I have, for forever and a day, looked for a chocolate cookie I could crown with what I considered the highest honor one could bestow on it, declaring it the browniest cookie. I just didn’t expect it to take me so long to find what I was looking for. Along the way, I met cookies that suggest brownies; ones that are weakly chocolaty, better emulating mediocre brownies; those that promise soft but deliver chewy; and even versions that are a great chocolate cookie, but have little to do with the glorious puddles of square-baked halfway-between-cookie-and-cake batter I love to the point of distraction.
To me, the browniest cookie would be everything that we expect from a great brownie — a slight crackly exterior, a plush, fudgy interior — but formatted as a cookie with a piled height that doesn’t spread too flat in the oven. To bite into it, there would be no question as to what it aspired to be. The most ridiculous part of this story is that after trying dozens of iterations of so-called brownie cookies over the years, I found the perfect one in my favorite brownie recipe, i.e. it was here, all along.
Like the brownie recipe, it begins with unsweetened chocolate and butter melted together. You whisk in sugar, here, more brown than white for a softer final texture, then two eggs, vanilla and salt. Because it’s a cookie, we then add some baking soda (great brownies don’t need this). Then, because a cookie needs more structure than a pan-shaped brownie, we use over double the amount of flour, but we swap one-third of it with dark cocoa powder. And then, just to gild the lily, we also add some bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks.
Just like my favorite brownie recipe, you can make the whole thing in one bowl and stir it by hand. You can also go from melted butter to cookie in your mouth in under an hour (this needs a little pause in the fridge for best scooping texture), which means the only thing keeping you from a big plate of these in your life is your distance from the kitchen right now. How fast can we address that?
One year ago: Endives with Oranges and Almonds
Two years ago: Eggnog Florentines and Linzer Torte
Three years ago: Cashew Butter Balls
Four years ago: Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce
Five years ago: Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Six years ago: Creamed Mushrooms on Chive-Butter Toast
Seven years ago: Feta Salsa, Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Zuni Cafe’s Roast Chicken and Bread Salad
Eight years ago: Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies
Nine years ago: German Pancakes or Dutch Babies and Winter Panzanella
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie
1.5 Years Ago: Valerie’s French Chocolate Cake
2.5 Years Ago: Bowties with Sugar Snaps, Lemon and Ricotta
3.5 Years Ago: Chocolate Swirl Buns
4.5 Years Ago: Dobos Torte
The Browniest Cookies
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter
4 ounces (115 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup (190 grams) dark or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, any kind will work
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (115 grams) chocolate chips or bitter- or semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together — you can do this on the stove over very low heat, stirring constantly, in a double-boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each — and taking the chocolate out when it’s almost, but not fully, melted. Off the heat, stir until it is.
Whisk sugars into melted butter and chocolate, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Whisk in baking soda and salt. If your cocoa powder is lumpy, sift it right onto the surface of the batter, other wise, just add it to the bowl. Add flour, too, and then stir until just combined. Add chips or chocolate chunks and stir until combined.
Place bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and up to a few days. Shorter than 30 minutes, you can bake it right away but they keep better shape once chilled and are easier to scoop. Longer than 30 minutes, they become difficult to scoop, but you can let them warm up slightly before you do.
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Scoop into about 1 1/2- to 2-tablespoon sized mounds and space evenly on parchment- or nonstick baking mat-lined baking sheets, allowing room for them to spread a little. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, at which point they will still definitely look underbaked, but you should take them out if a fudgy-centered cookie is your goal. (Of course it is!) Let set on baking sheets for a few minutes before carefully transferring to a rack to cool the rest of the way before eating. Ha ha, just kidding. You can eat one right away, but you’ll probably want a glass of milk nearby.
Do ahead: The cookie dough keeps in the fridge for up to a week and longer in the freezer. If you’d like to turn these into a slice-and-bake cookie, after 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge, scrape dough onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and form into a 1 1/2- to 2-inch thick log. Wrap in plastic and freeze until needed. Be sure to cut them on the thick side before baking, so your cookie isn’t too flat.
I always want my cookies to be brownie-like! I can’t wait to try these!!
Great recipe I use it all the time. I do leave out the granulated sugar but add white chocolate chunks and nuts.
Ugh. Uuuuuugh. I already have 10 cookies on my list to make for Christmas. Now this?
11 cookies it is.
Argh. I made these but they were so dry in the middle. Not sure what I did wrong. Every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been flawless. Somehow I messed this one up. 😭
I just made these for the first time. The flavor is potently chocolatey, but they seem dry – almost bread-like in texture rather than cookie-like – and they hardly spread at all. They are soft and don’t seem overbaked, so I don’t know what the issue is. I measured all the dry ingredients by weight rather than volume.
Perfection. I baked them for 12min+ to dry them out because I love dry brownies. So light and fluffy. If reg cookies are pudding, these are choc moose!
LOOK AT THAT BABY.
Sorry. I’ll read the recipe now.
I made these once. And then again and again and they are my family’s favorite. I was told that they are the best cookies I’ve ever made. I did use semisweet instead of unsweetened baking chocolate (because that’s what I had on hand), and I left out the 2 Tbsp of sugar to compensate for the extra sweet in the chocolate. These are replacing several of my favorite chocolate cookie recipes.
Thank you for posting this! I was thinking of doing the same with bittersweet chocolate, leaving out the regular sugar and then read your comment ☺️
I did the same thing! And they were excellent!
The Browniest Cookies will definitely be kicking off our Christmas Vacation baking tomorrow afternoon! Can’t wait.
The cookie index is the best way to dream about cookies ever…if I did things like read blogs at work. :-)
Adding to the repertoire for xmas. Thank youuu!
These look absolutely incredible!
I’m still finalizing my list for this weekend’s bake-a-thon…these will definitely be considered!
How many does this make? Approximately
Oh man, these look amazing. I’ve been on a tear with chocolate cookies recently thanks to my ATK 15th anniversary cookbook, but have been hunting for a recipe that would help me replicate an amazing double chocolate cherry cookie I had at the adorable Hello Cafe at Cedar Circle Farm in VT this fall. I think this might be it!
Not sure if you’ve been down this road yet, but we’ve had great success with breathable bumpers to keep feet inside crib railings. Do you guys do Halo Sleep Sacks? It’s like a wearable, sleeveless blanket. Same theory as the muslin wrap she’s in, but warmer, for when it actually feels like winter. (I love this weather, but hate what it means.)
I am wilting with desire right now just looking at these little puppies. The 40 minute nap time one bowl brownie is my baked good soul mate and I want these so badly I’m almost in tears! Please Santa, deliver these delicious baked goods to me TONIGHT! I’ve been good. I swear!
How many cookies does the recipe yield?
Just in time for the last batch of cookies I need to send! Do you have a ballpark idea of how many cookies this recipe yields?
That hair, the itty bitty chin! Swoon! Ikea do good baby sleeping bags which stop little legs escaping. Oh, and the cookies look de-lish!
Yield — Shoot! So sorry, I counted and then forgot to write it down. (Sleepy distracted mom here, ugh.) I can say with absolute certainty it was 24 to 36, however, leaning towards the higher end. Will be making these again very soon, possibly today, will count properly.
Molly — Maybe we should! I mean, this is just a mini-crib because it fits in our room better. We still have her brother’s full-size, but it’s just bonkers that a 5 month-old would need. It’s hotter than Hades in our apartment most of the time due to the archaic convention of steam heat; she hates the swaddle, we wrap it around her waist loosely more for symbolic reasons right now; will ditch it very soon, I think, especially because she likes to inchworm herself around the clock all night.
Thanks so much Deb!
I came across some espresso chips and grabbed a few bags just because – I think this would be the perfect place for them. These look incredible!
1 cup of *packed* brown sugar, right?
Can these be made without the chocolate chips? Most people in my family think chips in brownies is sacrilegious…
I was wanting to add something chocolate to my Christmas baking list – I think we have the winner here!!
Do the edges of the cookie have the same texture as the edge of a brownie? Because edges are my very favorite part of a brownie and I would not be upset about a 36 all edge brownies.
So, let’s say I wanted to make peanut butter brownie cookies….could I beat a 1/4 cup of peanut butter with the butter and skip melting the chocolate to make that happen? Or would they be too sandy?
This is purely hypothetical, as a peanut butter brownie cookie seems like something the man-friend and I could eat a whole batch of. Cookies are meant to be shared, right?
Do you have an estimate of how long these will keep once baked? I know cookies rarely last long enough to go bad, but I was thinking of sending some in the mail.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
That little cookie looks delectable! The recipe looks great too! How do you get anything done, Deb? God bless you and yours… and Merry Christmas!
I hereby crown “The Cookie Index (TM)” to be an official* economic measurement I will heretofore use on a daily basis.
It’s better than reading the FOMC meeting minutes today and getting ready to change every Prime-related lending product at work on Friday.
*OK, semi-official. In my kitchen. There.
“Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you’re the Charlie Browniest.” – Linus Van Pelt in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. The title of this post made me chuckle, and I’m totally making these cookies for my Peanuts-loving 10yo!!
I will 100% be making these, and I will 100% be sprinkling them with the Maldon salt I finally bought.
I actually love chewy brownies and cookies! Haha! So maybe these wouldn’t quite be or me? But they look amaaziing!
These look absolutely delicious!!
For the cookies to look like the ones on the picture, how big should we scoop the dough? a tablespoon? 1/4 cup? These look really delicious.
Oh these look so sinful and delightful. I love a cakey-type cookie as opposed to one that’s more crunchy. Great work!
Hi Deb! If you can’t get your hands on unsweetened chocolate, could you advise how to adjust the sugar ratio accordingly? Thanks :)
That BABY!!!!!!!! A small and beautiful “pistol”.Cherish her individuality and try to keep her warm somehow.She has a LOT more curveballs to throw you, that’s for sure. Maybe a browniest cookie in her sleeper feets to keep the toesies warm??
Now you’re talking just to me!
So thoughtful of you, Deb! Yum!
Oh, what a lesson I have learned today!
I skimmed the first bit of prose, which I
Usually never do, because I love your writing
(It was the chocolate calling) & so, I totally missed the Link to your little Cookie!
Oh, wow! She is beautiful!! How ever did
she get so big?!?
Those look so so yummy!!!
Deb, I just made a half batch of your brownie roll out cookies and stashed them in the freezer. Some days we do a mini dessert session after the little monsters are in bed and it is a blessing to have frozen cookie dough. One thing I missed in them yesterday night was the gooiness of the chocolate chip cookies which we polished off last week. And then this happens! I still have walnut biscotti, cranberry buns and the rugellah before this- so maybe next week-hehe.
Happy Holidays Deb! Your efforts on this blog have filled many happy bellies(including my little ones who love your fritters and pancakes and pastas) warmed many happy hearts as gifts, have killed many lonely hours for me and have filled my house with joy. Wish you and your family so much joy and peace.
so… my guy and I made these IMMEDIATELY. Soooo amazing! Taste better than they look (and they look like heaven!) They will be made again. Maybe tonight.
On the sleep sack thing — there are very light weight ones — my twins used them after the swaddle all the way until 1.5yrs old. The come in gigantic size as well as medium and small and in these very light-weight versions — a super helpful investment for us…aden & anais muslim
So I made a batch of these tonight [my apartment smelled amazing :)] which yielded 21 cookies using a #40 scoop. The cookies in your pictures look a lot more sturdy than mine turned out. My oven tends to take a bit longer so I baked them for 15 minutes. They’re quite fragile right out of the oven so it’s handy to have a napkin or a plate in your other hand. I’m not sure why this is? I used gram measurements so perhaps I added less flour than I would have if I just used cups? Once you actually get a bite into your mouth though.. they melt. I don’t even like drinking milk by itself and I NEEDED to have some with my cookie. I usually make your classic brownie recipe and eat them straight out of the fridge. I suspect that these will turn into fudgy chewy deliciousness once they’re cold. Thanks for another wonderful recipe Deb!!
