownie Layer: For this part of the brookie recipe, you must use just the time given in the recipe. Because they will get other layers on top and baked longer, just go by the time.

    Brookies (with all the Layers): When all the layers are in place and you are going to bake the pan longer, set the timer for the minimum time. When your timer goes off, check to see that the cookie topping is deep golden brown (you can use the photo as a color guide for what you are looking for). If they are not deep golden brown, then bake them a minute or two longer and look at them again.

    These bars will continue to set up as they cool, so if they appear a little soft, that is ok.

    How to Cut Brookies

    Our delicious brownie cookie recipe can be cut in two ways, depending on if you want to serve them as bars or a dessert. For hand-held bars, a smaller size is preferred, so that they will fit in your hand. For desserts, larger portions are preferred, so that you get a more ample portion, when served on a small plate with ice cream on the side. These may sound more complicated than they really are—once you start, you will get it!
    Bars: Cut bars when the pan is completely cool. The easiest way we cut a 13x9 pan of bars into equal sizes is to first cut them lengthwise in half, and then make two more cuts, cutting each half in half (that makes four rows total down the length of the pan). Then rotate the pan and make a cut across down the center of the width of bars, cutting them in half. Then make two equal cuts on each half (that makes 6 rows total, through the short side of the pan).

    Dessert Pieces: Cut dessert squares while warm. Make two equal cuts down the length of the pan to make 3 equal rows. Then rotate the pan and cut them crosswise in half. Cut each half in half (that makes 4 rows, on the short side of the pan).

    Nutrition Information

    300 Calories, 14g Total Fat, 2g Protein, 40g Total Carbohydrate, 30g Sugars

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving Size: 1 Bar
    Calories
    300
    Calories from Fat
    130
    Total Fat
    14g
    22%
    Saturated Fat
    3 1/2g
    18%
    Trans Fat
    1g
    Cholesterol
    25mg
    9%
    Sodium
    140mg
    6%
    Potassium
    35mg
    1%
    Total Carbohydrate
    40g
    13%
    Dietary Fiber
    1g
    4%
    Sugars
    30g
    Protein
    2g
    % Daily Value*:
    Vitamin A
    0%
    0%
    Vitamin C
    0%
    0%
    Calcium
    0%
    0%
    Iron
    8%
    8%
    Exchanges:
    1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 3 Fat;
    Carbohydrate Choice
    2 1/2
    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

    More About This Recipe

    • When your sweet tooth starts nudging, it is always so hard to choose between the chocolatey gooeyness of brownies or the sink-your-teeth quality of the perfectly baked cookies. Struggle no more! With these amazing treats, you get to enjoy both at the same time.
      Bars and cookies are such portable ways to satisfy your sweet tooth, whether you need a pick-me-up soccer snack or a nibble during the afternoon commute. We have loads of easy cookie recipes to try, that will always surprise your taste buds with something delicious! Or if you want to give some bars a little love, try these quick recipes so yum, you can enjoy them any day of the week.
    • Bake-Off is a registered trademark of The Pillsbury Company ©2006
    • 2006 © and ®/™ of General Mills
    © 2024 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved
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