Brownie Cookies
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
With a gooey center and signature crackly top like a brownie and a crisp exterior like a cookie, this brownie cookie recipe is the best of both dessert worlds! You can also find this recipe on page 63 of my cookbook.
BROWNIES OR COOKIES… WHY CHOOSE?
You may be wondering “why would I make a brownie cookie when I could just make a pan of brownies?” There are edge pieces, corner pieces, center pieces, and folks who typically vehemently prefer one over the other (I’m an edge girl myself).
But the thing about brownie cookies is that you get all of those parameters in one cookie. You’ve got a chewy edge with structure laced with a touch of crispness, and the inside of each cookie is mega fudgy.
The centers also have that granulated feeling that comes alongside brownie batter (you bowl-lickers know what I’m talking about) thanks to a carefully selected combination and ratio of ingredients.
Add in some (optional but highly encouraged) walnuts, and you have yourself a batch of cookies that are going to make you turn your question around and ask “why would I make brownies when I can just make brownie cookies?”
But don’t forget my brownies are one of my most popular recipes, mmkay? Best just to make both!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
You’ll need 10 basic ingredients for these chocolate brownie cookies, and 11 if you go with my optional but highly (highly!!) encouraged addition of nuts.
Grab these ingredients:
SHELLED NUTS: while these are optional, they are very encouraged. You’ll toast these nuts before starting the cookie dough, which brings out their natural flavor and brings a whole new level of “yum” to these chewy brownie cookies. I prefer walnuts, but you can also use pecans or another nut you like.
UNSALTED BUTTER: just like traditional brownies, butter brings a mega source of fat to the cookie base. We’re melting this butter, so no need to wait for it to come to room temperature.
UNSWEETENED BAKING CHOCOLATE: this is a kind of chocolate that’s not often used in baking, but it serves a solid purpose in flavoring chocolate desserts. See below for more detailed information on this one.
SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS: we’ll also be using chips for the chocolate base in this recipe for brownie cookies, and we’ll also be adding them to the cookie dough for texture and more flavor.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR: just a touch to hold the cookie dough together. Too much flour, just like brownies, and they’ll wind up cakey. We want to keep these cookies thick and fudgy.
BAKING POWDER: just a touch to help them rise and spread. We don’t use any leavener in brownies, so this is what differentiates these brownie cookies from traditional bar brownies.
SALT: for flavor. Don’t leave it out!
EGGS: just two to keep things rich and fudgy. Be sure they’re at room temperature for even incorporation into the cookie dough.
GRANULATED & BROWN SUGAR: a combination of both types of sugars brings sweetness and moisture, just like in my favorite scratch brownies.
VANILLA EXTRACT: always for balance of flavor!
WHY ARE WE USING UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE?
As you see above, we’re using both unsweetened chocolate as well as chocolate chips to make the melted chocolate mixture that will serve as the base for these brownie cookies. But why not just use all semi-sweet chocolate?
Although semi-sweet chocolate doesn’t seem super sweet, it does have some sugar content. Semi-sweet chocolate also has a bit more moisture than unsweetened chocolate, so by using unsweetened chocolate in the base, we’re leaving room for lots of sugar to bring the granulated mouthfeel as well as the perfect amount of moisture.
HOW TO MAKE BROWNIE COOKIES
While this cookie recipe is very simple and easy, you’ll need to build in some time for toasting the nuts, cooling the chocolate mixture, and chilling the cookie dough, which is mandatory. Without chilling, this cookie dough will be way too sticky to handle and will spread far too much for our liking. Only 1 hour of chill time will do the job!
STEP #1
Start by toasting the nuts: heat the shelled nuts in a medium size saucepan over medium-high heat. Keep them moving with a spatula until they start to lightly brown and smell fragrant.
Allow to cool until you can touch them (about 10 minutes), then coarsely chop, then remove ¼ cup (22g) to use in the recipe. I like to reserve the rest for pressing into the tops of the hot cookies when they come out of the oven.
STEP #2
Next, melt the butter, chopped unsweetened baking chocolate, and 4 ounces (about ¾ cup) of the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a medium size saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture constantly until everything is has melted completely. Allow to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
STEP #3
Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set this mixture aside.
STEP #4
Next, combine the cooled chocolate mixture, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and whisk together until combined.
STEP #5
Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients, then stir with a spatula until combined.
STEP #6
Stir in the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips and reserved ¼ cup of toasted nuts, if using. Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
STEP #7
When the cookies are thoroughly chilled, preheat the oven and bake as directed in the recipe card below.
VARIATIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS
While I do not suggest making any adjustments to the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the chocolate base, there is no reason you can’t swap in different chips in the cookie dough. Consider a different variety of chocolate or chocolate chunks.
