Take your brownies to the next level with these incredible shortbread brownie bars! Yep, these yummy bars combine two of my all-time favorites: buttery shortbread cookies and rich, gooey brownies. Because, really … why should you ever have to choose between a cookie and a brownie? And these can be made with or without nuts — and an optional finishing sprinkle of flaky sea salt (if that’s your thing).

Shortbread Brownie Bars

These bars are made by topping an easy, 4-ingredient buttery shortbread cookie base with rich, gooey brownies. Like lemon bars but with brownies on top.

And while I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea of combing these two desserts, the kudos go to Melissa Clark. 👏 But I’ve hacked the recipe a bit to make it easier by using the tried-and-true, super-easy Katharine Hepburn brownie recipe.

The whole recipe uses only 8 simple, pantry-friendly ingredients. And I am pretty sure you won’t miss a thing!

Shortbread Brownie Bar Ingredients:

Here’s what you need to make these rich and delicious bars.

  • Unsalted Butter
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Cocoa Powder: I used natural (unprocessed) Ghirardelli cocoa powder
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Salt
  • Vanilla extracts
  • Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

How to Make the Shortbread Brownie Bars:

Making these incredible bars is simple, easy work. But it does take a bit of time since you’re baking the shortbread base first and then adding the brownie topping and baking again. Here’s what you need to do.

  • PREP: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish using butter or baking spray, and then line it with parchment paper so that there is a 2-inch overhang on the two long sides of the dish.
  • MAKE THE SHORTBREAD: Using a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or beaters), mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter at low speed until the dough comes together but is still a little crumbly. Be patient. Since the butter is cold, it will take a few minutes for the dough to start to come together. (You can also pulse together ingredients in a food processor).
  • BAKE: Dump the dough into the prepared pan, spread the mixture evenly, and then press it into the pan using your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Next, prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Bake the shortbread until golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
  • MAKE THE BROWNIES: While the shortbread is baking, make the brownies. Over low heat, melt the butter in a saucepan with the cocoa and stir until smooth. Don’t boil. You want to melt the butter and not cook it. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.
  • ADD THE EGGS: Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Then, stir in vanilla. One note: Ensure the butter and cocoa mixture is cool before adding the eggs! You don’t want to cook the eggs.
  • ADD DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and nuts (if using). Add to the cocoa-butter mixture and stir until just combined.
  • BAKE: Pour the batter on top of the warm shortbread and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The brownie top should be set, and the edges start pulling away from the pan. But the centers will still be soft and gooey.
  • COOL AND SERVE: Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. Cut into bars before serving.

Here are a Few More Recipe Tips:

Here’s what you need to know about making these.

  • SET ASIDE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE THIS RECIPE: While this recipe is super simple, it does take a bit of time. The shortbread base takes 30-35 minutes to bake before the brownie batter is added. It then bakes for another 35-40 minutes.
  • COOL THE BUTTER & COCOA MIXTURE: While making the brownies, cool your butter and cocoa mixture before adding them to the eggs. You don’t want to cook your eggs!
  • WHAT TYPE OF COCOA POWDER TO USE: I used natural cocoa powder (Ghiradelli) in these. You could also use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which is less acidic and tastes milder if that’s what you like or have on hand.
  • NUT OR NO?: If you like nuts in your brownies, add them! You can use chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans.
  • CAN I USE A BOXED BROWNIE MIX? You could also sub in a boxed brownie mix if desired.

One more note: The original recipe for these Katharine Hepburn brownies (which you can find all over social media) is made in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. To convert to the 9-by-13-inch baking dish, I doubled all the ingredients except the nuts.

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Shortbread Brownie Bars

Rich and Chocolatey Shortbread Brownie Bars

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Description

These incredible bars combine two of the best: buttery shortbread cookies and rich, fudgy brownies. 

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Shortbread:

  • 1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter (3 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

For the Brownies:

  • 1 cup cocoa (I used natural Ghiradelli cocoa)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans, optional
  • Optional garnish: flaky sea salt

Instructions

For the Shortbread:

  1. PREP: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish using butter or baking spray, and then line with parchment paper so that there is a 2-inch overhang on the two long sides of the dish.
  2. MAKE THE SHORTBREAD: Using a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or beaters), mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter at low speed until the dough comes together but is still a little crumbly. Be patient. Since the butter is cold, it will take a few minutes for the dough to start to come together. (You can also pulse together ingredients in a food processor).
  3. BAKE: Dump the dough into the prepared pan, spread the mixture evenly, and then press it into the pan using your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Next, prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Bake the shortbread until golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
  5. MAKE THE BROWNIES: While the shortbread is baking, make the brownies. Over low heat, melt the butter in a saucepan with the cocoa and stir until smooth. Don’t boil. You just want to melt the butter and not cook it. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.
  6. ADD THE EGGS: Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Then, stir in vanilla. One note: make sure the butter and cocoa mixture is cool before adding the eggs! You don’t want to cook the eggs. 
  7. ADD DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and nuts (if using.) Add to the cocoa-butter mixture and stir until just combined.
  8. BAKE: Pour the batter on top of the warm shortbread and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The brownie top should be set and the edges start pulling away from the pan. But the centers will still be soft and gooey.
  9. COOL AND SERVE: Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using. Cut into bars before serving.

Notes

SET ASIDE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE THIS RECIPE: While this recipe is super simple, it does take a bit of time. The shortbread base takes 30-35 minutes to bake before the brownie batter is added. It then bakes for another 35-40 minutes. 

COOL THE BUTTER & COCOA MIXTURE: While making the brownies, cool your butter and cocoa mixture before adding them to the eggs. You don’t want to cook your eggs!

WHAT TYPE OF COCOA POWDER TO USE: I used natural cocoa powder (Ghiradelli) in these. You could also use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which is less acidic and tastes milder if that’s what you like or have on hand.

NUT OR NO?: If you like nuts in your brownies, add them! You can use chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes + 35 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake

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