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!
“I found this recipe on Pinterest about 5-6 years ago, and I have made them so many times. They’re the perfect chocolate chewy delicious cookie. I always add a little bit of sea salt on top, and they’re so good!! Thank you so much for the recipe!” – Melanie
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- 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 mini chocolate chips, and they didn’t have as much of a crackly crust. Don’t skip the mini chocolate chips if you want shinier 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.
Step 1: Line your baking sheets with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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. The batter should fall in ribbons at this point.
Tip >> 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.
Step 4: Reduce the mixer speed to low and stream in the melted chocolate mixture.
Step 5: Stir in the flour and cocoa powder just until combined.
Step 6: Fold in the mini chocolate chips and nuts, if using. The dough should be thick like brownie batter at this point.
Step 7: Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Step 8: 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.
Step 9: Bake for about 8-10 minutes. The middles should look soft and a little underdone but the edges should be set.
Tip >> Since oven temps can vary, you may find that you need to increase the baking time.
Step 10: Once the cookies have cooled, remove to a wire rack or plate.
Recipe Tips!
- Melting: You can also melt the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, and then stir. Continue microwaving in 15 second intervals and then stirring until melted and well-combined.
- 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.
Troubleshooting 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.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe has over 1,000 comments and questions. I’ve taken a few of the most common questions and have answered them here.
I’ve used bittersweet chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips to make the cookies. Both have worked well.
I’ve frozen the dough in scoops and have baked the dough from frozen. While I do add more time when baking from frozen, otherwise, I’ve had good luck with baking the frozen dough.
I’ve made the cookies in 1.5 tablespoon, 2 tablespoon, and 4 tablespoon (1/4 cup) scoops. All three of those sized cookies are pictured here.
Storage
Store any leftover brownie cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days when properly stored.
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.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Maddi says
do you need to use the chocolate chips?i have the cocoa powder
Kate says
Which chocolate chips? You could leave the mini chips out if you prefer, but the bittersweet are necessary.
Carol says
If you double the batch. Doug you double the refrigerator time?
Kate says
Unfortunately, I’m not sure because I haven’t tried to double this recipe. There isn’t enough room for a double batch in my 5 qt stand mixing bowl, and I’m not sure how well it would whip up in step 3 with a double batch. So, I haven’t tried to say for sure. Good luck!
Annah says
Wow!! I was very impressed with how tasty these turned out. They looked just like the pictures and were fun to make because the recipe was easy to follow. Thankyou so much! I will be making them again!
Annah says
Wow!!! I was super impressed by everything about these cookies. They were delicious and as beautiful as the pictures. Also thankyou for making the recipe so easy to follow! I will be making these over and over.
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m glad you found that the recipe was easy to follow. Thank you for taking the time to comment! =)
Nikki says
My mix is thin how do I fix it
Kate says
What step are you on?
Ashley says
I want to make these for my father in law’s birthday as he loves brownies. We are meeting him at a theme park on a hot day so I was wondering if I could omit the mini chocolate chips from the cookies so I dont have melted chocolate everywhere?
Kate says
I think it should be fine to omit the chocolate chips. You could add extra nuts, or you could just leave them out altogether. =)
Ashley says
I made it without both the nuts and chocolate chips and everyone raved about how delicious they were! I added some instant coffee to help boost the chocolate flavor since I wasnt adding the chocolate chips and i think it helped. So delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Shafiqa says
Can I freeze the dough for later?
Kate says
I’m not sure. I’ve never tried to freeze this dough.
Laurelle says
These cookies are amazing….thankyou for the recipe…a definite must bake if you love chewy brownies ?
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to come back to comment. =)
Sarah says
Fantastic! Followed the recipe to a t and the cookies were amazing!
Amanda says
I followed this recipe to the letter, except for refridgerating overnight instead of just 30 mins, and the cookies turned out nothing like the picture. I had to bake more like 15 mins just so they would be done enough, and the cookies still turned out doughy looking and not crackly at all. I’m sorry, but I will not be using this recipe again. I feel like I would have had better luck using a mix from a box. Very disappointed in the results for all the work to make.
Kate says
I’m sorry to hear that! It’s unfortunate that in baking what can seem like a minor change to a recipe can have major results. So, refrigerating the dough for, say, 8 hours vs the 30 minutes that the recipe calls can give you a very different outcome.
When I chill the dough for that long, the dough gets hard and isn’t firm but scoop-able like it is with a 30 minute chill. If you are going to chill the dough for that long, I recommend setting it out to let it soften up some prior to baking.
Otherwise, when the dough is that cold, the dough can bake unevenly, and the outside will finish baking before the inside can bake. That’s why you had to bake the cookie for longer and ended up with doughy cookies.
I appreciate you coming back to share your experience. I’m sure it will be helpful, and I wish you better luck next time!
Emily says
These are some of these best cookies Ive had in a long time!!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Kate says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked them! Thank you for leaving a comment! =)
Sandi says
I’m a newbie to this baking thing but I made these this morning for my husband and kids and they’re all gone! Definitely 5 Stars!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that your family liked them! Thanks for coming back to comment! =)
Thea says
Just made these brownie cookies……..good recipe easy to make. I had to put the batter in the fridge until it firmed up. I will make them again. I’m taking them to work for my co workers but will save a few for my desert tonight. Thank you
Kate says
I’m glad you liked them! Yes, the dough definitely needs that time in the fridge to firm up. =) Hope your co workers enjoy them, too!
Melba popa says
Just realized I don’t have parchment paper can I just grease my cookie sheet?
Kate says
I’ve tried using parchment paper and baking mats, but I haven’t tried greasing the pan. I think it may work, but sometimes greasing can lead to more spread, and, since I haven’t tried it, I can’t say for sure. Good luck!
Livvy says
So yummy but mine came out very flat. Not sure why. I now have brownie chips.
Kate says
I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m happy to troubleshoot with you. How long did you beat the egg mixture for, and what did your dough look like going into the fridge?
Kathleen says
Is the butter needed just regular butter or unsalted?
Kate says
I use regular (salted) butter when I make these cookies. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
sara says
can i use oil instead?
Kate says
I’m not sure! I haven’t tried making the cookies with oil. If you try it, I’d be interested to hear how they come out!
Sarah says
OMG!!! Best cookies ever!!!
Kate says
Thanks! Glad you liked them! =)
Debi Budzinski says
I just made these cookies for the first time. They are excellent!!! I made mine smaller, but that is just a personal preference for me. But I think these cookies are fantastic. I didn’t have any bittersweet chocolate chips to melt so I used regular ones. I’m not sure what the difference is, but I think they are perfect! Making them smaller means few calories per cookie for me! LOL
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked them! As an aside, there isn’t much difference between bittersweet chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips. Bittersweet chocolate chips have a higher percentage of cacao and are less sweet than semisweet chocolate chips. Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment! =)
Abigail says
It doesn’t say anything about when the butter is supposed to be added into the mixture?
Kate says
In step 1, the chocolate chips and butter are melted together. If you have any other questions, please let me know!
Pun says
Tried this recipe today and the cookies cane out delicious!!! Great Recipe
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! =)
Shay says
These turned out amazing, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop my husband from eating them all. I took 12 of them and made filled cookies for my daughters birthday, I filled them with chocolate chip cookie dough. Her birthday is tomorrow I hope she likes them.
Kate says
How fun! I’m so glad that you guys liked them! Happy birthday to your daughter, and thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!