Don’t want the walnuts? No problem! Just leave them out or use another nut you prefer. I like the texture and flavor of walnuts in my brownies/brownie cookies, but this is just personal preference.
You can make these any size you want! I like standard size, but we’ve also enjoyed bakery style/extra large cookies with this flavor, too. The extra big ones turn out so super thick and fudgy!
BAKING TIMES
Just like brownies, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t over bake these cookies. And you can make them in two sizes: standard or bakery style (extra large).
For standard size, use one scoop with this #50 cookie scoop. For larger cookies, stack two of those dough balls on top of each other and smush together.
For fudgy brownie cookies, you’ll want to bake them for only about 12 minutes (standard size) or 14 minutes (larger).
If you prefer your brownie cookies to be cakey, bake standard for 14 minutes and larger for 16 minutes.
Brownie Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (30g) shelled nuts1 optional
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter cut into 2-3 slices
- 1 ounce (28g) unsweetened baking chocolate chopped
- 8 ounces (228g) semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, heat the shelled nuts to toast them. Keep them moving with a spatula until they start to lightly brown and smell fragrant. Allow to cool until you can touch them (about 10 minutes), then coarsely chop.⅓ cup (30g) shelled nuts1
- Remove ¼ cup (22g) of the toasted chopped nuts to use in the recipe. I like to reserve the rest for pressing into the tops of the hot cookies2 when they come out of the oven.
- In a medium size saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, chopped unsweetened baking chocolate, and 4 ounces (about ¾ cup) of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir constantly until mixture has melted completely. Allow to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, 1 ounce (28g) unsweetened baking chocolate, 8 ounces (228g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a medium size bowl, combine the cooled chocolate mixture, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and whisk until combined.2 large eggs, ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) firmly packed light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients then stir until combined.
- Stir in remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips and reserved ¼ cup of toasted nuts, if using. Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Using a cookie scoop (I use this #50 cookie scoop for all of my standard size cookies), drop rounded dough balls on prepared baking sheet. For large cookies, use two scoops, press together, and then roll into a large ball. For super fudgy cookies, bake cookies for 12 minutes (they will look underdone). For cakey cookies, bake for 14 minutes. Bake large cookies for 16 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months. Rolled cookie dough freezes well, up to 3 months. Place on baking sheet frozen and add 1 minute to baking time.
Notes
- Shelled nuts: nuts are totally optional, but I like them in these cookies. I prefer walnuts, but pecans are also a good choice.
- Hot cookies: I like to press a few chocolate chips and walnut pieces into the tops of the cookies right out of the oven to give them more texture and make them look pretty.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Is it 1/4 cup of butter or two tablespoons? Because 1/4 cup butter is 4 tablespoons, no?
Hi Mariya, it’s 4 Tablespoons, you are right. I have edited the recipe. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
I was so excited to make these but after mixing everything it was more like a thick cake batter not at all like cookie dough 🙁 The chocolate was definitely room temp. I feel like there should have been more flour? I don’t scoop my flour, I spoon it into the measuring cups—sometimes that makes less flour overall—- but that’s how I always learned to do it. Anyways, It’s in the fridge as we speak but it’s not at all formed. Any suggestions?
Hi Mel, have you had any more progress on this recipe? It’s been awhile since I made these cookies, but I know they work, and I’ve had friends make them since posting it who have followed the recipe here. The measurements are correct. Are you in a particularly warm or humid climate?
Hey! So I put the whole bowl in the fridge for about an hour and a half. Then I scooped big spoonfuls onto the baking sheet. It still wasn’t the consistency of cookie dough but it was firm. They turned out delicious! And yes I am in NC and its warm and humid, maybe that had something to do with it. Glad they turned out. Thanks for the recipe!
Great, so glad to hear it worked out. Thanks for coming back to let me know! Sometimes humidity can affect recipes not at all or a ton. You just never know. But I would bet that since there isn’t a lot of flour in this recipe, there’s not a whole lot of stuff around to absorb the extra moisture in the air. Anyway… So glad you liked them!
Thank you so much, Katie! I’m glad the cookie cake turned out for you 🙂
Made these beauties for a party and they were everyone’s favorite food (!) out of everything. Legit the perfect combination of everything you love about a cookie and a brownie. I had to use 4 oz semi sweet, then 2 oz milk and 2 oz 72% chips. SO YUM. Thanks Lynn!
Ohhh man, I never comment on recipes but this one was worth the comment!! These were AMAZING. I will be making them again!
Thank you so much, Caitie! That means a lot to me 🙂
Delish! Tasted just like a brownie! I kept mine gooey and they were perfect with a glass of milk.
Yum! Thanks, Kayleigh!