Hilarious! I just finished making the Cook’s Illustrated Death by Chocolate cookies. I wad been trying to decide between those or Yvonne Ruperti’s Fudgey Brownie cookies. Your recipe is a perfect mix. If only I checked your website a wee bit later! These look amazing. I love the bittersweet chocolate enhancement.
Once again, you know what we want/need before we can articulate it ourselves! Looks delicious!
I LOVE this, however I am not a big chocolate fan (huge character flaw, I know). Any suggestions on non-chocolate variations? Thanks!
ps J’adore votre blog!!!
I love you for this, thank you. And I can’t even handle Anna. She is ridiculously, absurdly adorable.
Deb! Not that you need another cookie after mastering these, but I tried Heidi Swanson’s chocolate peppermint bark cookies this week and they are so lovely. http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000133.html Especially when ever so slightly under baked. Thought you’d like to know.
Deb, that’s not fair. You start with such an attention grabbing title for an unabashed chocoholic like me and I get all set to revel in all sorts of sordid dreams of chocolate debauchery . . . and then, right there, . . . RIGHT THERE in the very first paragraph . . . . WHAM . . . you put that show-stopper of an adorable daughter of yours in there and I forgot all about . . . about . . . uhhhhh . . . umm . . .well, whatever the post was about.
;)
Wanted to try these immediately and my husband texted that he has a potluck tomorrow. Jackpot! These are amazing. I used a 1.5 TBSP scoop and ended up with 24 cookies. 11 minutes was perfect for brownie goodness in cookie form. Hopefully his coworkers like them as much as I do. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Deb (can I call you that?)
After seeing this post pop up on my feed, my eyes almost popped out of my sockets.
I just…. I just love you so much. Thank you for being an inspiration to thousands of people, a struggling student (right here) included. I love making your recipes because they are all so worth the (limited) time we all have.
They look amazing, and I can imagine how soft their texture still is after baking (I love soft cookies). Thanks for sharing!
Totally gonna roll these in sugars a la crinkle cookies. If it works, excellent, if not, no harm done!
These! With a glass of milk! I can’t even… We’re forever ruined.
I was going back and forth between your linzer cookies and your linzer torte for a while now; I might make a 180 turn and make these instead. If only the husband was as mad about chocolate as me, so I wouldn’t end up eating them all by myself. Thanks Deb. Especially for the baby pictures! She is adorable and I’ve noticed her looks are so grown up! Not in a bad way at all.
I made your favorite brownie recipe that inspired These cookies and froze tjem like you suggested… And let me just tell you… My mind was blown and my life was changed. Why had I never thought to freeze brownies before?… Your genius never ceases to amaze me. (The best part is, my boys never think to look for them in there… Hehehe!)
These brownies cookies are going on my To-Do list for tomorrow. I have some extra special plans for these babies… I can’t wait to share the results with you.
Thanks for these.
I appreciate the break from all of the Christmas recipes out there this time of year.
Do these actually stick around long enough to cool. They won’t in my house.
I’m thinking of swapping peppermint extract for the vanilla.
Thanks again, and happy holidays.
-GK
These look AMAZING, I really want to try this recipe! Beautiful photography too :)
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I think it’s a sign. Here in the UK Nigella Lawson JUST did a pretty similar Chocolate Cookie recipe in her Christmas special TV show Simply Nigella Christmas. SO GOOD.
I’ve already made 5 batches of cookies this month — and now, it’s back to the kitchen for these fudgy beauties. My rear thanks you.
Deb, I think I say this every time: Your writing is just the best. I’ve never heard anyone describe the interior of a brownie as plush, and now I’ll never be able to think of them any other way. Mmmmmm… plush. Can’t wait to give these a try. I am indeed at work, looking for cookie recipes. Thanks for that link, now nothing will get done all morning. (Yay!) PS – Your daughter’s adorable :)
Love the idea of scooping out cookies like that! My children always nag me for chocolate cookies that’s why I am always on the look for new recipes. These simply look divine!
My daughter used to do the same thing! Little legs just dangling in mid-air. It drove me crazy, but didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. :) These cookies look AMAZING, can’t wait to try them!
I’ve started using bread flour for my chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies. It makes them chewier without needing a long refrigeration time and pretty much guarantees they won’t turn out cake-like in the least. I imagine it would take these cookies even further up a notch.
The cookie index needs to be made into a poster “suitable for framing!” Yummy cookies, gorgeous photos….better yet,
wallpaper and I do not mean for a cell phone :-)
These look so delish – my husband would flip over these! He would probably just want to eat all the batter!
Bread flour for cookies, Anna… Might be onto something! I must try that.
My daughter has (had – she’s long outgrown them, sob!) those same jammies and has that same blanket! Too adorable for words.
is there any way you could enable your recipes to be printed?
Sounds like the ideal texture and intensity for an ice cream sandwich cookie :)
If you don’t have unsweetened chocolate hanging around that needs to be used, you should be able to substitute 4 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cup cocoa. I have done this successfully with many a brownie recipe. Might just have to try it to be sure. Happy holidays to you, Deb and thanks for the inspiration!
I think this recipe will replace, I mean take more of a front of the oven position to your double chocolate banana bread which I have made about every 10 days or so for the past year. Needless to say, it has become an addiction. Please, please more quick bread recipes from SK that match the brilliance of the DCBB
Anyway, this divine cookie recipe will surely supercede the brownie recipe from Ina G, or the bomb of a brownie recipe from the old Forum Feasts cookbook which I baked for years.
I’m feeling a few drops of peppermint extract added here…
These look awesome. Do you think they would lose their moist browniness if I used semisweet chocolate instead of unsweetened and reduced the sugar accordingly? Unsweetened chocolate isn’t available here in Israel.
I was just about to make chocolate crinkle cookies last night when this recipe popped up in my RSS feed. I made these instead, and they are insanely good. I anticipate there will be no more left after my work party tonight, so thanks, Deb! :)
Your baby girl’s red eyebrows!!!!
I made these and they came out a bit dry even just baking for under 11 minutes. Any idea why? Still good though!
This is a genius idea! I can’t wait to try it.
Anna is so adorable it’s killing me. She looks so much like Jacob, but with more delicate features. And those ginger curls? Spectacular!
I came here to search for your Chocolate Peanut and Pretzel Brittle, and I see this!! Gads (I mean, YAY)!! Thanks, Deb :)
Genius. I think we all need more brownies in our lives, and brownies disguised as cookies are just what I want right now.
This is essentially the chocolate slice-and-bake cookie I’ve been making for some time, always a big hit. This weekend I’m going to experiment with a mint white chocolate ganache filling and make sandwich cookies.
Anna is an exceptionally beautiful baby.
Those brownie cookies??!! (Brookie’s? :) ). DOH! Thank you, printed and baking soon! That wee wittle miss with the most gorgeous red CURLS! and adorable face??!! Enchanting! Happy holidays to your family!
Ooooo! I wonder how these would be with that black cocoa you mentioned last week… (says the girl who loves the Oreo cookie part but not the cream filling)!!!!
These cookies keep — In an airtight container for a week at room temperature. I like them best in the first day or two.
Printing recipes — There’s a print template for every recipe. At the bottom of the recipe, just click on the word “Print” and it will take you to a recipe-only print template.
Deanna — These definitely have a brownie edge texture at the bottom and sides.
TJ — To add peanut butter, I think you’ll just have to experiment. I know it can make things sandy, not sure if the flavor would hugely come through. You might also use peanut butter chips instead of just chocolate chips.
Paula — Absolutely! And it’s crazy because I agree 100%. A good brownie doesn’t need chocolate chips to carry it. But, I added them anyway here. A cookie, by definition, will need a little more flour than a brownie so it helps the chocolate taste less distributed. Though, as you can see by the color, these are anything but weak with chocolate. :)
Annie — Yes, packed.
Sue — They wouldn’t lose their moisture but they would lose some of their intensity/become sweeter. See if you can find an extra-bitter chocolate bar (sometimes 99% or 80% are available in places where unsweetened is not). I’d use that instead.
Beth — They look delicious, but there’s no way peppermint bark could survive long enough in my apartment to make it into cookies.
Anne — I used the 1.5-2T mounds I suggest in the recipe, a #40 scoop. I have this one.
Chloe — Check out the cookie index. There are about 75 cookie recipes on this site, and only some have chocolate.
Anna Banana — :) Thank you. We’re smitten, of course. Her curls are misleading; the poor love is going bald in the back and sides. (Her brother did too, kept the hair on top, but his was thicker and darker so it was less noticeable.) The hair growing in is light brown in some places and red in others. Basically, all we talk about these days are: her hair and her brother’s missing front teeth. And sometimes cookies.
I’m a bit late to the party, but I think these look just about perfect for this weekend’s festivities.
But, Deb, have you started snitching these from the freezer and eating them cold and chewy? That seems like it’s the real test.
just made them. they are amazing! i got far fewer than you with the same scoop, but i probably overflowed the scoop much more than you did. yum!
I just finished my annual massive cookie baking yesterday, so I’m cookie-d out for the moment, but I’ll definitely be making these in January.
On a general holiday cookie note, I love the rye pretzel cookies, but ran out of patience for making them pretzel-shaped this year. Turns out they’re just as good if you slice the log into circles, roll the edges in egg white and pearl sugar, and bake them that way :-)
Speaking of to distraction … I can hardly formulate my question-so in love am I–bit here goes: why does one not keep come ingredients in the containers they come in. I understand the flour for instance, but like cocoa? B. soda? You understand–
That fudgy texture looks beyond perfect, you’ve outdone yourself with these beauties!
I made these this afternoon. I got 15 cookies out of a half batch. I realized after I decided I needed them that I only had 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate. I subbed semi-sweet chocolate chips for the other oz, which added 16g of sugar, so I cut out the white sugar entirely and they turned out just fine.
I will say, I wish I’d taken them out at 10 minutes instead of 11, they were a little less gooey than I’d hoped.
Thanks for the cookie index! Just curious why the apple pie cookies didn’t make it on there. Are they not up to par or was it just an oversight? I want to make them this week :)
Sue Goldian,commenter #69, you should be able to find unsweetened chocolate at Jafar’s Grocery store in Beit Hanina in Jerusalem. It’s located on the main road.
Hi, Deb. Are you aware that the copyright end date (year) at the end of the print function under the recipes (so glad you mentioned that–I’d never noticed it) is 2013?
“all content and photos © 2006 – 2013 Smitten Kitchen LLC”
If you wait a couple of weeks you can just skip to 2016.
Tried this today and came out so so good. thanks for the perfect recipe. Am just loving the taste
Healthy brownie recipe
Thanks for the tip about printing. Sheesh, I never noticed that!
Delicious ! Thanks for another great recipe
I have to start by saying that I am definitely not a baker and am very open to the fact that I may have done something wrong in this recipe. That said, i checked and rechecked my ingredients were right and I followed all the steps so I’m not sure where I went wrong but these did not turn out at all for me. They were very chalky and had minimal sweetness to them…nothing at all like a brownie. Any suggestions on where I may have gone wrong?
Hi! I wanted to make a chocolate cookie with mint undertones. Do you think it would work to substitute a tsp. of mint extract for the vanilla or do you think that would be bad???
I just made these cookies after seeing them last night. Could not stop thinking about them all day at work, and as soon as I got home I had to make them! Extremely easy to make (I too have a teeny NYC kitchen) and makes my apt smell incredible. They are amazingly good! I actually used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips in the recipe and Valrhona powder and they are just PERFECT- not too sweet and not too bitter. They’re also super soft and chewy. Thanks for this recipe, it’s my new go to for my choco cravings!
