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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
Just tried this recipe and it turns out amazing! I baked these cookies in two batches in the first batch I scooped the dough and in the second batch I made dough balls after chilling it, second batch didn’t have a shiny and smooth surface post baking while first did. Can you tell me what could have gone wrong?
Hi Shreya, so glad you tried this recipe! 🙂 Chilling the dough affects the shine of the cookies, so I recommend scooping the dough and baking all of the cookies right after making the batter. Hope that helps for the future!
I LOVE these cookies! They turned out perfect, except that I forgot to fold in the chocolate chips! However, they were still delicious! I will definitely be making them again soon!
So happy to hear that, thanks Melissa! 🙂
Hi Laura, thank you for this awesome recipe – it has become a family favourite. My husband & kids are crazy about these decandent brownie cookies! I make them twice a month. It’s a favourite with my friends too. Thank you Laura!
So happy to hear that, thank you! 🙂
I made them and came out great. I have a question, can I make the batter before hand and freeze it in individual cookie portions.
Hi Marcela, so glad you tried this recipe! Temperature of the batter is key to shiny cookies, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing the batter as the cookies may not have the same shiny, crackled appearance.
OBSESSED! This recipe is so easy to follow with amazing results – had to ration ourselves or we’d eat nothing else! 😍
Hi Billie, so glad these cookies have been such a hit! 🙂
real tasty!!! you’ll probably feel like it’s too “fudgy” to be cookie dough, but just have trust in the recipe and don’t add extra flour! they’re nice and soft right out of the oven 🙂
Hi Rose, so glad you tried these cookies! 🙂
Just tried this recipe. Amazing look and taste! Thank you for sharing 🤗✨
I’m just now taking these out of the oven. They look amazing and they smell even better. Pretty simple recipe not hard at all. I’m definitely going to make these again. I am going to the salt at the end though. I don’t have any on hand but I wasn’t gonna let that stop me.
So glad you tried this recipe, Beth! 🙂
I am planning on making these for a cookie exchange this weekend but I don’t have a standing mixer. Can I use a hand mixer? Thank you!
Hi Frankie! Yes you can use a hand mixer for this recipe. 🙂
Made these last night and they turned out great. Thank you so much. Great recipe.
Thank you so much, Brenda! 🙂
Honestly this is the best cookie recipe ever! I’ve made them twice and I couldn’t believe how soft and chewy they are! Thank you for sharing it. They’re so good that this is my first time ever reviewing a recipe! Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, so glad to hear that you love this recipe! 🙂
Hi Laura! What a pretty crackling cookies! I really want to make em tomorrow for a gift to my mom. I wonder if I only using brown sugar. Would it be still shiny? Cause I don’t consume white/granulated sugar lately, and when I do, I got toothache 😭
Really appreciate your feedback.
Warm regards from Indonesia 😊
Hi Astrid, I don’t recommend omitting or replacing the white sugar. This recipe is written with specific ingredients that all work together to produce the final result, and any substitutions will likely affect the final cookies. Hope that helps!