These cookies are for when you can’t decide between having a cookie or a brownie. With a rich, fudgy center and a buttery cookie flavor they are the best of both worlds.
I have a bit of a cookie and brownie obsession. You’ll find several recipes on my blog for brownies and cookies but this time I’ve combined these two sweet treats into one perfect bite. With a thick and fudgy center and a perfectly crinkled exterior, these chocolate brownie cookies are my new favorite recipe for when I can’t decide what to bake.
Double the chocolate
I use both cocoa powder and chocolate in my brownie cookie recipe to get a rich chocolate flavor. I use a dark or bittersweet chocolate and I don’t add a lot of sugar to the recipe because I don’t want these cookies to be overly sweet. You can sprinkle the top of each cookie with flaked sea salt right before baking, which adds a bright contrast to the earthy flavors of the chocolate.
How to make brownie cookies
This easy to make recipe requires few ingredients but you do need to allow for a couple hours to chill the dough before baking. Since you want them to remain thick and fudgy and not spread in the oven, it’s important to let the dough firm up and rest a bit.
The dough begins like a basic brownie recipe where you will melt the butter and chocolate together. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients making sure everything is well combined. Using a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes. This may seem like a long time but this step is necessary to get perfect cookies. The last step is adding the chocolate and flour mixtures, one at a time, until just combined.
The dough will be very soft, which is why it needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes until firm. If you skip this step the brownie cookies will spread a lot in the oven and won’t have a thick fudgy center.
Baking the cookies
Once firm, preheat your oven to 350º F and drop rounded balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet. I like to use an ice cream scoop (or about 2 tablespoons) to make sure my cookies are all the same size. This helps to ensure an even baking in all of the brownie cookies. If you like, you can also sprinkle some flaked sea salt on top of each cookie before baking to balance the sweetness.
It’s important to keep a close eye on the cookies as they bake. Since a fudgy center is what you’re looking for, the cookies can easily look underdone in the center but will firm up as they cool. I bake my cookies for exactly 12 minutes, looking for cookies with a crackly exterior that are still soft in the center. Cool on baking sheets until they are easy to handle, for at least 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
You can enjoy these cookies right out of the oven but the texture changes as they cool. The soft center firms up and becomes just like a fudgy brownie with a crackly cookie exterior. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, any longer and I would recommend keeping them in the refrigerator.
This brownie cookie recipe is for indecisive people like me who love both brownies and cookies. If you love the fudginess of a brownie but crave a buttery, melted chocolate chip cookie then these brownie cookies are perfect for you. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to chill, but I promise you it is well worth it!
More Amazing Brownie Recipes:
- Outrageous Nutella Brownies
- Snickers Brownies
- Amazing Spice Brownies
- Three-Layer Fudgy Chocolate Coconut Brownies
- 9 oz. (250g) dark/bittersweet chocolate , chopped (I use 60% cocoa solids)
- 1/2 stick (55g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (48g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (13g) cocoa powder (I use dutch processed)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) light or dark brown sugar
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Put butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted.
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In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer, whisk eggs and brown sugar on high speed for 4-5 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture will be soft, so place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until it firms up a bit (if the dough stays in the fridge longer than that, it will start to lose its shine, and you're less likely to get shiny crackly cookies, however if it's not an issue for you, you can keep it in the fridge for longer or overnight).
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Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Using an ice cream scoop drop rounded balls of dough (or about the size of 1.5 tablespoons, you should get approximately 20 cookies) onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between each cookie to allow spreading. Sprinkle each cookie with a little flaked sea salt, if desired.
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Bake until cookies are crackly yet soft in centers, 10-12 minutes (I bake the two pans separately). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets until they are easy to handle (they will be soft, so give it at least 20 minutes), then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for 5 days, or they can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw them on the counter, still covered, or overnight in the fridge.
30 Comments
Efrat
September 19, 2019 at 2:43 pmSheer perfection. Like every other recipe I’ve tried from your blog ❤️
Shiran
September 24, 2019 at 4:23 amThank you so much!
Scott Wojtowicz
July 2, 2022 at 7:40 pmThese are so good! I add cacao nibs for some texture.
I’ve also made these with allulose for someone who is diabetic. Still delicious but softer as allulose doesn’t crisp up like sugar.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
July 3, 2022 at 10:41 amHey Scott, wow that’s so interesting and so glad you were able to find a sugar substitute that works for this recipe! Glad you enjoyed!