Not only have I followed your blog (started when I didn’t know what a blog was!) and loved and trusted your recipes for years, but you are one funny lady! Love your sense of humor.
I decided not not make cookies this year…just brownies, but these look like something I have to try!
I made these last night – absolutely divine – will make these again and again!
Any tips on how to make these cookies festive for the holidays? Mint chips instead of chocolate chips, or maybe crushed candy canes sprinkled on top?
It would probably be against the culinary professional’s version of the Hippocratic Oath to advise people to do something like this, but I’m just a chocolate-loving hack (with a reliable local source of trustworthy eggs), so I’m not afraid to say it: It’s almost a shame to cook these for more than a few minutes because the batter is crazy delicious anyway, and after baking for a few minutes (like 6 or 7), the outsides set and the middle turns to melted goo. Like a chocolate lava cake in cookie form. Dang.
I made these with not only chocolate bits, but with finely crushed candy canes…just to make it more of a Holiday cookie….quite wonderful. Also love the idea of one of the posters to add a little Maldon salt for every other time of the year…..by the way…I so love seeing your new baby, but so miss seeing Jacob on each post!!!
Hi old friend! I made these last night – a double batch – and every single one spread out flat on the trays. Big circles of deliciousness. I was hoping they would turn out like yours, not sure what I did wrong but they are huge and yummy and I’m not complaining, until I can’t get my jeans on! Merry, Happy Everything. xo, Nan
Just made these and they are so delicious. But mine spread and didn’t stay pretty like yours. Not sure why. Followed the recipe to a T. They will be devoured though.
Mine too turned out completely flat (despite being perfectly round balls before going into the oven), then stuck to the cooling rack. I was going to bring these to a cookie swap, but they are too ugly to bring :( They taste very decadent and chocolate-y though.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try this.
Suggestions for high altitude?
– faints – These are the cookies I have been waiting my whole life for.
… these are phenomenal with a good stout.
the dough for brownie rollout cookies was in the fridge before seeing this just now! will have to make next time
The cookie index is amazing, but what happened to the chocolate macaroons?
These looking delicious. I’m thinking about adding mint chocolate chips (Guittard brand), when I make them.
Hi, I am new to your website and these cookies look amazing! I read the recipe a few times and the comments and can not find any info about HOW THICK the cookies should be sliced if I want to make a slice and bake cookie. You say to make sure to cut them on the thick side. It would be so helpful to give a measurement, such as “cut into 1/2″ slices”. I want to get these right the first time out! Thank you for your help!
just made these with flaxseed meal + water as an egg substitute (allergies). also shaped by hand bc i don’t have a scoop. turned out great! i prob needed a little more flaxseed to make my substitute a gummier bc the cookie i tasted was on the verge of falling apart. but it was also fresh out of the oven; i couldn’t wait for it to cool down! super intense chocolate flavor on the bitter side – maybe i put in too much cocoa powder? going to add a dusting of powdered sugar to appease the sweet tooths tomorrow.
Brownie like is the perfect way to describe what I look for in cookies! These cookies sound divine… I’d love to try a vegan version, I can’t wait to whip up a batch!
Wow! These cookies look awesome! I can’t wait to try them. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes. I have never cooked that much from recipes until I reached your site some years ago. Awesome stuff.
What luck! I logged on looking for a brownie cookie recipe for my daughter’s cookie swap and the first thing i saw was you post! Guess what she’s bringing to the cookie swap?
Deb, I love this site and I want you to make ALL THE MONEY! from it, but these pop-up ads are sooooo annoying! And the banner ads at the bottom of the page. I can click that little x to make them go away all I want, and they just come right back. I accidentally click on those little buggers all the time.
I’ve just tried these as a weekend cookie. I kept the sugar less. They are scrumptious. Thank you for the recipe :)
Made these last night and they turned out awesome! After the comments about them coming out flat I was worried, but mine were thick and puffy just like in the picture. I don’t have a scoop so I made them like drop cookies (pick up batter with one spoon, scrape it off onto the cookie sheet with a second spoon) and it worked just fine. Rolling into balls by hand works as well, but they don’t have the awesome craggy edges that way. Also rolled half of them in crushed candy canes before baking to makes them festive! Oh, and 11-12 min was too long for my oven – I took them out after 8 min and they were completely done, no raw dough in the middle. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
ok, so i made these..and barely got to eat any of them..but when i did…um…i think i love hate you..my hips hate it..but i love it..so ya i love you and your chocolate-y goodness…and omg why?? and so bad but so so good. ya thats it im converted to a chocolate lover…geez…
My husband just told me that these are the best cookies I’ve ever made. Most of my cookie recipes come from your site, so what he really meant was these are the best cookies you’ve come up with. Thank you! I sent him to work with them – he’s on the night shift in the ER. Hopefully it’ll make everyone’s evening a bit better!
I just made these and they are perfect. I added my favorite Christmas ingredient, chocolate cherries! I used the dried chocolate covered cherries you can buy at Peet’s Coffee ( and TJ’s) not the runny ones you get in a box of chocolates. Yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m only posting a comment because I peeked at the picture of your baby girl that you included in the recipe, and oh my goodness, she is just so unbelievably sweet! That hair! And that little face!! She is an absolute darling. Lucky you!!
Made these today. They came out perfectly at 11 minutes. The texture was terrific and unlike other commenters, mine did not flatten out – they held a nicely rounded mound shape. My only complaint is that I might prefer them a bit sweeter! They were very good, but I was surprised by the lack of sweetness when I bit into my first one…I may try to experiment with the sugar next time (though I know it’ll affect the overall ratio/chemistry of the recipe).
Made them today. Heaven.
Half batch = 15 cookies. I used milk Chocolate Chips als I guessed they would be too bitter otherwise. Worked fine. Didn’t spread. Had to chill it overnight.
Thank you, Deb.
Just finished making these for a third and final cookie swap item. Using a 2 TB scoop, a double batch yielded 46 cookies. I substituted peppermint baking pieces (not candy cane) for the chocolate chips. I would note that this produces a thick and generously sized cookie — for small kids, I would make them smaller and adjust the baking time accordingly. They are deliciously chewy and gooey; recipe is a keeper!
Deb, I just finished making what turned out to be 20 cookies from this recipe. My wife came in and asked if she could have one. I said I think this is a cookie where you can say “Bet you CAN eat just one.” She came back for a second a short time later and judging from the sounds she was making I think I can call these “orgasmic”! Thanks for this recipe. Yum!
Holy Smokes!!!! This post was timed perfectly. I was asked to bring something sweet to a party last night and I just happened to have all of these ingredients on hand. I did make a couple of changes. I added about 2 tablespoons of cold brewed coffee to the batter. Also, when I scooped the batter, I rolled the balls in pearl sugar. Pearl sugar doesn’t melt and it looked beautiful on these cookies and added a really great crunch to the outside. Needless to say, they were a huge hit!
I made these Friday night and added crushed candy canes (about 3–4 or 5 would have been better, though, I think). They turned out great and were everything I was looking for in a Christmas cookie!
Of course you did!
Just as I was about to go make the Mexican Wedding cookies, you went ahead and did THIS to us!
Just sampled the batch I mixed up a couple of days ago. I tweaked it a little (thanks, David Lebovitz) and subbed out two tablespoons of the cocoa for black cocoa and instead of chocolate chips, I added caramel bits. Wow. I don’t think these will last long in my house this week. Thanks for a great recipe!
These turned out great. I followed the recipe exactly except added a bit of orange zest. I let the dough sit in the fridge for 30 mins, I scooped it with my cookie scoop onto parchment paper and put the dough balls back into the fridge for another 4 hours. They baked up beautifully and didn’t spread much.
These are awesome! Used milk chocolate chips but otherwise followed the recipe. So delicious and easy to make.
Easy to overbake these so watch out.
I made these with my daughter this weekend, chilling the dough overnight. We baked them for 8-9 minutes. They were very, very soft, but set up nicely as they cooled. They are spectacular! Just the thing for our chocolate dessert after Christmas dinner. I’m going to suggest we eat them with a bit of sweetened whipped cream, a la mousse. Yum!
These cookies are like little, soft pillows of brownie joy! So delicious!
These turned out great! Not too sweet but goes perfectly with a big glass of milk. Mine only needed to be baked for 8 min though like others have noted. 11 min produced a dry cookie.
Deb-
My favorite brownie-like cookies are from Julia Child’s cookbook Baking with Julia. They use both bittersweet and (I think) unsweetened chocolate. They are so rich I can only eat one! My dad and I just made them last night for Christmas and I wanted to share them to see if you’ve made them but I can’t find the recipe online.
mmmmm. this is just the thing I’ve been searching for! may add some seasalt to the top. thanks so much for another fabulous recipe!
I made these gluten free using To Your Health sprouted sorghum flour that I milled myself (a few weeks ago and kept in the fridge; brought to room temp before using). For the unsweetened chocolate, I used raw, organic cacao paste that I buzzed in my food processor to almost powder. I used raw, organic cacao powder for the cocoa. I used 80%/55% chocolate bars for the chips. I was able to omit the 2 tbls granulated sugar.
These came out delicious. Super chocolately. They were pretty sturdy without being tough. I don’t usually use a scoop for cookies, but I did for these. Mine came out like Deb’s. Very pretty. My mother had one and said, “Wow!”
A real winner.
Well, the cookies have been out of the oven for 2 hours and I have already eaten 3! They taste like little pillows of deep chocolate goodness! This is the first recipe I have made from your website and it certainly won’t be the last! Just a fyi, right before I added the flour to the batter I taste tested and it was a little too bitter so I ended up adding 2 MORE Tablespoons of white sugar to balance out the flavor. Sometimes the brand of unsweetened chocolate and/or the cocoa powder can be overly bitter and needs to be balanced out by the addition of a little more sugar… I ended up getting 35 cookies from the recipe. I refrigerated the dough for about 1 1/2 hours and spooned out approximately 1T. sized balls, getting about 12 balls per cookie sheet. I put the dough back in the refrigerator between batches to keep the dough cold. I baked the cookies 8 minutes and turned the pan around in the oven and baked 2 more minutes and they were baked/done as per your instructions as what to expect when they would be ready to remove from the oven. I think by chilling the dough for 1 1/2 hours it allowed the cookies to only spread out a little and look like your pictures. I hope this helps other bakers out there. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS!
Thanks so much. This was a big hit with my family. And SOOOO easy after a busy day. They think I’m a genius. I may have to hold back in the future so I don’t set the bar too high.
Using a true 2 Tbl scoop I got only 18 but they were absolutely perfect!
I usually try to measure by weights when following a recipe, but the cocoa that I use, Rodelle, does not match the volumes you provide when measuring by weight, so I usually go by volume for cocoa powder, and your cocoa brownies have always turned out well even so. Will it affect the consistency or chocolatiness if I go by weight, because it’s less volume?
Deb, this recipe is spot on (right down to the cooking time)! Thank you for another great recipe and here’s hoping my husband hasn’t eaten them all while I put the baby to bed, ha!
Boy are these good. Maybe my favorite chocolate thing I’ve ever baked. The house chocoholic agrees. These might bump the Gourmet Magazine chocolate crinkle cookies out of my holiday rotation. The crinkle cookies are kind of fussy and just not as good as these. In the spirit of saving me from myself, I only baked 8 of them tonight, the rest will be baked for our family Christmas party the day of.
Thanks, Deb. I do love SK. It’s made me a better cook. Your taste, your sensibility, your humor, your patience with your commenters- the best.
I finally tried Levain Bakery cookies — are these similar? (Tall, heavy cookies with a cakey under-cooked interior)
These are the best chocolate cookies I’ve made by far, and so simple! Everyone raved about them yesterday, they came out so beautiful and moist. I am completely obsessed with your blog and your lovely photography, and just ordered your book. Thank you :)
Plush is exactly the right word for the interior of these cookies! So amazing right out of the oven!! I used Guittard chocolate and Droste cocoa (so much darker than Hershey’s) and they were practically black… not too sweet and so rich you definitely needed milk. Delicious!!! Watch your bake time: I may have overbaked them a bit because unfortunately on day 2 they were kinda dry and crumbly.
