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With shiny, crackled tops and rich, fudgy centers, these salted brownie cookies are the best ever. Made with semisweet chocolate and Dutch process cocoa, they’re the ultimate treat for brownie and chocolate lovers! Best of all, these life-changing chocolate cookies come together in under 40 minutes, no chill time required. Recipe yields 20 cookies.
If you’ve never made brownie cookies, now is the time to try. This reader favorite recipe is one of the most popular homemade cookie recipes on my site and the best way to indulge your chocolate dessert cravings!
When I want all of the richness of a crinkle top brownie in cookie form, I bake these crinkly chocolate brownie cookies. They’re super quick to make and always bake up soft and fudgy. Step-by-step photos included below!
Tips for Perfect Brownie Cookies
Prep ahead – Temperature and timing are key to perfect brownie cookies. For best results, prep all the ingredients before you start so you can work quickly.
Use a scale – This recipe has been developed and tested by weight for accuracy. (This is my favorite kitchen scale).
Don’t chill the dough – No chilling required! Brownie cookies are baked right away, while the dough is still slightly warm (similar to my double chocolate chip cookies and dark chocolate crinkle cookies). As soon as the dough is mixed, use a cookie scoop to portion out the batter and bake immediately.
Overview: How to Make Brownie Cookies
Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
Combine chocolate and cubed butter in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water.
Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until completely smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Combine eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment.
Whisk together on medium speed (speed 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 5 minutes, until pale and doubled in volume.
Add melted chocolate mixture and mix in on low speed for 1 minute until incorporated.
Mix in dry ingredients on low speed for 20 seconds, just until combined.
Fold in semi-sweet chocolate chips with a silicone spatula. The dough will resemble a shiny, gooey brownie batter.
Spray a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoon capacity) with nonstick spray. Invert the scoop just above prepared baking sheets and squeeze the lever to release the dough. Space cookies 2 inches apart, 10 per baking sheet.
Bake until cookies are shiny with crinkle tops, about 12-14 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and sprinkle the top of the cookies with flaky salt (I love Maldon). Cool on baking trays for 10 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
More chocolate recipes you’ll love:
- Ultimate Crinkle Brownies
- Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Cocoa Powder Brownies
- Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake
Best Ever Fudgy Salted Brownie Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
The best salted brownie cookies! With shiny, crackled tops and rich, fudgy centers, these are the ultimate brownie cookies for chocolate lovers. These life-changing cookies come together in under 40 minutes, no chill time required!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp (12 g) Dutch process unsweetened cocoa, sifted
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) salt
- 8 ounces (226 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (recommended: 66-70% chocolate)
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 large eggs (100 g), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (92 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- flaky salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make cookies: Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Place chopped chocolate and butter in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine eggs, sugars, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk together on medium speed for 5 minutes, until pale and doubled in volume. Reduce speed to low and beat in melted chocolate for 1 minute. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed for 20 seconds, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips (dough will resemble a gooey brownie batter).
- Use a medium cookie scoop coated lightly with nonstick spray to form the cookies – invert the scoop just above the baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart (bake 10 cookies per baking sheet).
- Bake cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until tops are shiny and crackly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Brownie cookies are the most fudgy and tender when freshly baked. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. You can also freeze any leftover cookies for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Semisweet chocolate: I use and recommend Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking bars or Guittard semisweet chocolate wafers (66% cacao).
Espresso powder: If you’re a coffee fan, add up to 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder to the flour mixture.
Cookie scoop: Use a medium cookie scoop which holds approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough or batter.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
The best brownie cookies I’ve ever made!
Perfect cookies, thank you for sharing! 🙂
So good! Follow the recipe exactly (the times it tells you to mix things) and they turn out perfect!!
Quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Thanks so much for sharing, Fran!
is it possible to do this recipe without the vanilla extract? I’ve tried the recipe before and It was amazing although I would like to try and see if it’ll still be as good without the vanilla extract
Hi Elizabeth, yes you can skip the vanilla – that change won’t affect the structure of the cookies. Vanilla extract plays more of a supporting role here, and acts as a flavor enhancer. Without vanilla, the cookies will still be very good, but they may taste a bit flatter or more one-dimensional.
Hi! thank you for sharing this recipe! Can I make this without egg yolks?
Egg yolks are essential to this recipe: they give the cookies the rich, brownie-like texture. Omitting them would give you something more like chocolate meringues. I recommend following the recipe as written before making adjustments that would substantially change the texture and appearance of the cookies.
Very decadent and came together very easily. The sea salt is a nice addition.
Thanks for your feedback, Linda!
I just realized these don’t have many reviews and they should. They are a go-to recipe in our house. I came across them on Pinterest and these cookies are amazing. They do not disappoint. Thank you for sharing your recipe
Thank you so much, Megan! 🙂
Absolutely wonderful! Baking for my husband who is diabetic is a challenge. I used almond flour and subbed coconut sugar for the white sugar to cut down on carbs.
Thanks for this recipe!!
Follow the directions- take the time to actually mix everything long enough, cool the chocolate and butter appropriately- and you will be blown away. These are perfect.
Amazing! My partner who usually doesn’t love chcocolate keeps asking to make them again!
Great to hear this, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
these are SO INSANELY GOOD. mine came out massive because i just plopped onto the baking sheet using the spatula i mixed with. my kid kept asking me all week for the “huge chocolate cookie”.
Great to hear this, thank you so much!
Came out great!
Perfect chocolatey goodness! Seems like I was too slow & the dough have cooled down – hence the non shiny top 🙁 will try again next time!