Efrat
September 19, 2019 at 4:09 pmPerfection. Like every other recipe I’ve tried from your blog <3
opal
September 23, 2019 at 5:19 pmis chilling an option in this recipe?
can i chill the mixture over night then bake the next day? thank you
Shiran
September 27, 2019 at 2:26 amYes! If the cookie dough is hard to handle after chilling, leave it on the counter until it softens a bit.
Marie
October 29, 2019 at 11:47 amHi, These look gorgeous! Is it possible to substitute the 8 oz bittersweet chocolate to cocoa powder? thank you
Shiran
October 31, 2019 at 5:11 amSorry Marie, but it’s not possible.
Emily
July 7, 2020 at 8:10 amHi, I was just wondering about the chilling time of the dough. It says 1 to 2 hours at first but further down it says 20 to 30 minutes (any longer and they lose their shine) so was just wondering how long exactly I should chill the dough for?
Shiran
July 12, 2020 at 5:00 am20-30 minutes is correct 🙂 Sorry for the confusion!
Ana
December 12, 2019 at 10:14 amI don’t like dark chocolate candy, but I do like brownies. Is the taste of the dark/ bittersweet chocolate overpowering in these cookies? or does it taste like a brownie?
Angie
December 13, 2019 at 9:06 pmAbsolutely amazing! They were devoured at Thanksgiving! I didn’t have brown sugar so I just used white sugar and a little bit of maple syrup. Also I didn’t have enough dark chocolate so I used what I had about 5oz and then just used some milk chocolate chips that I had. Sort of winged that part and they turned out so amazing still! Can’t wait to make these again!
Samantha
May 18, 2020 at 2:16 pmDelicious ! But too salty for me. 1/4 it’s just enought. Thank you for the recipe.
Floured
May 19, 2020 at 11:03 pmHi, these look amazing and I can’t wait to try the recipe! Was wondering if the butter amount is listed correctly, as 1/2 stick is 113 grams? Thanks!
Shiran
June 3, 2020 at 6:37 am1 stick of butter equals 113 grams.
Isabella
June 24, 2020 at 4:25 pmHello! These look amazing, I wanna try to make them but unfortunately, I don’t have bittersweet or dark chocolate. I was wondering if it was possible to do the recipe with semi-sweet chocolate? Thank you!
Shiran
June 29, 2020 at 2:13 amYes, you can use semisweet chocolate!
Archana
October 9, 2020 at 9:26 amHi Shiran!:) Would regular unsweetened cocoa powder be fine for the recipe instead of Dutch processed?
Shiran
October 20, 2020 at 9:30 amYes, it would work 🙂
Archana
October 11, 2020 at 10:16 pmHello!:)
I was just wondering if it would be okay to omit the cocoa powder as it got too chocolatey for my liking. Or what would you suggest? But the texture was just perfect!! Love it like all your other recipes.:) Its explained so perfectly considering all the details!
Shiran
October 20, 2020 at 9:19 amYes you can leave it out if you prefer.
sophie
November 8, 2020 at 9:59 pmcan i reduce the sugar?
Md
February 5, 2021 at 12:32 pmTaste is good but they are very difficult to work with despite refrigerating as stated. The Dough is extremely sticky and they didn’t come out as dark as I would’ve liked them to be… I will be making your Mexican wedding cookies next, I’m hoping for a success on all levels… your double chocolate donut recipe is over the top and very easy to make.
Oopa
September 14, 2021 at 10:24 amHi, made this and turned otr great. My family loves them. My son was asking if i could make it orange flavoured?
Do you think adding orange zest & about 100 gms orange flavoured chocolate bits will be fine. Or will the total chocolate amount be too much
I dont like adding essence & extract. Thank you.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
September 16, 2021 at 7:19 amHi Oopa, yes adding orange zest or orange flavored chocolate would be a great addition! You can either substitute the chocolate flavored orange bits for an equal amount of the bittersweet chocolate and melt the two together, or add them to the final batter so they stay whole in the final cookie, like chocolate chips.
Deepa
September 21, 2021 at 4:01 amI did & it was amaaazzing.
I also tried another batch with coffee powder added to it. It too was just great.
Honestly this is the best Brookie recipe. I have tried many others but yours is the BEST,
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
September 22, 2021 at 7:08 amSo glad to hear!
Marsha Ramsdell
December 13, 2021 at 10:14 pmHello, Shiran. I have been following you and all of your delicious recipes for quite a while now and tonight these cookies did not disappoint. Keep up the good work.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
December 15, 2021 at 1:57 pmThank you Marsha!