These are Ah-Mazing. My relatives will be lucky if any make it into the cookie packs I’m making for them.
I made the cookies, and can confirm that they are delicious! However, I think the weight measurement for the chocolate chips may be too high? Not that I would complain about too much chocolate! FYI, I made the cookies with 4 oz/~115g of chocolate chips and that worked well for me.
These cookies are so delicious and were a hit with my family and coworkers. However, when I made them, the dough was VERY stiff (even without putting in the fridge). I had to really scrape to get mounds and finally just pinched off dough and rolled many of them. I went back over the recipe to make sure I didn’t miss a small amount of “wetting” ingredient and I didn’t. I will definitely make them again soon!
It look’s so delicious! Thanks for the recipe. :)
What’s your go to AP flour for recipes like this? I have King Arthur on hand, which I find works beautiful for flaky pie crusts, etc but can sometimes by finnicky, due to its higher protein content, when working with other baked goods
Thanks so much for any input!
Kay — I use King Arthur unbleached, sometimes organic, almost 100% of the time.
Made this dough a day ahead, and it’s been out of the fridge for 5 hours now and is not softening. Is there something I can do to soften it up so I can make the cookies? Hope to hear from you before I have to make these for Christmas!
Risa — I never soften the dough, just roll it gently, not pressing too hard. It softens as it rolls.
PG — Perhaps similar but much to my sadness, I have yet to try the Levain cookie. (Why must it be 90 blocks awaaaaay?)
I just made this into 16 mega cookies (laziness) as part of a cookie box for three family members. You have no idea how much restraint it took to only keep one for myself and give them five each, rather than just dividing the whole batch by four!
When I made these, I divided the dough in half. I added chocolate chips as suggested in one portion. In the other half I added peppermint chips and sprinkled the tops with a little crushed peppermint candy before baking. Both were absolutely sublime! The peppermint version reminded me of a peppermint mocha. Wonderful recipe! Happy holidays!
As we sit in our vacation rental condo in Portland for Christmas, I’m excited to think about making these cookies once we return to Little Rock. I DO have a question though. The teeny-tiny kitchen in this teeny-tiny condo (less than 600 sq ft) has so little storage I can’t imagine how to cook here. My husband, ever the architect, wondered what a layout of your kitchen would look like. Any willingness to share?
These cookies are superb! I actually found that I preferred them over-baked, unlike many other commenters. At 13 min baking time, I found that the cookies came out with a similar texture to perfectly chewy brownie crust, which has always been my favorite part of the brownie. My cookies also flattened out but they resembled tollhouse cookies, so I didn’t mind at all. Thanks, Deb!
I’m having a bit of trouble with these cookies. I agree with other commenters that they need more sugar, but also the texture is a bit off in my batch. Anyone have suggestions? They were a bit dry and almost crumbly. I even double checked the recipe after baking them, thinking I forgot a step, but I haven’t. Could it be the brand of cocoa or flour?
One of the best cookies I have ever made. Taste is ridiculously awesome. Thanks #Deb for best charismas gift.
Just wanted to report that I did not have any unsweetened baking chocolate in the house, so I subbed 3 T cocoa powder and 1 T butter per ounce of unsweetened chocolate and it turned out just fine. And I rolled them in different kinds of Christmas sprinkles before baking. They were a total hit at the office.
Looks really yummy
They look yummy. I am tempted to try this recipe soon. Thank you very much.
I have made these 5 times in the past week and a half and brought to every holiday party known to man. Thank you! My first two batches were classic, but the last three I threw in peppermint chips. The red and green pools of sugar were festive and the peppermint taste great, but the chips were a bit chewy and got stuck in our teeth. I think next time I’ll try extract. I live the taste of the fudgy brownie with a bite of minty peppermint.
hi deb, I made a batch- delicious! I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate so I used bittersweet and eliminated the white sugar. They came out on the dry side rather than ooey gooey. Any idea why? Maybe I have a hot oven…
I made these gluten-free, and they were excellent. Used Cup4Cup GF flour, Guittard unsweetened chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and Hershey’s cocoa powder.
Just made these and had my first one! Loved it – so chocolately. Moist, yet light texture. I just had another one to confirm my comments before posting them :)
For those asking about yield, I got 18 cookies. But they are pretty big; I could definitely go smaller next time. But 2 TB to me is quite a large mound, so that’s why I made them so big. I think if I went smaller, I’d probably get a full 2 dozen out of them.
Cari — Sorry for the delay but with these, I’d use volume.
One additional comment for the person who asked how they taste right out of the freezer…the answer is amazing. Maybe better :)
“Stuck at work, dreaming of cookies?” How did you know? First time on this site and you already get me. I am so going to make these cookies very soon. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe!
I made these for Christmas and drizzled some melted white chocolate with peppermint extract over the top. Holy moly. They were the clear winner of the cookie plate. Thanks, Deb!
I made these tonight to serve with peppermint affagato tomorrow for my NYE dinner. OH MY GOD. These are amazing. Dangerously amazing. Walking away from the kitchen now. Thank you/damn you for this recipe!!! :)
I made these and YUM! Everyone loved them. I split the batter in half and put chocolate chips in one and toasted walnuts in the other. Both were fantastic but the walnut cookies were the favorite for us. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Deb! Considering how much I rely on your site, I can’t believe this is my first time commenting. I just whipped up these cookies (as promised, in the time it took for my 5 week old baby to go down and wake up from a nap) and they are perfect. I plan on bringing them to a New Year’s dinner tonight. I can only imagine how much work you put into each one of these recipes to make them so foolproof – I get stellar results from this site, every time. Thanks for being so reliable, and for sharing such delicious food with all of us. Happy New Year to you and your beautiful family!
Thanks for the great recipe. just wanted to comment about the chocolate chips – I think the weight given is incorrect, as 2/3 cup is closer to 110 g. by my calculations (not 225). I use a scale for measuring so almost dumped in more than double what was called for. Not that you can EVER have too much chocolate! :=)
First time commenter. Long time follower. I made these for Christmas and followed your recipe to a T and they came out perfect! Just like the ones in your pic. My family devoured them and they were definitely the favorite cookie of the night. I’m making these again for New Years Eve and adding walnuts this time. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe with us.
I made these, for no apparent reason. They just looked… fantastic. Holy cow these are delicious. Unreal. I didn’t have unsweetened baking chocolate so I made my own, using 3 TBL dutch cocoa powder and 1 TBL shortening, per ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate. The cookies came out absolutely perfect. Decadent and rich, and just amazingly perfect. And they LOOK just gorgeous. My kids can’t stop eating them. Except I hope they eat all of them, or I will eat all of them… Oy. I’m neck deep in chocolate. Thanks for this amazing recipe! Happy New Year!
I wish to send these to a friend in Hungary. Do you think they will hold up and still be relatively moist by the time they get there? I plan to ship them the next day in zip loc bags. Thank you!
Shelly — I’d definitely think so. What a lucky friend!
Just wanted to let you know I am making my third batch in less than 3 weeks- these are now my husband’s favorite cookies. (I love how easy they are, but don’t tell him!)
Delicious, my teenagers love these. They promises to clean their rooms if I promise to make more.
I made 5 dozen of these for all my Christmas gifts! Thanks for the amazing recipe, Deb– everyone loved them!!
Finally made these tonight and they are SO GOOD. Levain cookies are probably my favorite cookies and I can confirm that these are very similar (though I’m not sure I’ve had a Levain cookie that’s been as warm as the one I just ate). Relatedly, you should definitely make the trek to Levain, I promise it’s more than worth it. I live in NYC now and take everyone that visits me. I live in Harlem but prefer the UWS location because waiting in (on) line is part of the experience. I’ll save you a spot sometime ;)
Judy — Missed your comment earlier (sorry) but you’re absolutely correct. 2/3 cup would be about 4 ounces or 115 grams chips. Will fix. Thanks for the heads up!
Oh. My. God. THANK YOU for these. I have dreamed of these all my life. I am baking them THIS AFTERNOON. Happy New Year!
Both times I’ve made these, mine only spread the tiniest bit – they stayed pretty puffed up. I think they’re tasty, and every one of my family members have loved them, but I’m convinced they must need a little more liquid of some sort – I’ve tried shortening the baking time, but they’re still pretty dry. I’ll probably stick with your brownies – I love that recipe, and am a much bigger fan of brownies than cookies anyway!
Made the dough last night and baked these this morning. They are divine! They retained their shape nicely and are perfectly moist inside. Thanks very much for the recipe!
These did not turn out!!!! They ended up looking like flat pancakes even though i followed the directions. >:(
Made these today for a cooking class I was teaching. They were perfection! I got 28 -30 (can’t quite remember) w/ a #40 scoop. The set up perfectly and looked just like yours. I did take them out after 9 minutes and they were just to my liking, a little fudgy still (or plush maybe:) on the inside. Thanks for a terrific recipe. It’s a keeper.
I made these using the volumes listed, and my fancy cocoa powder. They are AMAZING! It made 16 giant cookies and I can’t decide if I would rather have more, but smaller, cookies…. or just more giant cookies!!!
Just made these tonight and they were fantastic! My only mistake was adding the chocolate chips while the batter was still too warm from melting the butter and chocolate. We had really wonderful chocolately cookies but there weren’t any chocolate chips because they all melted! I’ll make sure the batter is cool before I add them next time. These were definitely a hit- and wonderful with vanilla ice cream!
Made these last night. They did not spread at all and are fantastic! I did put the second pan in the freezer while the first pan finished baking bc the dough was getting pretty soft. Maybe that helped them retain their shape?
The batter was THICK at the end and I had to switch from a whisk to a spatula. I do think they need to be a little sweeter; but I expected that as I tend to like things a bit sweeter than Deb. But I don’t know enough about baking ratios to make any changes myself. Everyone that has tried them has loved them. Thanks for the great (and easy) recipe!
I made these and used mostly white chips and a few dark chocolate chips. They turned out great! This recipe seems very adaptable to whatever mix-ins you like, be they chocolate, nuts, white chocolate, peppermint, etc.. Thanks, Deb!
These are fabulous!!! They really are like a brownie but in a cookie. Followed the recipe, although threw in a few mint chips as well. Next time I’m going to up the salt a bit to further bring out the chocolately flavor. Didn’t have quite enough unsweetened chocolate but it didn’t seem to affect the recipe. My recipe only made about 20 cookies, but I made them larger (8 to a cookie sheet) and ate some of the batter too (of course, right?!). I like them best chilled with a glass of milk.
My oh my!!! Thought I could hold out until Valentines Day to make these but company is coming tomorrow night and so I made them today. These are a chocolate lovers dream come true in a cookie. Thank you for pursuing a chocolate cookie so worthy. I did make a few adjustments for high altitude here in Colorado and they came out perfect. Many thanks.
p.s. yield was 3 dozen. my scoop is 4t.
Hi Sheryll,
Thanks for your tip on making these browniest cookies–they look like double chocolate sandies. I live in Montana at 5000′–what high altitude adjustments did you make? What chocolate did you use? Thanks for your help.
Do you think almond flour would work in this recipe to make it gluten free?
Oh my goodness, these are amazing. Made them with my 3 year old to chase away the chill of a -10 degree weekend and we both can’t get enough. What is the magic thing that keeps these soft and piled high, without spreading? They are exactly the consistency I always want for my standard chocolate chip cookies but I can’t ever achieve it.
These are a chocolate lovers dream, so rich and so easy!
These were so delicious! So rich and moist, truly a brownie in cookie form. I swapped out some of the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips. They are so yummy, my new favorite cookie recipe.
