This brownie cookie recipe is all of the good parts of a brownie- crackly crust, fudgy middles, chewy edges, & intense chocolate flavor -in one easy, homemade cookie recipe. One of the best cookie recipes around!
I have some amazing, chocolaty goodness for you today! These Brownie Cookies are for serious chocolate lovers.
They’re similar to my Flourless Fudge Cookies, the one of the most popular chocolate cookies on my site, but these easy chocolate brownie cookies are thicker and richer.
This homemade brownie cookie recipe is pretty simple to make and give you all of the good parts of a brownie – shiny, crackly crust, fudgy middles, chewy edges, and intense chocolate flavor – in one little cookie.
And…..then enjoy the most ridiculously rich and fudgy, best homemade cookies ever!
If you love brownies, please take a moment to check out my how-to make homemade brownies guide! Or check out my Brookie recipe that combines these cookies with chewy chocolate chip cookies!
How to make brownie cookies
When you read the recipe, you may be tempted to cut short the mixing time. Please don’t do it! One of the keys to success is to follow the instructions as-written.
The cookies need the extended mixing time. It’s going to make all the difference in your cookies turning out right. So please take the few extra minutes to make it as written.
Line your baking sheets with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Melt the bittersweet chocolate chips and butter in a heavy saucepan over low, stirring constantly, until melted and combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar (white sugar) vanilla, baking powder, and salt on high for 5 minutes, or until the batter is thick and creamy.
Don’t cut this step short! The cookies will be too thin and won’t have the shiny exterior if you cut the mixing short.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and stream in the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour and cocoa powder just until combined.
Fold in the mini chocolate chips and nuts, if using. The dough should be thick like brownie batter at this point.
Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Scoop out 1.5 tablespoon scoops of dough (medium cookie scoop). Place the scoops of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 8-10 minutes. The middles should look soft and a little underdone but the edges should be set.
Since oven temps can vary, you may find that you need to increase the baking time. Once the cookies have cooled, remove to a wire rack or plate.
Tips for making brownie cookies
- Butter: I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt by about 1/4 teaspoon.
- Cocoa Powder: I didn’t have good results when using Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Chocolate chips: I’ve tried making the cookies without the chocolate chips, and they didn’t have as much of a crackly crust. Don’t skip the chocolate chips if you want a shinier cookies.
- Mixing: I recommend using a paddle attachment to mix the cookie dough. I’ve tried using a whisk attachment, and the cookies didn’t turn out as well.
- Chilling: The cookies will be flat and will bake out if you skip chilling the dough. Also, if your fridge is packed doesn’t chill very well, you may find that you need to add a little extra time to the given chilling time.
- Baking: The cookies will look underbaked in the center but be set at the edges, and the crackly, shiny crust will develop as the cookies cool.
What causes flat cookies?
There are two things that could cause flat cookies.
First, cutting the mixing time short or using a hand mixer (or mixing by hand). The volume of air that a stand mixer can beat in gives the cookies lift.
If using a hand mixer, you’ll need to add additional mixing time. I’ve heard from several people who added about 5 minutes of additional time when using a hand mixer. They’ve said that that helped to incorporate enough air.
Second, the other thing that can cause flat cookies is not adequately chilling the dough. For me, 30 minutes works well.
However, you may find that you need to add additional chilling time. Factors like the temperature that your fridge is set to, how well it chills, and even how full your fridge is can affect how long the dough will need to chill.
Tools used to make brownie cookies
Cookie Scoop: This is the cookie scoop I have. I use it so much that I bought a second one. It’s great for scooping cookies, mini muffins, and even meatballs.
Parchment paper: I buy a giant roll of parchment paper, and I use it regularly to line pans. I also use it underneath baking racks to catch drips when I’m putting on glaze or icing.
More popular cookie recipes!
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Brownie Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips 60-70% cacao
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder¹
- 1 cup pecans chopped, optional
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted and well-combined.
- Remove from heat, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugars, vanilla, baking powder, and salt on high speed 5 minutes, or until the batter is thick and creamy. This step is key, so make sure to beat the mixture for the full 5 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low, and mix in the melted chocolate until well-combined.
- Stir in flour and cocoa powder just until combined.
- Add nuts, if using, and mini chocolate chips. Stir in to combine. The batter should be the consistency of a thick brownie batter at this point.
- Cover the batter, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop batter onto the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies 8-10 minutes. The cookie will look set at the edges but still be a little wet looking in the center. Don’t overbake, or the cookies won’t be crackly and fudgy.
