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Brownie cookies give you everything you love about a fudgy brownie in a portable, crackle-topped cookie with minimal effort and one bowl of batter.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Jump to RecipePrep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Servings
12 cookies
Difficulty
Intermediate
Calories *
330 kcal per serving
Technique
Make dough, chill, divide, and bake.
Flavor Profile
Deep, bittersweet chocolate with a fudgy, crackle-topped finish
* Based on nutrition panel
I made these for a cookie exchange and everyone thought I had spent hours on them. The crackly tops and fudgy centers are exactly what I hoped for, and the flaky salt on top is a must. I followed the tip about chilling the dough when it looked too loose and they baked up perfectly. I will absolutely make these again. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Marissa
Why This Recipe Works
- Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. These triple chocolate brownie cookies use melted semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips to bring all that fudgy, chocolate flavor.
- Minimal flour keeps the texture fudgy. Just enough flour holds the cookies together without pushing them toward cakey, just like this fudgy brownie recipe. The result is a dense, chewy center that sets as the cookies cool.
- No chilling required when you work at the right temperature. Letting the melted chocolate cool before incorporating it into the batter means you can scoop and bake immediately!
Table of Contents
These brownie cookies bring chocolate to the party in a big way. Three types of chocolate in every bite with pockets of melted chocolate throughout. Fudgy, soft, and rich. Wait? Is that a touch of Maldon sea salt with a brownie top finish? Oh yeah. Bring it, salted chocolate. Bring it.
I’d honestly enjoy these right out of the oven! Self-control thrown out the window! They have a fudgy soft spot in my heart alongside my chocolate crinkle cookies, old fashioned chocolate fudge, and my unforgettable chocolate fudge cake!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cocoa Powder: I use Dutch-processed, which is what I always do for any recipe where deep chocolate color and smooth, mellow flavor matter. Natural cocoa will work but produces a sharper, slightly more acidic result.
- Quality Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate: This is the primary chocolate in the batter and the single most critical ingredient in this recipe. Melt it fully and let it cool until it is warm but not hot before adding it to the batter.
- Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: The combination of both sugars gives the cookies chew and that characteristic shiny top. Brown sugar adds a subtle molasses depth that straight granulated sugar alone would not provide.
- Eggs and Egg Yolk: Whole eggs, plus an extra yolk, are responsible for the fudgy, dense center.
- Vanilla: Use a quality extract here. In a recipe built entirely on chocolate flavor, vanilla does more work than it seems.
- Bittersweet 60–63% Chocolate Chips: Folded in at the end for melty pockets of chocolate in every bite. If you love this kind of layered chocolate intensity, you will recognize it from Nutella Cookies, where the same idea applies.
- Maldon Salt: Optional but worth it. A few flakes on top, right before baking, pull the chocolate flavor forward and add a satisfying contrast.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations on This Fudgy Brownie Cookies
- Add espresso powder or coffee extract. Stir a teaspoon of instant espresso powder or coffee extract into the dry ingredients to deepen the chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste like coffee. I add coffee extract to a similar brownie cookie when teaching cookie session 1 in Kitchen Confidence Live!
- Change the chocolate chips. Any chocolate chips will do, but I do find that bittersweet chocolate chips don’t make these cookies overly sweet. Use what you have. That is my steadfast advice.
- Add some nuts. Some chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts would be just delightful in these cookies. I would toast and cool the nuts before adding them to the dough.
- Make an ice cream sandwich. Nothing goes together like a warm brownie and some ice cream! Try my vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or bourbon cherry caramel ice cream.
Professional Tips
- Splurge for high-quality chocolate. Chocolate is the featured flavor in these cookies, so use the highest-quality chocolate you can find.
- Scoop immediately if your chocolate cooled properly. The batter should hold its shape after being scooped. If it looks more like pourable brownie batter, the chocolate was too warm; refrigerate the batter for 15 minutes, then scoop straight from the fridge.
- Bake at 350°F conventional. Pull the cookies when the edges are set and the tops are cracked, but the centers still look slightly underdone, about 13 to 15 minutes. They will firm up as they cool on the pan.
How to Make Fudgy Brownie Cookies
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prep your pans. Set the oven to 350°F conventional (not convection) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until fully combined, with no streaks of cocoa remaining. Set aside. (photo 1 & 2)
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter with both sugars until the mixture is light and noticeably fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. This step builds the base structure of the cookie, so do not rush it. (photo 3 & 4)
Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Butter likes to hang out there and not get incorporated into the sugar.