Thanks Deb!
I just made this recipe for a friend’s birthday and they are AWESOME :) I got 12 giant cookies (52g each) plus 11 two-bite sized cookies (which I topped with fleur de sel and I’m keeping — I’m generous, not stupid).
I had to tweak a bit the recipe since it’s really difficult to get unsweetened baking chocolate in Spain, but reducing the amount of sugar from 200g to 190g (combining brown and white sugar) and increasing the amount of cocoa powder (from 45g to 50g, compensating the flour accordingly) did the trick perfectly. It’s just a wonderful easy recipe worth repeating over and over.
PS: I think this is my first comment here but I’ve been reading you since 2008 and made a ton of your recipes (all with great success). So thanks for all the yumminess
Re, almond flour — I haven’t tried it or heard yet from someone else who has. Hopefully someone will report back soon.
These are the most chocolately cookies I’ve ever had. And so not sweet. So much not sweet that I just came back to check the sugar amount…yikes, I used 1/2 C instead of 1 cup br. sugar! Still.. they are delicious. I use so many Smitten Recipes, I need to buy the cookbook asap. Thanks Deb.
Made them earlier in the month…cooking from frozen right now in celebration of the storm…we have two inches of snow in Northern Virginia and are supposed to get 20 -30 inches!!
Made these an hour ago because I was in the mood for baking :) I wasn’t able to get unsweetened chocolate, so I used 85%. Because other commenters mentioned they were not very sweet, I used the amounts of sugar in the recipe. Also added walnut pieces instead of chocolate chips. Froze half the dough, baked the other half and just ate a warm one. They’re so good! Fab recipe, thank you!
Holy sh*t, these really do taste like brownies! I have become very wary of recipes like this because they usually don’t live up to my brownie standards, but these are really spot on.
I subbed the unsweetened chocolate with chocolate chips because I’m low brow and I subbed the called-for chocolate chips with walnuts for an extra crunch
Will def make again!
(Also, mine did not hold their shape like Deb’s did, but that did not affect the taste or quality of these cookies.)
I like chocolate, but can just as easily leave it. I’m not a brownie girl at all. I never comment on recipes. These are AWESOME. Super easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly as writen and mine came out as pictured. My guy LOVED them (and so did I). As an aside, your directions, pictures and the thoughtfulness of your recipes are equally as great. I now plan on making many of your recipes – sweet and savory. Thank you!
had the first department meeting after becoming head of department this year and made them to bring them to work. let’s just say that bribing of my coworkers was successfully accomplished. everybody is swimming on a wave of chocolate-y bliss. thanks for this recipe!
I now have made 2 batches of these yummy cookies. The first dozen, I scooped out and baked for 11 minutes. They were good, but I kind of wondered what all the fuss was. I rolled the rest of that batch into logs and sliced them, cooking only for 10 minutes. Wow! Funny that such a small change completely altered these cookies from good to fantastic! I let them sit on the cookie sheet for about a minute and that really helped-otherwise they are pretty fragile. Sending them with my daughter for her 7th grade class tomorrow….
Hi Deb,
I love all your recipes. Your favorite brownies are a staple in our freezer. I’m making these now and I’m curious whether, after 30 mins of refrigeration, I can pre-scoop the dough and freeze it as individual cookies, then bake a few off whenever I feel the need. I know you suggest slice and bake but I’ve seen you suggest pre-scooping for other cookie recipes. Curious if it will work here. Thanks!
Jordana — I haven’t done it with these cookies yet but see no reason that you could not. I do it with most other cookies of this style.
To answer my own question in case others are wondering, yes they can be pre-scooped and frozen- then baked later (13 mins in my oven). They keep their shape, and wow are they delicious. Possibly the most decadent cookie I’ve ever eaten. Yum
These should be illegal! And I can say that I probably even made mine “wrong,” somehow! I used a stand mixer (because it’s new to me), and subbed three egg yolks instead of two eggs (because I’m collecting egg whites for meringues). Not sure if it was over-beating or the yolks, or something else, but my batter came out very dry and crumbly, and dense. I had to compress it into balls for baking, which yielded a super-thick, kind-of-crumbly, but ridiculously yummy brownie-bite.
I’m definitely going to try these again, maybe less flour and normal eggs.
Made these for my daughter, son in law and two little grand daughters who were visiting from across the country. I used cocoa/butter for all the chocolate, and when I tasted the dough I added another tablespoon of sugar because for me, it seemed not sweet enough. Chilled the dough overnight and scooped them chilled. They were not quite as plump as Deb’s and were a bit delicate. Also, a bit crumbly to take on a picnic, but ultra chocolate tasting and soft even on day three. I have to admit to liking my sweets sweet. These were just sweet enough. Thanks, Deb!
Hi Deb, I made these last night and they were utterly delicious but they flattened unlike yours in the pictures above.
I have noticed when I’ve made some of your cookie recipes before that I need to convert the oven temperature from fahrenheit to celsius and then also need to account for fan-assisted oven.
When you bake cookies/cakes do you use a fan oven or a convection oven?
I am wondering if that may be the reason why my cookies come out flat?
Amy — I only have a dinky gas oven so… neither? I wrote up a few reason cookies can spread a few years ago. It may not cover what happened, but those are the main culprits. Hope it helps.
Hi Deb, Mine did not puff up either. . . Plus, they taste too dark-chocolaty and not enough sweet which is making me wonder if I did something wrong there. Are they SUPPOSED to not be very sweet and tend more towards a dar-chocolate-y taste? Much thanks, Juhi
Such a great recipe! Just made my second batch and added some cinnamon and chili powder to make it more of a Mexican-spiced flavor.
Oh my gosh, these look so delicious! I’m always wary of chocolate cookie recipes because I have those brownie-like expectations for them, and I’m so glad you nailed this for all of our sakes :) I’m excited to make them!
These cookies taste amazing and they bring back sweet memories! Thank you for the recipe. I just wanted to ask: Was sugar supposed to melt while baking because when eating cookies I could hear it cracking in my mouth? And just a note for those who had problems with cookies spreading too much. It might help if you choose a brand of butter that isn’t too soft at room temperature. At breakfast I use one brand of butter that is very easily spread almost immediately after being taken out of the fridge but this brand is not a best choice for baking cookies or other dessert with similar dough because it softens too quickly.
These are insane. We love them. I’ve made them so many times that I have to work out more to keep up ;-) Thanks Deb for another amazing, delicious, and very simple recipe!! :)
I made a triple batch of these last week and shared them with a lot of people, all of whom agreed that they are 1) truly brownies in cookie form and 2) dangerously amazing. And they don’t even know how quick and easy they were to make! I will be keeping some of these in my freezer at all times from now on.
Hi there! I just made these cookies last night and the flavor is PHENOMENAL!!
But mine came out very dry and crumble easily as I snack on them just the day after. Is there something I might be doing wrong or a way to amp up the moisture level?
Kristine — I’m not sure what happened, unless they were overbaked. They should be soft in the center otherwise. Perhaps try a minute or two less next time? Good luck.
Gyahhh these are in my oven right now and I’m so excited to try them!!! Thanks Deb for giving the best recipes. :)
Message from home quran learning, I’m always wary of chocolate cookie recipes because I have those brownie-like expectations for them, and I’m so glad you nailed this for all of our sakes :)
These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. So decadent but easy to make. Thank you for this little treasure of a recipe.
I saved this recipe when you posted and only got round to trying it out last week. Have made it twice since then. DELICIOUS!
Hi I’m a newbie on your page so let me begin by sending hugs all the way from India for your beautiful blog! :)
My boyfriend loves chocolate and I really want to surprise him with this gorgeous recipe but he has diabetes, of the insulin dependent kind. :(
So my question is whether this recipe will turn out as fabulous as it looks if I substituted sugar with Splenda (or some such)? Or should I just abandon hope? :(
xoxo
Hey :) the cookies came out flat (but tasty of course). Not like in the picture. Any idea why? Thanks!
I had an issue too. Our cookies were delicious but hard as rocks, and didn’t spread at all but stayed in little balls while baking. I suppose we’ll just have to crumble them up and put them in ice cream (sigh).
Neha, I did use a sugar substitute for the brown sugar, a splenda/brown sugar blend, and that might have been my problem.
I loved these! So close to my Auntie Cookies brownies! They turned out perfectly and I was able to get 31cookies. My husband commented “only 31?” but they are so delicious, 31 is more than enough. Thank you for sharing these recipes!!
Hi deb, thank u for the recipe. I was really excited to try these and i did but i had a massive issue. I tried 2.5 batches, made them all separately, not a big batch togther. The reason i made it 3 times is i cant figure out why my cookies are flat. They go in hard balls coz of dough resting overnight in the fridge n fall flat as they cook, n spread 3 times the size. I rechecked the recipe, tried freezing the dough, chilling it overnight, chck the oven temp, baked at 175 c , tried a higher temp, lower temp. I just cant seem to know what the prob is. Can u kindly please figure this out.would really appreciate it. Also can i substitute the chocolate in the recipe with compound chocolate. ??? Awaiting your reply. Thank you
A roll of these awaits its cooking time in my freezer as I write this! My only question is: how do I account for the frozenness of the dough when I decide to put them in the oven? Should I allow the dough to thaw a bit? Should I cook them straight out of the freezer? If so, how does this affect the baking time/heat? Thank you (:
These have been my go-to thank you/impressing new friends cookies ever since you posted this recipe. Simply wonderful. I’ve also definitely subbed the baking chocolate for semi-sweet chips on more than one occasion while decreasing the sugar to 3/4 cup and the results have been (almost) as lovely as the original recipe.
I’ve had someone tell me these cookies were too chocolatey once, can you believe it?? Wimps.
Yup yup yup these are amazing. I’m in my first trimester and these are seriously the only dessert I can tolerate at present (the horror! I know, it’s sad). So now my “approved” foods are bagels, avocado toast, and these! I don’t hate it. :)
Also, these were DEVOURED at a 4th party last night! Even the guys loved them. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
These cookies are divine and so easy to make. This was my first baking project ever and I could only do it because your instructions were so simple and the ingredients so accessible (plus the pictures are mouthwatering). It’s so refreshing to see a recipe with ingredients that we can easily find in our pantry or at the stores. Thank you!!
I followed the volume measurements instead of weights, and cooked the cookies for 11 minutes. My batch made 22 cookies, the last few were a bit bigger in size. Cookies are dense, decadent, fudgy and just perfect.
I’ve made these a few times now and they are always a hit. Rich, fudgy, decadent treats for any occasion. I brought these to work and my colleagues groaned, then I made them as a birthday gift. Any time someone says “I want brownies,” I’m going to make them THESE!
YUM!! Made these as soon as I finished reading ur blog. So quick and easy. My family went crazy :))
I love getting your posts. Most of them I try. I really don’t know how you keep up with our needs, but you do. These look AWESOME. Mostly, just wanted to thank you for your dedication and indeed your recipes are made in my household (and those of my friends!)
OMG!! These are unbelievably great! I’m visiting my daughter in Brooklyn tomorrow and I was planning on bringing them to her. They may not make it! Thanks Deb!
All I can say is OMG!!!!! I added some nuts and these are decadent and outrageously deeee lish ous ………..Easy easy to make…love the one bowl
So yummy! Perfect fudgeyness. the only thing is I wish it had a crispy chew on the outside like brownie edges.
Very, very satisfying; going immediately into my keeper file. I never, ever adjust one of your recipes (and didn’t this time), but next time I’ll add toasted walnuts. Because brownies.
yum!