- The shiny, crackly crust will develop as the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
Video
Notes
- I don’t recommend Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Nutrition facts are estimated.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Adapted from Everyday Dishes.
Originally published 7/7/16. Updated with new photos and tips 11/8/19. Updated again on 12/1/21 to add additional tips and information.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Ty says
I’m wondering if maybe you can help me figure out where I went wrong the second time. The first time i used a table spoon and just tried to do some fat scoops and poked them onto the pan with my finger then back into the fridge to chill for a few minutes because I’m slow. The second time I used a 1/4 cup scoop and added nuts where it says to add. I also used almond extract. This time after I scooped I rolled them into balls with my hand and then placed on the pan. The first time they were great, fudgey and cookie shaped. The second time they are like half spheres haha! I’m wondering if it’s just because I had too much per scoop.( 1/4c is 4 TBSP) Or if it’s because I chilled them too long, or if it’s because the nuts inside. Either way they are still soft and taste good I was just wonderig why they are more like balls. Maybe I answered my own question above but any advice would be great! I will def make again and again.
Kate says
Hi! The nuts shouldn’t have made a difference. When I make cookies that size (1/4 cup), I decrease the oven temperature by 25F. This allows the cookies to spread before the outside sets. Otherwise, the cookies set too quickly, and you end up with scoop-shaped cookies. Since oven temperature vary, you may need to play around a bit with decreasing the temperature. I hope that helps!
Kayla says
I follow this recipe word for word and I’ve made them twice now, and both times they’ve turned out PERFECT. They’re rich and chewy and delicious. This recipe is a new staple in our house, and I’ll be making it for years to come. Thank you for sharing!
Kate says
Thank you!
Emily Brigham says
Zero out of stars! Must put baking soda or they’ll like they did when you put them in the oven. Unacceptable. A waste of time.
Kate says
By using baking powder, you added baking soda to the cookies. Baking powder is made up of baking soda + an acid + an anticaking agent. If your cookies didn’t spread, your baking powder may have been old, or there may have been a different issue when you made the cookies.
Lisa Ann Barger says
These look delicious! I went to the website Everday Dishes where you saw this recipe and her recipe only calls for 1/2 cup flour, no brown sugar and only 2 tbsp cocoa. Some of the comments said the dough was too runny and asked if 1/2 cup flour was correct. I am going to make your recipe. Did you make these changes yourself? Maybe she got the measurements wrong?
Kate says
Yes, I made several changes to the other recipe to get the recipe that I have here, and I’ve made the recipe as I have it listed here numerous times.
Dyane Prazeres says
I’d like to know about the expiration of the cookies please
Kate says
The cookies should last for about 3 days when properly stored.
Wendy says
Great recipe!
Kate says
Thank you!
Mady says
they taste good but even though i followed the recipe exactly, no matter what i did they turned almost paper thin in the oven. i tried refrigerating the dough for a few hours and that didn’t help. they look nothing like the picture
Kate says
It sounds like you’re not beating the egg mixture enough. The cookie dough should already be the consistency of thick brownie batter when it goes into the fridge. If it isn’t already thick, chilling the dough won’t give you thick cookies. I hope that helps for next time!
Nancy says
These brownie cookies are easy to make and most importantly delicious!!!! My son in law is a cookie monster and he loved them!!! Great recipe!!
Kate says
Thank you so much!
Deb says
Can I mix this up, refrigerator and then bake the next day?
Kate says
You can. However, the dough sets up quite a bit in the fridge, so I would recommend setting the dough out while you preheat the oven to let it come up some in temperature before baking.
Lura says
I made this recipe, it didn’t need much help. I did add another .5 t of salt. Great recipe, I’m impressed most chocolate recipes require doctoring for me anyway.
Kate says
Thank you!
Bri says
These are so easy and delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly! This will be a new go-to recipe for sure!
Kate says
Thank you so much!
M C says
Chocolate lovers dream cookie! My husband’s favorite. I use walnuts instead of pecans. 5 minutes beating is critical. Dutch processed cocoa worked fine.
Kate says
Thank you!
Rhonda says
Cookies looked just like the photos and had a nice crinkle look. If you are a dark chocolate lover, you will love these cookies. They were a bit to bitter for my family.
Kate says
Hi! If you’d prefer sweeter cookies, you can use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate. Hope that helps!