Soft and Chewy Brownie Cookies — These cookies have the taste and texture of perfect brownies! Soft and tender in the interior with chewy edges. They’re fudgy, dense, and not at all cakey!
Easy Fudge Brownie Cookies Recipe
These cookies have been on my bucket list for years. I only wish I had checked them off my list sooner because I loved every fudgy center and chewy-edged bite.
They’re one hundred percent from scratch, no cake mix, no brownie mix, no shortcuts. The recipe is adapted from Donna Hay, who’s been called the Australian Martha Stewart. After converting grams of butter to tablespoons, and using regular granulated sugar in place of superfine caster sugar, I thought I was in for smooth sailing. Wrong.
I’ve seen versions of this recipe using melted chocolate chips for the 12 ounces of dark chocolate that Donna calls for. I wanted that to work because a standard bag of chocolate chips is 12 ounces and that would have been convenient. But when I melted the chocolate chips with butter as directed, the mixture seized horribly.
I should have known better because chocolate chips have stabilizers in them that prevent them from melting easily. This is great when used in chocolate chip cookies so they retain their chip-like shape in a 350F oven. Not great when you want them to melt into sauce with butter.
The water that’s released from the melting butter turned the mixture turn into seized-up sludge. So I started over. I hate wasting butter and chocolate, but salvaged the clumpy mess and was used it as s’mores chocolate.
I tried again with a 54% Dark Chocolate Pound Plus bar from Trader Joe’s, not to be confused with their 72% bar. Because there’s only 2/3 cup of sugar in the entire batch of cookies, I didn’t want to use chocolate that was too dark for fear the cookies would be bitter.
I like my brownies and chocolate cookies on the less sweet side, but had read reports of others trying 72% chocolate and the cookies were bitter.
The chocolate intensity and sweetness level of the cookies from the Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate bar (54% chocolate) turned out to be spot-on perfect. Sweet enough, but not too sweet; nor bitter.
The 5 ounces of chopped chocolate that’s added to the batter are unexpected nuggets of bliss. It adds so much intensity and also texture. The cookies are so dark and you can’t see the chocolate, so the chunks really are heavenly surprise bites. The chocolate chunks make the cookies so rich. Like having a mini chocolate candy bar baked into every cookie.
What’s in Brownie Cookies?
To make these soft and chewy brownie cookies, you’ll need:
- Dark chocolate
- Butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
How to Make Brownie Cookies
To make the cookies, combine 7 ounces of chopped chocolate from a bar (not chocolate chips as I learned) with 3 tablespoons of butter and heat to melt, about 45 seconds in the micro, and set it aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together 2 eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Donna suggests beating for 15 minutes, or until pale and creamy. That seemed ridiculously long, but I kept my stand mixer running for over 13 minutes. The mixture didn’t change in appearance after the first 5 minutes of beating, and I believe 5 to 8 minutes of beating is adequate. The mixture thickens up and become slightly frothy, but earth-shattering changes didn’t happen after the 5-minute mark.
All at once, add the melted chocolate-butter mixture, the remaining 5 ounces of chopped chocolate, 1/4 cup flour, baking powder, and beat it together, about 1 minute on medium low speed.
If you’re visualizing two eggs, 10 ounces of a melted chocolate-butter mixture, and only 1/4-cup flour and the contents of the mixing bowl looking like liquid chocolate sauce, you’re visualizing correctly. I was freaking out thinking, no, please not another chocolate fail in a recipe that hasn’t even been baked! The mixture was so sloppy, soupy, and wasn’t anywhere near cookie ‘dough’. Chocolate smoothie was more like it.
Donna’s recipe instructs to set the bowl aside for 10 minutes so the mixture can firm up before baking. After 10 minutes, there was no way it was firm enough to do anything with other than maybe insert a straw and drink the chocolate. So I covered the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, said a prayer, and left it on the counter for 1 hour.
In that hour, it had firmed up enough that I was able to use my medium 2-inch cookie scoop and scooped out 17 mounds onto Silpat-lined baking trays. In reality, it felt like I was scooping out severely melted ice cream that had been sitting out of the freezer for a few hours.
There was no way I was going to bake that ‘dough’ and allowed it to remain uncovered on baking sheets at room temperature for another hour to continue to solidify before I was brave enough to bake them.
So that’s setting the bowl aside for 1 hour, then scooping out into mounds, and letting the mounds sit on cookie sheets for another hour before baking. Two hours of solidification. The 10 minutes suggested by the author would have never worked for me.
I was bracing for chocolate puddles to emerge from the oven, but much to my shock and amazement, the cookies spread much less than I expected.
These cookies are worth everything they put me through and are the lightest, fudgiest, moistest, best brownie cookies I’ve ever tried. You’d think they’d be thick and as heavy as bricks, but they’re not since they’re nearly flourless. And they’re not cakey in the least. I don’t want cake in my brownies, cookies, or brownie-cookies.
How to Store Brownie Cookies
These fudge brownie cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Can I Add Mix-Ins?