I just made these and they are delicious!! and so easy to make. Browniest Cookie is exactly how I would describe them. Chocolatey, a bit chewy, soft, yum. I thought I might have scooped the dough too much, but I got 24 cookies. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m really sorry to say that I was disappointed with these. They were no where near sweet enough to be in the same category as brownies. I added a heavy coating of powdered sugar to the top after trying one, but it still wasn’t what I expected. Unfortunately, these were not to be. I’ve had such good luck with Deb’s recipes that I have to wonder what went wrong?! I can see these as great one-bite cookies with a coating of powdered sugar or glaze, but not like this.
If you want the cookies to be sweeter use semi-sweet chocolate in the beginning, instead of unsweetened chocolate.
Just had the first one fresh out of the oven. Extremely chocolatey and definitely a repeat recipe! I probably should have taken them out of the oven a little earlier (baked them the full 12 minutes), and they’d be even gooier, but they’re still really good this way.
OMG! These are everything we’d hoped they’d be… and then some! I’m serving some warm with ice cream for dessert tonight!
Wowsers! I have been using a similar recipe for brownies from Fine Cooking (they featured fudgy, cakey and chewy – I think your brownie is based on the chewy recipe). Today I tried your cookies and they turned out PERFECT! Thanks!
I didn’t bother with the bowl – mixed them right in the pan, as usual. I used #30 scoop for ease. Thank you for the weights – once you start using them it’s hard to go back to U. S. volume measure.
I just made these cookies last night and the flavor is Amazing!!!!
I made this today exactly like the recipe but mine did not spread at all. They were more like brownie balls than cookies. They were very fudgey and rich. I would prefer them a little sweeter. But just wish I knew why they did not spread like a real cookie.
I wanted to make these but my Dutch grocery store didn’t have cocoa powder. (Don’t ask. Not being able to find “normal” groceries is part of life here. :) ) So anyways, I substituted the cocoa powder with 1/4 cup finely ground high quality espresso coffee and 1/4 cup extra flour. Mine turned out slightly flatter than the cookies pictured, but man, are they good. Mocha brownie cookies FTW!
AMAZING. I made these for a new mother who said she was craving both brownies and cookies. These cookies are chewy on the edges and soft in the middle, exactly what you want in a brownie.
This recipe is definitely going into my rotation…I’m dreaming of brownie cookie ice cream sandwiches…
A few notes on the recipe:
-I chilled the dough for ~30 minutes and then rolled about 1 3/4 inch balls–this worked better than scooping.
-The 12 min cook time would have been too long for my oven. I cooked them for about 9 minutes.
-Allow these cookies to cool on the sheet for a few minutes to avoid squishing.
Kait, did you find that 9 minutes yielded a fudgier cookie? I left mine in for 11 minutes an they were a tad dry.
These cookies are amazing! But then again, so is everything else I’ve tried from Smitten Kitchen. You are truly special, Deb. One edit to the recipe I made—added a teaspoon of instant espresso just to make things extra intense. I also used half regular cocoa, half Dutch processed. Would highly recommend!!
I just ate one, about 5 minutes out of the oven. My only complaint is that they are so good I am afraid to be alone with them.
Is it OK to double or triple this recipe? They are wonderful and I want to make a big batch. I’ve doubled other recipes before and have had mediocre results so I’m a bit gun shy. Please help ASAP!
Thanks!
Triple. You can send any extras to us.
Definitely a crowd pleaser. I froze my dough into a log, but as I sometimes do, found it hard to cut into proper cookies. Minor issue for a very good recipe. I always cut sugar in recipes by a smidge, but did not do much here since there was so much dark chocolate. Recommend to bring group events. Good stuff.
Last minute bbq/gathering means I need a quick dessert and this is it. I’ve made this recipe a few times, and did so again this past weekend. As always, works like a charm and is popular with everyone. Sometimes I add a bit of flaked sea salt on top. Next time I may swap in some chopped some Mexican chocolate bars hiding in my pantry for the chocolate chips for a new spin. Thanks as always!
Oh my goodness, I made these this weekend and they are heaven. HEAVEN!! Best chocolate flavor I’ve ever tasted in a chocolate cookie dough. I’m in love!
I’m playing with adding peppermint to them – have you ever tried extract and, if so, how much did you add? I added some crushed peppermint candies to half of my batch, but they MUST be rolled into balls before baking or they look, frankly, terrifying. Flavor was good, but candy made them too chewy for my liking.
Also thinking of turning them into mini whoopie-pies with peppermint/marshmallow filling. Oh the possibilities!
In case anyone was curious, I put in 1.5 tsp of peppermint extract into the recipe and they are heaven. :) Watkins pure peppermint extract, to be exact. I sprinkled some ground up peppermint candy dust on top so people would know they are peppermint inside. Thank you, Deb, for this fabulous recipe!!
Please help me! It is baking season, birthday time for two of my kids, we’re addicted to all things butter and cream and milk and my daughter is under doctor’s orders to go dairy free for two weeks! What is my best substitute for dairy in these and other bits of heaven?
I haven’t used it but a lot of readers over the years have said they use Earth’s Balance non-dairy butter for baking.
Delicious! I didn’t have any unsweetened chocolate, so i used semi-sweet and i cut down on the brown sugar by about 1/4 cup. I think i could have eased up on the sugar a little bit more, but they are scrumptious just the same.
I just made these, and I am sooo sorry to say that mine were dry! Maybe I added too much flour? I’m so disappointed :(.
Mine too! I figure I should have weighed the flour and cocoa instead of scooping. Easy enough I might try again one day.
Mine were just *slightly* dry, especially after 7 days (would they ever actually last that long?! Doubtful, but I like to test, especially for Christmas Cookies.) I ended up using an extra 1/4 cup brown sugar, omitting the two tablespoons of white sugar, and a full cup of milk chocolate chips in place of the semi-sweet. The extra sugar and fat made them deliciously moist for me! :)
I used a 1 1/2tbsp measuring spoon and it made 26 perfectly sized cookies. I put 60 grams semisweet chocolate chips and 115 grams white chocolate chips. They are delicious!
I made these today for a meeting at work. See, I really wanted brownies, but figured the cookie recipe made more…which also meant keeping some for the fam and I to eat at home. The recipe was easy, and I followed it exactly. Folks at work loved these, and said I could feel free to bring them in any time. ((Shrugs)). Honestly…these were really good, but I prefer your favorite brownie recipe (now MY favorite brownie recipe). These were good and all….very fudgy and chocolatey….but they were just missing that intensity I’ve kind of gotten addicted to with the brownies. So yeah….a solid and good recipe…but not even close to your brownie recipe. Next time I’ll just make multiple batches of brownies… :-)
OH…and I need to tell you….I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LLLLOOOOVVVVEEE that you now have separate comment sections for folks who have made the recipe!!! I absolutely detested scrolling through a million comments of folks saying how yummy a recipe looked, when I was looking to simply hear from folks who had already tried it. Absolutely brilliant idea of yours and just another reason your recipes have become my favorites to read and make!
I frosted with a cream cheese frosting, could make a cookie sandwich too. Perfect balance between a brownie & cookie.
I wanted to make these but my Dutch grocery store didn’t have cocoa powder. (Don’t ask. Not being able to find “normal” groceries is part of life here. :) ) So anyways, I substituted the cocoa powder with 1/4 cup finely ground high quality espresso coffee and 1/4 cup extra flour. Mine turned out slightly flatter than the cookies pictured, but man, are they good. Mocha brownie cookies FTW!
These ARE the Browniest BEST cookies! Thank you for the recipe!
I don’t normally bake desserts but these cookies seemed irresistible. I have cooked a lot of your other recipes and they are always a success. That’s why I decided to bake these cookies. I was not disappointed and my family absolutely loved them. Thanks for another great recipe. You really are a wonderful reference!
I have made this recipe twice and Im very happy with the results and people loved them. This time I only had semisweet dark chocolate so I used less sugar. I also had some chocolate truffles around so I chopped them and added among with the chocolate chips. It is true that in 11 minutes they are ready. Dont let them more or they will harden.
I tire of sweets easily, but these are great, even though I subbed the unsweetened/99% with a mix of semi-sweet & 80%. Also added 1/3 cup freshly chopped and toasted pecans.
I liked this recipe for “social baking”, meaning there was always a way for two people to be working productively, and there weren’t giant delays. Also, we could converse without getting confused or ruining anything time-sensitive.
Finally, for those wondering about spreading / cookie shape: I think the cookie sheet matters. The kind with a shallow rim created flatter cookies, but the rimless kind (where only one edge is tilted up) gave mounded shapes, as in Deb’s photos. Both were fudgy and soft.
Another peppermint question here — for those of you that added chopped-up candy to the top of the cookies, was this before or after baking? I like the idea of contrasting the soft cookie texture with crunchy candy, but not sure how I’d make them stick…and the candy would melt if you sprinkled them on before, right?
Hey Christie!! I added the peppermint candy right as I took them out of the oven, however, since they have rounded tops, it’s hard to get the bigger pieces to stay on. If you did slice and bake style, that might work better. I ended up grinding up candy in a food processor and a spice grinder and then sprinkling on top. Those stayed on top very securely. You can check out some pictures on my Instagram “amateurhourfood.” I did add some candy cane pieces to the batter during one test and you’re right, the pieces melted even during the short bake time and became rather chewy.
Just made these for the husbands birthday….I’m now a super hero….DELICIOUS!
I made them exactly as written and they came out as balls and did not flatten. Also a bit dry. Sadly, did not love.
Lovely, easy recipe. I doubled recipe, used the medium oxo cookie scoop (1.5 T) and got precisely 60 cookies.
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes of the year. I have made them many times just as written but recently have started to play with different flavors of chips. Peanut butter or espresso chips anyone?? Great recipe and very versatile.
I made these today and they are definitely decadent. I can always count on Smitten Kitchen for delicious baked goods! These cookies are definitely very dense and chocolatey – they were actually too chocolatey for my daughter. Mine too came out of the fridge super hard and more like balls than dough. But they hit the spot when you’ve got a chocolate craving!
I couldn’t resist making these. I replaced the semi sweet chips with Andes mints and they turned out spectacularly! Had to make them again since I brought them to work the next morning and they… Mysteriously disappeared before my husband got to try them! You snooze you lose when it comes to these.
I made these for a New Year’s get-together at my house and they were a huge hit. Even my two-year old niece declared her love for these cookies (we gave her a bite of one and for the rest of the afternoon, she kept going to the kitchen and pointing at the platter on the counter!
These cookies are aptly named! I made them as a thank you gift (minus about four…), and I’ll be making another batch to keep! Im thinking of adding white chocolate chips to my next batch.
Just an fyi- made these in a brownie pan last nite- as soon as i mixed them up, spread that in the pan, and baked for 11 minutes. fudgy gooey perfection.
made them as cookies for Christmas and of course that was perfect too :-)
I LOVE these. And I hate brownies so that is some feat. These cookies hit all the right notes that I always feel brownies miss. I like brownie batter but by the time it’s baked it loses something. They never seem chocolately enough. Anyway, these cookies are awesome and I love them and I will make them frequently. Thank you!
I was so excited to try these, I LOVE thick cookies and gooey brownies. They tasted great, but mine went so flat! like paper thin. They were ok when I pulled them out of the oven, then fell flat. any suggestions?
These were soooo good. Moist and fudgey but still a cookie. LOVE them.
Outstanding receipt!
Great instructions, easy to follow, thank you!
We all love these cookies!!!
Made these just now and they are very good. Easy to make and put in the fridge before making dinner, then pulled them out to soften a bit and baked them off. They looked a little dense but tasted light and delightful. Even the non-sweets eater in the house enjoyed one. I didn’t read ahead and used too small a bowl to melt the butter and chocolate – will use a bigger bowl next time.
Wow Great Recipe. I Made this today and the everything was done perfectly . Thanks for sharing ! I like browniees :)
I made these for the second time last night and they were even better than the first time. I love how the ingredients are all things you probably have on hand so you can easily make a batch on a weeknight. I would suggest that you include a comment about using a large bowl for the double boiler – I read through the recipe but didn’t catch that everything goes into this bowl so I used one that was too small and had to transfer. Excellent cookies.
