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Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars

posted by Liz Berg on October 28, 2021 (updated 11/13/22)

With three kinds of chocolate chunks and nutty brown butter, these Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars are an extraordinary treat! So delicious and so easy to make!

A twist on Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, these have larger chunks of chocolate instead of chocolate chips. More chocolate for the win!!

Overhead view of white ceramic 9 x 13-inch baking pan filled with chocolate chunk cookies

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You’ll Love these Chocolate Chunk Bars

2 Tips for Making Cookie Bar Recipes

3 How to Make

4 Frequently Asked Questions

5 You May Also Like:

6 Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars

Why You’ll Love these Chocolate Chunk Bars

They are full of larger chunks of chocolate than chocolate chip bars!
There are THREE kinds of chocolate in these bars providing a more interesting flavor palate.
Cookie Bar Recipes are super easy to make! And both kids and grown-ups will love them.

Sometimes the simplest recipes reap the greatest rewards. As many of you know, my hubby requests chocolate chip cookies or bars nearly every week. Mr. Predictable has even learned to bake up a batch of “chippy bars” when he’s desperate. As a food blogger, I’m always hunting for new, innovative desserts to try…but my better half would be quite content with the same old Nestles Tollhouse cookies day after day. This was an easy way to make a slightly more gourmet treat.

Line your pan with non-stick foil. This will make cleanup a breeze and help with slicing.
Have the eggs at room temperature for easier incorporation.
I browned the butter for a subtle nutty flavor, but plain melted butter works well, too.
Mix in the flour in by hand as a mixer will add too much air to the batter and affect the texture.
Do not overbake as this will make for dry, not moist bars.
Use chocolate chips instead of chocolate chunks. Try adding butterscotch chips or other favorite varieties.
Reserve some extra chunks to press into the warm bars. It will make a nicer presentation for company.

3 chocolate chunk bars stacked on a square white plate

How to Make

Grease or line your pan with non-stick foil.
Preheat your oven.
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix till combined.
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Do not use a mixer as the texture will be best if mixed in by hand.
Mix in chocolate chunks (reserve a few pieces to garnish the top).
Press the dough into the prepared pan.
Bake as directed.
Cool, then cut.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars on a tray — **Photo circa 2013.**

Frequently Asked Questions

What is brown butter?

Brown butter or beurre noisette is butter cooked until it’s a light hazelnut or noisette (French for hazelnut) color. It has a nutty flavor and can be used in place of regular butter to dress vegetables, to drizzle over popcorn, to cook scallops and fish, and a lot more.

How do you make brown butter?

To make brown butter, slowly cook butter over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter foams and the butter solids brown. Do not filter out the brown specks of butter solids as that’s where all the nutty flavor is!

Why should you use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips?

Both chocolate chips and chunks work well, but the bigger chunks made from Ghirardelli chocolate bars provide better quality chocolate in all 3 varieties. Feel free to use chocolate chips instead if that’s what you have on hand.

How do you cut cookie bars?

See my post on How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars for lots of tips.
Make sure to bake your bar cookies in a pan lined with non-stick foil or parchment paper. This will help you lift the cooled bars out of the pan as a unit so you can place them on your cutting board. It will be easier to cut nice squares if the pan is not in your way.
First, cool and then chill the bars. They’ll cut with cleaner, sharper edges when cold.
Using a sharp knife, cut straight down. Use a ruler to mark where you want to start your slices if you’re not adept at eyeballing it. Then bring to room temperature to serve.