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Brownie cookies are the best of a fudgy brownie crossed with a double chocolate cookie! Made with real melted chocolate and filled with chocolate chips, these brownie cookies are chewy and soft-baked in the middle with those coveted shiny, crackly tops, just like a classic brownie.
Fudgy, Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
If there’s one thing I love in a dessert, it’s TWO desserts in one. This brownie cookies recipe perfectly blends fudgy brownies with soft-baked chocolate cookies. They even have those glossy, crinkly tops you get on classic brownies! I love this recipe because you don’t need to chill the dough, and they’re made with melted chocolate, so they’re extra gooey. I can’t wait for all you chocolate lovers to try them.
Enjoy a cookie warm à la mode with a scoop of ice cream. Then, try my strawberry cheesecake cookies, homemade blondies, and this chocolate fudge cake next.
Grab These Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card for the complete ingredient amounts. For now, here are my notes on the ingredients in these fudgy brownie cookies.
- Chopped Chocolate – I use melted chocolate in my cookies to recreate that authentic, fudgy brownie texture. The better quality chocolate you use, the better your cookies will be. I always try to use chocolate with at least 60% cocoa.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted.
- Eggs – Brought to room temperature. An extra egg adds more richness to these fudgy cookies.
- Caster Sugar – Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar, so it dissolves more quickly into baked goods, like cookies. If you use granulated sugar instead, your cookies just won’t be quite as soft and airy. Note that powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) is NOT a good substitute for caster sugar.
- Brown Sugar – Adds moisture. This can be light or regular brown sugar.
- Flour – Spooned and leveled, or measured using a digital kitchen scale. Scooping directly from the bag leads to overmeasuring and dry cookies. Since we’re after fudgy brownies, this recipe uses little flour.
- Cacao Powder – Cacao powder is the raw version of cocoa powder, with an earthy, slightly bitter flavor. However, cocoa powder also works in this recipe. Dutch-processed cocoa powder yields fudgier cookies, but natural cocoa powder will also work with the baking powder.
- Baking Powder (and Salt) – Not to be confused with baking soda. Make sure your leavening is fresh and not past its best-before date.
- Chocolate Chips – Because the only thing better than a chocolate cookie is one that’s loaded with chocolate chips! You can use semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips, or make the cookies without them if you prefer.
FAQ: Why Use Melted Chocolate?
When it comes to brownie recipes, melted chocolate is the difference between fudgy brownies, which use more fat, and cakey brownies, which are lighter. Since I’m firmly in camp fudgy brownie, I use melted chocolate, butter, and eggs in my brownie cookies to recreate that molten, chewy texture that I love.
When choosing chocolate for melting, always choose the best quality possible. Brands like Baker’s, Lindt, and Ghirardelli offer good, high-cocoa content chocolate bars. Avoid chocolate chips, as they come with a waxy coating that makes them melt less smoothly.
Tips for Perfect Brownie Cookies
- Dissolve the sugar with the eggs. The eggs need to be thoroughly beaten with both sugars to dissolve the sugar as much as possible. Just like with brownies, this aerates the batter and creates glossy, crackly cookie tops.
- Use a mixer. A stand mixer or hand mixer comes in handy. One, because your cookies won’t have quite the same crackly effect if you mix the eggs and sugar by hand. The mixer does a more thorough job of dissolving the sugar. And, secondly, it’s… well, easier than beating for 4-5 minutes on your own.
- Check them early. Not all ovens bake the same, so check your brownie cookies at the earliest suggested baking time.
- Don’t overbake. They’re done when they’re set at the edges and soft (but not wet) in the middle. If your cookies are completely set when they come out of the oven, they’re overbaked.
- Intensify the flavor. For an even deeper chocolate flavor, add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder when you add the dry ingredients. Your cookies won’t taste like coffee! Espresso helps “bloom” the cocoa for a more intense chocolate flavor.
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Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces quality chocolate, chopped, (I use Ghirardelli or Lindt)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate. Add chopped chocolate to a heat-proof bowl with the butter. Set the bowl over simmering water in a pot. Make sure the water is not touching the bowl. Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring a few times until all is nicely smooth and runny.
- Beat the eggs. To a separate mixing bowl, add the eggs, caster sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with a hand-held or stand mixer until fluffy. The goal is to dissolve the sugar as much as possible.
- Add the chocolate. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and let it stand for a few minutes to cool slightly. Do not add warm chocolate to the eggs, or the eggs will curdle. Gradually stir the chocolate into the eggs until well combined. Then, stir in the vanilla.
- Fold the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt into the chocolate mixture. Stir until just combined. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake the cookies. Drop around 2 tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Make sure to leave 2 inches of space in between. Bake the cookies for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges begin to firm up but the centers still appear soft.
- Cool, then serve. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 4 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment
Notes
- Because the cookie dough is fudgy, I suggest coating your scoop with some cooking spray to make scooping easier.
- Please try to use quality chocolate with at least 60% cocoa.
- You can sprinkle the cookies with sea salt flakes, if you like, when you pull the cookies out of the oven.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Brownie Cookies
This chocolate cookie recipe starts with melting good-quality chocolate before mixing the batter. Remember to cream the sugar with the eggs for a good ~4 minutes or so until the sugar dissolves and the eggs look light and fluffy.
- Melt the chocolate. Start by melting chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir occasionally until it’s smooth and runny. Let the chocolate cool for a few minutes.
- Beat the eggs. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with both sugars until fluffy, and most of the sugar is dissolved. Gradually pour in the cooled chocolate, stirring until combined, and add the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt into the wet mixture, and stir.
- Bake the cookies. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of brownie dough onto two lined baking sheets. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 12-13 minutes. These should be just baked when they come out of the oven, and still soft in the centers. If you’d like, sprinkle the warm cookies with sea salt as they come out of the oven.
Sticky Cookie Dough?
The brownie cookie dough is extra fudgy and gooey, which is what makes the finished cookies so good! This being said, it can stick to the cookie scoop. I like to spray the scoop with cooking spray before portioning the dough. It makes scooping that much easier.
Make Ahead
You can freeze the cookie dough if you’re making the dough ahead. I’ll freeze half the batch by pre-freezing the cookie dough scoops on a baking sheet, then transferring them to a container. The dough freezes well for up to 2 months. You can bake the cookies from frozen or thaw the dough in the fridge beforehand.
Storing These Cookies
- Room temperature. Store the cooled brownie cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re at their freshest within 2-3 days. I’ll sometimes line the bottom of the container with paper towels to absorb any extra oils.
- Freeze. I recommend flash-freezing the cookies on a baking sheet. Then, transfer the frozen cookies to a ziptop bag or freezer-safe container. You can freeze them for up to 2 months and thaw a cookie whenever a chocolate craving hits!