I don’t have any unsweetened chocolate on hand, but I do have normal sweet chocolate. Can I use this and opt out on some of the sugar?
I have made these a bunch of times and everyone loves them. Just thought I’d drop in to say that I tried subbing butter and cocoa powder for the unsweetened chocolate and it doesn’t work as well. They are less fudgy and somewhat drier so I would recommend going shopping if you’re out of unsweetened chocolate.
Deb! How can us Jewish gals make these magical little morsels for Passover? What substitutions would you try?
Forgive me, but I think I’d just make these (which don’t come out that flat for anyone else) or these instead because they’re both really chocolaty.
I add a bag of Heath Bar toffee bits to this recipe; it is one of my husband’a favorites.
These are exactly as promised. Quick to make, super chocolately, and they only require one bowl. That ticks all my boxes.
OMG!! Those are amazing!! Love love love these cookies. And I love that I can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it into a log. When I’m ready to bake them I just slice and bake!
Aren’t they fabulous?! I haven’t tried the slice and bake method, but I’ve wanted to. Julia, do you mind sharing the diameter of the dough log and how thick you slice them? Thanks! :)
I implicitly trust all Smitten Kitchen recipes and was super excited to try this one. I had one warm out of the oven and was disappointed! I then remembered that I cut the edges off of my brownies so I can have a whole pan of middles…oh well. A cookie recipe usually means at least some degree of crispy edges.
I had one the next morning (Yes, morning. What.) and I take it all back! They softened a little in the container overnight and they are so. Good. I LOVE that they’re nice and dark (and not overly sweet), and the soft texture of the cookie with the chocolate chips is perfect. They really are the browniest cookie. Not every recipe can be a winner, but you haven’t let me down yet! More and more of your recipes are becoming my “go-to” for everything from banana bread to the macaron torte I took to Passover. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
After staying home from work yesterday due to allergies, I felt like whipping up an easy baked good for the weekend – it was between these (I think I ate four of them last night) and the peanut butter cookies from Ovenly: needless to say I went for the chocolate. I will admit I skipped the part about chilling the dough and popped them right in the oven. Still delicious! not pretty mounds of chocolately goodness but if you make these with kids or you are a big kid yourself and can’t wait they come out just fine.
I have made this 100% identical to the recipe as well as using 55% chocolate chips only. i notice the time where I have used 55% chocolate chips the cookie came out flatter than using unsweetened chocolate (where in UK’s situation i found 100% chocolate in sainsburys and used that instead).
And I did tried reducing sugar when using unsweetened chocolate, but defo not worth it if you are using unsweetened chocolate as the overall product came out not very attractive in taste quite XD
lesson learnt, not to change ingredients until i have tried it once…!!!
Made these for the second time last night. I omitted the granulated sugar and reduced the brown sugar just a tad because I used bittersweet chocolate. Also topped each scoop of dough with a caramel square (left over from your grilled peach splits recipe)…ugh! It was like a salted caramel dark chocolate bar in cookie form. Horrible. No one should try it this way. Especially if they lack the self-control to share some and save some.
These were wonderful! I love the consistency and the deep chocolatey taste. Perfect!
the cookies were even better the next day!Bravo!
Such a favorite of mine that I’m including it (all credit to SK) in my moms’ group recipe swap! I combined this recipe with “The Best Brownies, Spiced-Up” for a spiced-up cookie. With the dry ingredients, just add 1 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder or smoked paprika, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. cardamom. A special twist that makes these disappear even faster around our house. Wonderful as always, Deb.
I did this the other week and now I tried again. Except, this time I swapped the chocolate and butter for dark chocolate ganache flavoured with whiskey and ginger. It’s an obsession of mine at the moment.
Wow, I’m impressed it still worked! I’d love to see a photo if you have one you can share.
I only got two pictures, but I put them up for you along with some comments here: http://svrtnsse.com/brownie-cookies-from-ganache/
They look fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks :D
For the almond flour crew: I made these today (not GF myself, just out of AP flour and impatient for brownie-cookies) and it worked like a charm as a straight gram-for-gram swap. What a cookie!
How can this be made gluten free? Could I use a regular gluten free flour mix in place of regular flour?
Two people have reported their gluten-free adaptations. Hope one works for you:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/#comment-827592
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/#comment-827562
Have you tried this brownie/cookie recipe with a gluten free flour blend?
Have you tried these before? http://www.southernliving.com/recipes/fudgy-flourless-chocolate-pecan-cookies-recipe The recipe came out in the Sept edition of Southern Living. I had egg whites in the fridge I’d been wondering what to do with, so I made them. My family went crazy for them! I was shocked–I was just wanting to use up the egg whites! Ha! Seems like something you’d like as well. I used dutch process cocoa and used 1/2 semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 sea salt caramel chips.
Hi! Mine fell flat when I pulled them out of the oven. Ideas? Thanks!
These cookies are amazing! I had a 72% cocoa bar and used that and then cut out the white sugar to make up for the sugar in the cocoa bar. While these are very tasty warm, they’re even better once they’ve come to room temp. I used a 1 TBSP scoop and got 32 cookies. They came out of the oven about 45 minutes ago and I’m already done to 28 cookies, oops!
These were exactly as described – crispy edged, soft centred cushions of pure chocolate delight. I made a batch for the office (without the choc-chips) and they went in one fell swoop. I shall be making on a weekly basis from now on I think! Thanks so much for this simple, easy to follow recipe :)
Have fixed multiple times. Always a hit with those I’m willing to share with. Haha. I make up into balls and freeze. When I need a treat, I bake a couple in the toaster oven. Seem to have that need daily. Another haha!!
Woke up to this recipe in my inbox and made them at 8 am. Delicious! Can’t wait for your new book!
Oh my…these cookies are heavenly. I used a smidge of dark cocoa powder and dusted the cookies with powdered sugar. My only regret is that I am out of milk. Thanks for yet another recipe worthy of gifting, which I intend to do.
I made these this morning with these changes :
* omitted white sugar entirely
* used only 160 grams brown sugar
* put in fridge only 15-20 minutes
* baked 9 minutes exactly
I also used my OXO good grip cookie scooper, which has a scoop diameter 1.25″ (size 40? medium?)
The flavor? Out of this world! The texture? Surprisingly, dry. Hot they were fine, but as soon as they cooled, it was like they were three days old.
This is the first time SK hasn’t provided pure perfection. What up?
I recommend you make the recipe exactly as it was published … I did and they were perfect. Soft and “brownie-ish” inside for a couple of days … that’s all the longer they lasted.
I have made these at least a dozen times – and they are deliciously moist. I take them out of the oven when they are still very soft. Once cooled, they are perfect, even the next day they are still moist.
You made a lot of changes to the original recipe – you can’t expect it to be as described in the recipe if you make changes. The chemical reaction of white sugar vs that of brown sugar is different and can cause the differences you noted.
These were so good that I had to make two batches in one day!!
Loved the idea so I tried them out! They tasted great, but mine ended up pretty flat, even after using an ice cream scoop. Any one have ideas for trouble shooting to get them to bake up as full as in these pictures?
Alyssa – I kept reading similar comments to yours so I finally took a look at the photo. Never realized my cookies weren’t as puffy. Guess I was too busy scarfing down the deliciousness!! ;-)
Just made a batch of these- wow! So good! I added the zest of 2 oranges, because I am crazy about chocolate and orange. They are amazing! I baked them just a bit past fudgy, since they seemed really delicate at the 12 minute mark, and I need to mail them. If my sister weren’t recovering from surgery, I’d probably keep them all for myself like a greedy piglet.
One note- I measured ingredients by weight, thanks for that possibility, and I found that some of the ingredients were quite a bit more than the volume measurement indicated, especially the brown sugar. If you had less of that than intended, maybe that could lead to the bad outcomes a few folks mentioned?
LIke another poster, I let them get pretty hard in the fridge and rolled them into balls, which kept them nice and neat looking without too much spread. Next time, I think I’ll try the spicy Mexican version someone posted.
These had a great chocolate flavor but I must admit that I added 1 tsp of expresso powder since I just purchased my very first bottle of the stuff and wanted to try it! Also I melted the butter and chocolate in a large pyrex measuring cup and simply added the ingredients by weight to the cup. They came out puffy as noted in the pictures and delicious!
Could I add nuts to it, or rather, would I have to reduce the flour if I did? (I’m thinking chopped walnuts or pecans)
How many cookies does this recipe make? Thanks!
Melissa, It’s been a while since I made these, but I’m pretty sure I got 20 or so cookies. First batch a dozen, then only ten out of what was left. These are so rich that next time I plan to make them slightly smaller and get more cookies! I think using a smaller scoop (#30 maybe?) you could get close to three dozen smaller cookies which would be still wonderfully chocolatey fudgey!
In an earlier post, Deb said she used a #40 scoop.
Another BIG TIME hit! I was able to make the whole recipe in one bowl, I used a large metal bowl in my double-boil set up and just added all the ingredients to the melted chocolate. Making this was a breeze and they really hit the spot. Worth waiting half an hour for them to chill.
I wanted to love these; while they will get eaten (bc chocolate), these aren’t my favourite, and make me wish I had just made brownies or chocolate chip cookies instead of trying to do a mash-up.
Hey !
Love this recipe. I had a question about the sugar – if I use semisweet chocolate in the dough how much sugar should I reduce from the amount mentioned in the recipe?
One more question, should I powder the sugar before adding it in the dough cause I’ve had some issues in the past with unmelted sugar crystals in my brownies and cookies!
It’s tricky because the dough may not work as well (will likely seem dry) without the sugar, but you can try to reduce it by just a spoonful, it might be enough.
In my opinion, there’s no need to powder the sugar. Make sure you use a good brand like C&H made from sugar cane. Cheaper sugars can be made from sugar beets, which seems to have a larger crystal.
In my opinion, there’s no need to powder the sugar. Make sure you use a good brand like C&H made from sugar cane. Cheaper sugars can be made from sugar beets, which seems to have a larger crystal.
These cookies look so yummy. Can you please suggest replacement for egg. Can I use egg replacer?
This comment has a suggestion: https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/#comment-827535
Hey Deb, I could not find the comment you linked. My daughter has an egg allergy and these cookies look AMAZING. Could you let us know what what suggested to replace or omit the egg. Thanks!
They look so delicious, so tasty, so chocolate, so yummy! I can΄t wait to try them :)
These are THE best chocolate cookie I have ever eaten! Seriously delicious!!
Delicious! They really are soft and chocolately. The dough flattens a bit in the oven and ends up looking like the perfect double chocolate cookie. I did one batch at 9 minutes (a little hard to get off the sheet) and one at 11 that was a bit more firm, but when they cooled there wasn’t a huge difference in texture.
I think they’re fine at 9 minutes and still maintain the gooey-ness!
Oh my goodness. These cookies are so good. The only downside is that I broke a knife trying to chunk up my dried out brown sugar, which is one of the funniest things to ever happen to me in the kitchen. So, dear reader, make sure your brown sugar is fresh, or at least not adhered to the inside of a glass jar before embarking upon your cookie journey.
These look so good but all I have is a bunch of 60% dark chocolate – would that work?
These knocked my partner and me dead. We love them. Definitely our new go-to for cookies! Perfect texture and amazing taste – so browny-ish! 💜
I’ve made these cookies twice both with slight variations. The first batch I used bitter sweet chocolate and dark brown sugar and only put in 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. They were delicious and my husband ate them all. The second batch I followed the recipe and used unsweetened chocolate but still used all dark brown sugar and for me they weren’t as sweet as I would have liked them to be. But I do love the recipe and it’s so simple to throw together in a hurry, which is why I will be making them again this Friday for girls night!