Possibly, although the “dough” is so finnicky that you may not want to add any mix-ins. If you’re looking for a fudgy chocolate cookie packed with mix-ins, check out the “Related Recipes” section below the recipe card.
Tips for Making Chocolate Brownie Cookies
As I was making this recipe, I ran out of cool baking trays and clean Silpats and baked the last two cookies on unlined baking trays and they spread so much more and baked so thin and turned crispy and crumbly.
The difference between baking with and without Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats was night and day. Silpats are tacky and give cookies traction and something to grab onto so they don’t slip and slide around on a hot baking sheet, spreading and turning into cookie puddles.
It’s worth mentioning that this recipe may not be for everyone. If you are typically prone to cookies that spread and have never mastered the art of anything close to a puffy cookie, this probably isn’t the recipe for you. And now is a great time to spend that $20 bucks on a Silpat because without one, I didn’t have success.
Finally, you’ll need a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop because there’s no way to get the ‘dough’ out of the mixing bowl and onto baking trays in a shape that’s domed enough to hold up to baking.
But they’re so worth it. They really do taste like a brownie, in cookie form. So fudgy, rich, intense, and decadent.
Now I can have my brownies and cookies in one.
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Soft and Chewy Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dark chocolate from a bar, chopped and divided into 7 ounces and 5 ounces*
- 3 tablespoons butter, I used unsalted
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar, or superfine sugar if available
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder, sifted
Instructions
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 7 ounces of chocolate, butter, and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power. Stop to stir. Heat in 10-second bursts until mixture can be stirred smooth; set aside to cool briefly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use an electric mixer), add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and beat for 5 to 8 minutes on medium speed, or until pale and creamy. (Original recipe recommends beating for 15 minutes, but I saw no changes in the mixture after about 5 minutes and believe 8 minutes is ample).
- Add the flour, baking powder, melted chocolate-butter mixture, and remaining 5 ounces chopped chocolate and mix to combine, about 1 minute on medium-low speed (the machine will make lots of noise and shake from the chopped chocolate).
- Remove the paddle, cover bowl with plasticwrap, and allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour in order for batter to firm up (Original recipe suggests 10 minutes but my batter was like chocolate sauce and it needed 1 hour).
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop, scoop out mounds of dough onto Silpat-lined baking trays, placing 8 mounds per tray. Do not crowd them in case your cookies spread a fair amount (mine didn't but I can foresee it). Allow mounds to remain on trays, uncovered, for about 1 hour before baking to help batter set up more.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until puffed and cracked (I baked for 9 minutes).
- Allow cookies to cool completely on trays.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hey! I made these and while they were delicious, they didn’t puff up and instead flattened out into wide cookies. Any suggestions?
Also I used one silplat and one with just parchment paper, they both turned out the same.
Given everything I went through to make them as I wrote about in my post (they weren’t an easy cookie for me either), it’s so hard to say where your issue came up. I would guess that the batter was a bit on the thin or warm side and that’s why. Next time you could add slightly more flour, chill the dough more, and make sure your baking powder is fresh. I also think the type of chocolate matters. The TJs choc I used wasn’t great in these and normally I love it. Reports of Baker’s brand and Ghrirardehli from readers who’ve made them seem more promising. If you remake, please LMK!
LOVE! I made these last Friday and here’s my report. The closest TJs is over 35 miles from me, so I chose to use Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet baking bars. After melting the 7 oz with the butter in the micro, it was pretty thick, but not seized. I also did mix the egg mixture for 15 minutes just to see what would happen (with a hand mixer since my stand mixer needs to be repaired). Mine got lighter in color and considerably thicker after the 8 minute mark. After 10 minutes on the counter (or less), my cookies could have been baked. I had to wait though since I was waiting for the UPS man to get here with my Silpats I ordered. :) I got way more than 17 cookies, but I used a pretty small scoop. And yes, letting them cool all the way on the pan is a must. I got impatient and lost some of the bottoms of some cookies to a pesky spatula. Thanks for the recipe! Making them again soon!
So glad that they worked out so well for you and love the blow by blow account. I have this feeling that TJs choc bars have more ‘liquid’ volume in them than other brands. I am going to remake with a Ghira or another type of bar-chocolate and see what happens. I had another reader make with Baker’s brand with great results. Glad to hear that after 10 mins, you were in business! And my mixture thickened with beating maybe up til the 8 min mark, but by 13-14 mins, nothing changed, so I just stopped a minute early. I also wonder if this is a situation where a hand mixer may actually give finer control and precision than a stand mixer. Hmmm… Anyway thank for LMK you made them! And woohoo for new silpats!
Here’s a little field report! They are very chocolate-y (a good thing)! This was an easy recipe to cut in half for two of us. I was prepared for runny batter, but mine firmed up quickly (less than 10 min at room temp). It actually started firming up in the mixer, so maybe my egg/sugar mixture was on the cool side (but I did let that mix for about 8 min). I used Baker’s semi-sweet for my chocolate. They tasted great and I would definitely make them again!