Step 4: Add the eggs. With the mixer running on medium, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract along with the egg yolk. The mixture may look slightly broken or curdled at this stage, which is completely normal. It will come together once the chocolate goes in. (photo 5)
Step 5: Add the melted chocolate. Pour all of the melted chocolate in at once and beat well until fully incorporated and the batter looks glossy and uniform. This is the step where everything pulls together. The key here is that your chocolate should be melted but not hot. If it is too warm, it will loosen the butter and you will end up with batter instead of scoopable dough. (photo 6 & 7)
If your batter looks more like brownie batter than cookie dough after adding the chocolate, the chocolate was too warm when it went in. Pop the whole bowl in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before scooping. This is exactly what happened when I filmed the video for this recipe, so you are in good company if it happens to you.
Step 6: Add the dry ingredients. Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture to the chocolate batter. Mix just until the flour is fully incorporated and no dry streaks remain. (photos 8 & 9)
I usually add the flour mixture in about 4-5 additions. To prevent overdevelopment of the gluten, I add the next bit of flour when the last one is almost fully incorporated.
Step 7: Fold in the chocolate chips. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. (photos 10 & 11)
Step 8: Scoop the dough and top with salt. Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Sprinkle each one with a pinch of Maldon or fleur de sel before baking. The flaky salt is what I always do, and it makes a real difference against the deep bittersweet chocolate. (photos 12 & 13)
Step 9: Bake the cookies. Bake at 350°F conventional for 13 to 15 minutes. You are looking for set edges, cracked tops, and centers that no longer look wet or doughy. Start checking at 13 minutes. The cracks are not a sign of overbaking, they are exactly what you want to see, and they are part of what makes these look and taste like a brownie in cookie form. (photo 14)
Step 10: Cool on the pan, then transfer. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. They will be too soft to lift cleanly right out of the oven, but they firm up quickly as they cool. After the full rest on the rack, the centers will be fudgy and dense rather than cakey, which is the whole point.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Check your cocoa powder. Make sure it isn’t too lumpy. If it is, don’t fret; just sift it before adding it to the mix. Cocoa powder can sometimes dry out slightly, or some moisture can be absorbed over time.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Store baked cookies well-wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.
The most common cause is melted chocolate that was too warm when it went into the batter. If that happens, refrigerate the batter for 15 minutes before scooping. Warm butter from over-creaming can also contribute, so make sure your butter is softened but not greasy before you start.
Brownie cookies start with melted chocolate rather than cocoa powder alone, which gives them the same fudgy, dense interior you get from these brown butter brownies. The crackled top comes from whipping air into the butter, sugar, and eggs before the chocolate goes in.
Yes. Scoop the dough into portions, freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F conventional, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time. The cookies will be thicker once frozen.
Other Chewy Cookie Recipes!
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If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder — Dutch processed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate — melted but not hot
- ¾ cup light brown sugar — packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter — softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 60-63%
- Maldon Salt — optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla with the egg yolk.
- Pour in all the melted chocolate at once and beat well until fully combined and glossy.
- Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. If the dough looks more like batter, the melted chocolate was too warm: refrigerate it for 15 minutes before scooping. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the outsides are set, the tops are cracked, and the centers no longer look raw. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Doneness Cue: The outsides should be set and the tops fully cracked, with centers that no longer look like raw dough.
Storage: Store baked cookies well-wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.
Make Ahead: Scoop the dough into portions and freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F conventional, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Before You Go
These fudgy, crackle-topped chocolate cookies are worth every minute of chilling time. If you want more recipes like this one, browse my Cookie Recipes or make these milk chocolate brownies next!
For how weird of a recipe this is, it’s amazing what good cookies can be produced. I did have to chill the dough despite my chocolate being room temp, but after only 15 minutes it was manageable.
HOWEVER, I made the mistake of not making all the cookies at once and putting the dough back in the fridge as I usually do. When I got it out to make more cookies the next day (12-14 hours later) it was completely unmanageable (stuck to literally everything) and did not create the nice crackled tops (even after sitting at room temp for as long as I felt was safe with the eggs). The taste was still good, but the texture was much less pleasant.
Next time I will make all the cookies immediately. I would suggest adding a note that this is not the best recipe to store extra dough and the cookies should be made up all at once.
Hi Beth, Thank you so much for this detailed and helpful feedback. This recipe is designed to be a “no-chill dough,” so it’s truly at its best when baked right away. Extended refrigeration causes the chocolate to set up much more firmly, which is what made the dough so sticky and unmanageable the next day and also likely prevented those gorgeous crackled tops. And you are right I will make a note in the post about baking right away! The good news is that baked cookies store beautifully at room temperature for up to 3 days, or you can freeze the baked cookies. Thanks again for taking the time to share what happened this is exactly the kind of feedback that helps everyone even us improve! Happy baking! ~CLF Team
Brownie cookies felt like the best of both worlds. The instructions around chocolate temperature were really helpful for me, and melting the chocolate and adding it all at once worked really well once I got it going. Personally, I thought the mix of chocolates really paid off and that little flaky salt on top was a nice touch!