Crinkly, fudgy chocolate brownie cookies are the indulgent treat you have been looking for. They are easy to make, take little prep time, and you don't need to chill the dough. I can't wait to teach you how to make brownie cookies from scratch with my easy-to-understand instructions. Plus, I give you a video and photos to help too. You are going to love sinking your teeth into these fudgy chocolate treats. By the way, have you tried my chocolate cookies recipe yet?
This recipe was originally published on September 19th, 2019 but has been reworked and improved based on readers' feedback.
Why you will love this brownie crinkle cookies recipe:
- easy and quick to make
- no dough chilling
- fudgy centers, crisp edges, and crinkly tops
- made from scratch
- store very well - they stay soft for 4 days
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Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Semi-sweet chocolate - I don't recommend melting chocolate chips for the dough because chocolate chips have lower amounts of cocoa, added stabilizers, and emulsifiers, and are designed to stay in shape during baking, and are not meant to melt. The cookies wouldn't spread that much and end up dry and crumbly. I prefer melting chocolate bars from the candy aisle for the dough, but you can use baking chocolate bars as well. Use any chocolate that you would eat as a treat because the taste of the chocolate has a huge impact on the taste of the cookies. You can fold chocolate chips into the cookie dough tough. In my air fryer brownies post, I talk in more detail about the best chocolate for brownie treats.
- Butter and egg - to make vegan brownie cookies substitute the butter and egg following my vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe. The rest of the recipe stays the same. Please be sure to use vegan chocolate as well.
- Baking powder - please don't swap for baking soda. Otherwise, the cookies spread more, have a completely different texture, and turn out more like regular chocolate cookies. To learn more about the effect of baking powder vs. baking soda in cookie dough, read my chocolate chip cookies post where I talk about this topic in depth.
- Oil - it's just 1 tablespoon of oil in the recipe, but I don't recommend swapping it for butter. This tiny amount of oil makes the cookies beyond fudgy, brownie-like, and adds moisture.
- Sugars - I had the best results when using half granulated and half light brown sugar. It's the perfect balance of spreading (white sugar) and adding moisture (brown sugar).
- Cocoa powder - I used Dutch-processed cocoa powder but if you don't have this type of cocoa available you can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. Read more about the difference between these two types of cocoa powder.
- Espresso powder - it's optional. You can leave it out if you don't have it on hand. Its purpose is to deepen the chocolate flavor, but as said, it's optional, and the cookies are either way very chocolaty and delicious.
Step-by-step instructions
In a heatproof medium-sized bowl, microwave chocolate and butter. Stir every 20 seconds to avoid the chocolate from burning. Then add the cocoa and espresso powder, and whisk to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the egg, sugar, and brown sugar until pale and creamy.
Add the vanilla, oil, and chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.
Then mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt just until it comes together and it's a smooth texture.
Add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and mix to combine. Set aside. Lightly coat the inside and outside of a cookie scoop with baking spray or a few drops of oil and scoop dollops of cookie dough...
onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time for 8-9 minutes...
until the top of the cookies has little cracks all over. Then remove from the oven and let cool.
Tips for success
- Don't save on the quality of the chocolate. You get the best tasting cookies when you use chocolate that you would eat as a treat.
- Avoid overmixing the cookie dough. Stick to the recommended mixing times.
- Lightly oil the cookie scoop you use to scoop the cookie dough for easy handling.
- Remove the cookies as soon as the surface has little cracks all over. If you take them out earlier, they will be underdone and too gooey. If you remove them too late, they end up hard and dry.
FAQs
Can I make the dough ahead?
Unfortunately not. This cookie dough is designed for immediate baking. If you chill the mixed dough, it will become hard, and the look and texture of the cookies will be completely different. But if you plan to make the cookies ahead, I have good news for you. Read the next question.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, you can freeze the baked cookies. Place them in an airtight container, and they will last around 3 months in the freezer. They are perfect for making ahead for the holidays or other events. When you are ready to serve them, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for about 1-2 hours. Once defrosted, you can eat them at room temperature or toss them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to get them warm again.
How long do they stay soft?
If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they stay fresh and soft for 4 days.
More cookie recipes
If you love cookies as much as I do, try some of my favorite recipes that are well received by my family, friends, and readers all around the world.
Recipe and Video
Super Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate bars, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- (optional) ¼ tsp espresso powder
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean extract
- 1 tbsp oil
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- (optional) ½ cup semi-sweet chopped chocolate bars or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C (fan 330°F/165°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Also, have a baking spray or oil and an ice cream scoop (or tablespoon) ready for later. Set aside.
- In a heatproof medium-sized bowl, add chocolate and butter and melt in the microwave. Stir every 20 seconds to avoid the chocolate from burning. Then add the cocoa and espresso powder, if used, and whisk to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, mix the egg, sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla, oil, and chocolate mixture and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Then mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt on medium-low speed just until it comes together and it's a smooth texture, about 30-60 seconds. Add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Lightly coat the inside and outside of a cookie scoop with baking spray or a few drops of oil and scoop dollops of cookie dough (about 2 tablespoons) 4-inch (10cm) apart onto the prepared baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time for 8-9 minutes until the top of the cookies has little cracks all over.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes or until they are firm enough to move them. Then transfer them to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video
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Jill
These cookies are delicious!!! I followed the recipe exactly and ended up having to use a small cookie scoop as I was unable to locate my ice cream scoop (oops!) and ended up getting only 12 cookies. I can’t imagine how I would get the same amount if I used a larger scoop. Can you clarify if you doubled the recipe to get 12 cookies with an ice cream scoop? Thanks! I’m going to double these next time when I use an ice cream scoop.
Sabine
Ice cream scoops come in a variety of sizes, and I used my little one, which holds around 2-3 tbsp. No matter what you use, spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie and you will get about 12 cookies. If you prefer large cookies, you can double the recipe, spoon about 4 tablespoons of batter per cookie, and bake them a few minutes longer. I hope it helps.
Brittany Lehman
Can I make these cookies using only olive oil? I'm allergic to all milks from animals and nuts, so...if you can give me the ratio for using only olive oil to make these, I'd appreciate it.Thanks.
Sabine
It's better to use vegan butter instead of dairy butter. Using only oil wouldn't work as the cookie dough would be extremely thin and runny. Hope that helps.
özgür akşakar
Hello, awesome cookies and recipe but I have a question is the oven setting fan? or bottom and top heating- Thanks, and sorry for english 🙂
Sabine
Hi, it's the bottom and top heating, not a fan setting. Hope that helps!
Laura
Amazing! This recipe is perfect and will now be my go to!! The only changes I made was add some walnuts and a mix of chopped chocolate and dark chocolate chips. I saved the recipe for a long time before I tried it because I thought it would be too rich. But one night I had a massive chocolate craving but didn't want a brownie or wait for my other chocolate cookies to chill so I tried this one. It def wasn't too rich, just the perfect flavor of chocolate, the soft texture of a cloud, and the walnuts gave them that touch of texture with the extra salt to cut the richness. I only baked them for 8 mins on a dark pan and they were perfect! Moist and thick and just glorious!!! If you are craving chocolate, you hate chilling dough, and want a simple recipe that taste like it took hours to make, this is your recipe! You will not be disappointed!
Sempere
Best cookies ever !
Kathy Clinkenbeard
I topped them off with Powdered sugar. Delicious!!!!
Mariah Lewis
They are amazing, I doubled the recipe. I baked the other half for my brothers lunch, he loves them.
Sabine
Thank you so much for your feedback, Mariah! I'm super happy that you and your brother liked it!
Sabrina
Perfect!
Heather@Sugar Dish Me
These are amazing!