Oh I am so happy you were able to have success with this recipe!!!!!! They are exceedingly choclaty and rich, decadent and wonderful. Had I known then what I know now, I would have made a half batch. And then made another batch another time. Fresher is always better :) I am amazed your chocolate firmed up so fast but another woman wrote to say the same thing. Perhaps the TJ’s chocolate is on the liquid-ey side? I’ve noticed that with brownie making before, that it melts into a very ‘thin’ state…I digress. I will try these with Baker’s next time. It’s 2x the price, ounce for ounce, but in this recipe I’d gladly pay it! Glad to hear that 8 mins/mixing worked and that you’d make them again. Thanks for the detailed field report, Paula. I appreciate it!
Love that you made these from scratch! They look so puffy and perfect!
Thanks for linking up to What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Thank you for HOSTING!
Love Donna Hay – I already know I’d love these cookies too! :)
Thanks for the chocolate melting info. Chocolate chips (even the more expensive brands) seize up on me 90% of the time (I must somehow hit the magic mark on that slim 10%). So frustrating, and messy! From now on I’ll use the baking bars. TY! :D
If I try to melt them, just chips by themselves, and take my time doing it in short burts in the micro, I am generally fine. But the minute I add butter, it’s a no go! The water from the butter and the combo of that with the chips – always seize up on me!
Hi Averie!
These cookies look fantastic! I can’t wait to make them – when I do, I’ll let you know how they turn out with gluten free substitutions. (I’m thinking maybe almond flour and potato starch, or maybe just arrowroot or tapioca starch. We’ll see.)
A chocolate note: I use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips anytime I need a chocolate that is already sweetened. I don’t have a microwave, so I always melt it in an improvised double boiler – large metal bowl set over a pan of steaming water. A little more time, but the same number of dishes, since the water pan just needs to be dumped and cooled, not really washed.
I have never once had a problem with Enjoy Life chocolate siezing up. There are no fillers, stabilizers, or weird ingredients. The vast majority of sweetened chocolates (both baking and eating types, and including all of TJ’s products, as well as almost all the expensive brands and all of the cheap ones) contain an emulsifier called soy lecithin. I’m allergic to soy, in addition to other things. Enjoy Life is free of soy, peanut, nut, dairy, and gluten, so it is safe for the majority of people. It’s also a pretty good quality chocolate, and not overly sweet. If I need it less sweet, I add a little more cocoa powder to my recipe.
I have found the mini chips at many stores, from the conventional supermarket to Whole Foods. They don’t carry it at TJ’s, though. For a little while I found lovely chocolate chunks from them too, but I can’t find them anymore, alas.
Just another option, especially for soy-free chocolate treats!
I have used Enjoy Life in the past and they’re a great option if one is willing to pay $$ for them! They’re about 2-3x the price of the average choc chip, unfortunately.
If I try to melt just average choc chips, i.e. TJs brand, by themselves, and take my time doing it in short burts in the micro, I am generally fine. But the minute I add butter, it’s a no go! The water from the butter and the combo of that with the chips – always seize up on me. So that’s why using baking bars is a safer bet.
So I made these tonight and they are awesome! I actually did let them only sit for 10 min and was surprised how easily they set up. That never happens for me! I did melt the chocolate/butter over a double broiler so maybe that made a difference? Thank you!
So glad that you had success with them after just 10 mins! I used TJs chocolate and I’ve noticed it can be a little more ‘watery’ than other brands in terms of how much liquid it produces, ounce for ounce. Maybe that was my issue. But regardless, glad you liked the cookies so much and thanks for coming back to LMK! :)
Oh, now I want a dozen of yours!! Seems all that hard work really paid off!! :) I’m so glad you were able to save these… aren’t they the best?
I know you make brownie cookies w/ butterscotch and yours just look picture perfect!
Ohhh my it looks so delicious! I crave chocolate so much during my pregnancy, will definitely make these brownies! By the way, I’m hosting a link up and would love to see your recipe there!
https://dcinstyle.com/
Congrats on your bundle :)
Dedication to these had to have paid off because they look incredible and I can only imagine how great they taste!
Those cookies look great! I can’t believe what you went through to make them. What’s important is that you felt it was worth it. If I love a recipe, I’ll do just about anything to make it.
Well it was really only a 2 hr chill time on the back end (just wasnt expecting that to happen OR be chocolate soup) and the front end the siezed chocolate. But totally worth it. I just remembered…you can’t even eat chocolate. Well, I appreciate you even reading the post!
These cookies look amazing!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.blogpspot.com
I just had to scroll through this post a second time to ooh and ahh over all your photos. I am so with you on the chewy brownie & cookie love!
You’re so sweet that you came back to ooh and ahh :)
They look like brownies, but in the form of cookies :-) I’ll have to try this with our family brownie recipe! Thanks!
I love dark chocolate! These look so soft and definitely scrumptious!