Oh my. These are sensational. Difficult to say too much because my mouth has been stuffed full of them since they came out of the oven.
I whipped these up in no time this afternoon. I love that they can be made completely in one bowl. I used semi sweet chocolate and was pleased with the overall sweetness of the cookies. I baked the first tray for 8 minutes as my husband likes a very soft cookie. Eight was a little bit short. Ten minutes seemed to work better and still resulted in a soft cookie.
After searching for a Mexican chocolate cookie recipe, I wanted something chocolatey and spicy, I decided to make these Browniest Cookies and add some spice. So delicious, so chocolatey with the perfect texture of soft richness. All I added was a teaspoon of cinnamon and I used a locally made aztec chocolate instead of chocolate chips which added some spiciness. I might try to add a pinch of cayenne when I make them again. My search for a good Mexican Chocolate Cookie recipe is over.
These are exactly what I’ve been looking for in a double/triple chocolate cookie. I’ve been so disappointed by all the bakeries/recipes I’ve tried so far, usually being too sweet and not chocolatey enough. These are bang-on! I followed the recipe almost exactly except forgot the 2 tbsp white sugar and I used Valrhona dutch-processed cocoa powder. Given how perfectly they turned out, I will continue to omit the white sugar in the future. I chilled the dough for precisely 30 minutes and baked for 11 minutes and the texture is perfect, my cookies barely flattened. I scooped & froze half the batter for another day. Using a #40 scoop yielded 27 cookies for me.
Do you think that freezing the baked/cooled cookies would work?
Deb! can i make one big giant cookie? or will it burn?
I haven’t tried it but please let me know how it goes. I beg you. :)
My intentions were to make these cookies just like the recipe… except my husband was talking to me. First I microwaved the butter and chocolate till they were thoroughly melted and quite hot. While listening, I whisked it thoroughly to both mix and cool it. Then I added both eggs at once instead of one at a time. Nodding my head in agreement to something he said, I sifted the flour, cocoa, salt and soda together before adding to the chocolate/butter/egg mixture. I hadn’t got any chocolate chips but I had Heath chips so added those. I put the bowl into the fridge while we sat down for dinner and when I came back the cookie dough was very cold and quite thick. Of course I have no scoop to measure out 1 1/2 or 2 Tbsp dough so I weighed the dough balls. They were all 20-21 grams each and I baked them exactly 11 minutes.
Holy, wholly cow, folks. These are delicious and as they cool they are even better. My husband pronounced them extraordinary. Now, my question to you: Do I give him any credit? ;-)
These are my new favorite cookies! Sooo amazing!
These are fabulous cookies! I really enjoy your recipes. Thank you.
Patty
It’s easy to come up with fattening recipes for much loved goodies. What most Americans need are the modified versions of such recipes that will still taste delicious but without the fat, sugar and salt of the traditional kind. As obesity continues to plague this country, it is almost irresponsible of any publication to provide such unhealthful recipes to its readers. At the very least, you should offer healthful substitutions as alternatives to the “bad” stuff.
Indeed, this site does. Almost every other recipe on this site is a solid vegetarian or at least vegetable-centric meal. It is not irresponsible to share recipes with butter, sugar, and/or salt. Individuals decide what we choose to eat and not to, not blogs.
Why are on you this website looking at cookie recipes? It is clear from your comment that you don’t want them. As for what “America needs,” do you really thing our whole society is falling apart because of a cookie recipe? I don’t think this is the right website for you.
Two of my favorite things collided today! This recipe of yours was mentioned in the online newsletter The Skimm this morning! I’m sure you already are aware, but just wanted to share! Love your recipes Deb! I met you when you visited Houston last fall. Love your new cookbook!!
Deep chocolate flavor and perfect for chocoholics. Do follow directions to refrigerate the dough before baking. I threw in about 118 grams of chips and lightly pressed down the dough balls before baking, but otherwise followed the directions as is. Made these for my 95 year old mother in law who was over the moon because she loves chocolate. This yielded 23 cookies about 2.5 inches in diameter.
These are really good. I only let them bake for 9 minutes, per other reviews, and I think they’re a tad dry and not very fudgy. When I bake the rest of the dough, I will cut it down to 7 or 8 minutes. Also, going to add some pecans or walnuts because I think they’d be great with that addition. Next time, I’ll probably use semisweet chocolate, or add more sugar, as I’d like them a little sweeter. They hardly spread at all, which is fine with me.
Love these cookies! My husband’s favorite.
Another thumbs up from the spouse. Deep chocolate flavor, and not too sweet. These are now in the permanent rotation! Thank you.
These cookies look delicious. But I wonder; if this was your last day on earth, would you want one of these Browniest cookies or a World Peace cookie?
I cannot decide which recipe to make for break-the-fast! Only one chocolate cookie is needed, so please don’t say both!
WP are more shortbread-ish (but rich!) and these are more brownie-ish (softer-centered, shiny on top).
Since I’d already made the World Peace cookies, and despite how wonderful they were, I made Browniest Cookies.
The verdict: 100% fabulous. I loved their deeply chocolate squidginess. They earned raves from the crowd. These will go on the repeat list at my house!
Just made these and they are just a gooey and decadent as they look. Will definitely be making these again!
Hi SK!! I love all your stuff. Curious– can I use unsweetened cocoa powder in place of chopped unsweetened chocolate? xo!
I’ve made these cookies a few times and love them. I was wondering if I could sub milk chocolate for unsweetened chocolate. Would they still turn out just as delicious?
Hi Deb! I live in India, and I made them yesterday and i followed the recipe and didn’t tweak anything, but the cookies didn’t hold up while baking. I’m fairly new at baking, so I am sure I may not have done some step properly, but do you think it has something to do with the weather here? Let me know :)
What happened when they baked?
Question for a double batch: I am always nervous and unsure about the amount of leavening agent when it comes to doubling a recipe. Should the amount of baking soda be less than double (1 tsp.) here? Should I simply double all of the other ingredients’ measurements? Thanks!
Double everything
I thought these were delicious. I did not have dark chocolate so used half cocoa and half chocolate chips instead. I also added a splash of strong coffee. After refrigerating, I rolled the balls and then lightly pressed crushed candy cane into the top for Christmas cookies. But my best cookies were the ones where I used melted Lindor white chocolate peppermint truffle as frosting.
I let the dough chill overnight, then rolled into balls and rolled in powdered sugar. They turn out just like the classic chocolate crinkle cookie, FYI. Much prettier than when just plain. I also tried rolling in granulated sugar, which also adds a little sparkle but the powdered sugar worked best. Just in case anyone wants to make these look festive for the holiday.
These are the BEST!!! I’m always asked for the recipe when people try them. Don’t make any changes to this recipe! You can’t improve upon it.
I made these yesterday after resting the dough in the fridge for two days. They’re fantastic. Gooey in the best way even after being thoroughly cooled. Thanks!
Hi..
I tried out this recipe and I really love these cookies. Except that My cookies spread too much and flat but the taste was good. I used same measurements as above but I used granulated sugar and margarine instead of brown sugar and butter.. Could this be reason for my cookies to be flat and too much spreading?
Thank you
I may have missed it but could you tell me how many cookies this makes?
I got 22 out of this recipe using the same scoop Deb used. Baked them for 12 minutes. Came out perfectly.
Wow, these are dangerous cookies! So easy to make and way too easy to eat. The only thing I’d change next time is making sure there’s milk in the fridge! These are so rich and chocolatey that they definitely need to be paired with a glass of milk.
I made a batch of these before Christmas, and had about 6 cookies worth of dough I stuck in the freezer for a future chocolate emergency. I baked them last night, and they are even better than the batch I baked from freshly made dough. Fantastic!
Delicious, though there is a slightly bitter aftertaste. I wonder if it’s the unsweetened chocolate I used (Ghiradelli) or the cocoa (Droste)? And on that, because I have read that Dutched chocolate, like Droste, doesn’t react well with baking soda, I substituted baking powder in its place. Otherwise I did the recipe to the letter. They look just like the picture but I wonder if maybe the little bitterness is from the baking powder? Anyway, overall another winner from Deb and SK.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
And why is this info so often missing from the recipes on this website? The yield is important to know!
It is because the yield varies by scoop size. Here, you’ll get anywhere from 18 to 26.
I prepared and scooped them and froze to bake from frozen in a few days’ time. Should I soften them before baking? How should I adjust the baking time?
I baked them for 15 min. (I ended up with 15 good size cookies by the way.) They are amazing. I think the best dessert I’ve ever made. My husband – who doesn’t have a sweet tooth – was very impressed.
They taste amazing but mine came out crumbly instead of chewy. What did I do wrong?
I gave up trying to find a comment from someone who actually made these cookies. Comments like “these look amazing” and “I can’t wait to try these” are very nice, but hugely annoying when you’re looking for feedback. So I DID actually make these. It doesn’t say whether to pack the brown sugar or not. I didn’t. I followed the recipe exactly as it was written. I am a dark chocolate fan. I used Bakers unsweetened chocolate, Hershey’s cocoa and Nestle semi-sweet chips. The first bite was startling because I wasn’t expecting the extremely dark chocolate flavor, but after the shock was over, the deep dark chocolate taste started coming thru and I am now addicted. If you’re not a dark chocolate fan, this may not be the cookie for you, but if you are, be prepared for that first jolting taste of DARKEST chocolate and the addiction that will certainly follow!
The comments are sorted into tabs. The second one is “I MADE THIS” and it will take you to comments only from people who made the recipe. Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Yeah, of course I didn’t realize that until after I pushed the publish button. My bad. Sorry, it’s a pet peeve of mine. The cookies are sinful! Thank you!
Lol, it’s a pet peeve of everyone’s. :)
I made these cookies last week. For the cocoa powder I used half Droste and half black cocoa powder that I recently ordered. I divided the dough in half and added toasted, chopped pecans. I did chill the dough and roll into logs then froze it. Having frozen cookie dough on hand makes providing home made cookies easy. This dough lasted a week before one of my children wanted cookies to take to a gathering. I had to fight family off in order to have enough left to send. This will be a regular in my cookie repertoire.
I wish I could say these worked out for me because I really wanted them to! The problem was that after I popped the dough in the fridge, it became really crumbly and the cookies didn’t spread at all when baked. They also ended up being quite dry. I think next time I’ll skip the fridge step and see if they work better that way. I still ate them though, because chocolate!!!
I made the batter a day ahead and baked the cookies for a Valentine’s evening treat. Really yummy cookies!
I only had about half the unsweetened baking chocolate that I needed, so I used semisweet chocolate for the rest and reduced the sugar by about a quarter cup (but then ended up sprinkling a little coarse sugar on the tops).
It did take the cookie dough about an hour out of the fridge to come to a scoop-able temperature that didn’t bend my spoons…but that is easy enough to plan for. I’ll be making these again!
I have made these cookies twice. Both times with oat flour (old fashioned oats ground in my magic bullet) because I am staying away from wheat flour. There are beyond delicious! My family said it’s the best cookie they have ever had. They had no idea that they were made with oat flour. They are so easy to make and they turn out perfect every time! Highly recommend!!
Thank you posting this, Brigid. I love these cookies but my husband is gluten-free. Darn, this means I’ll have to share. 😉
Made these, did everything wrong, and they’re still dangerously good. Used salted butter. Forgot the baking soda! Had to substitute 72% for half the unsweetened chocolate and reduced the sugar by a couple tablespoons. They’re still wonderful!
Just made these for the first time. OMG delicious!
Literally brownies made into cookies. Couldn’t be easier!! Dough is a little hard to shape but that just means I had to lick my fingers. delicious!!!
Made these for a picnic where we wanted the taste of a brownie with the portability of a picnic. Our discriminating brownie lovers thought they were scrumptious. I weighed all ingredients and found the consistency of the batter to work well. Refrigerated for 30 minutes and scooped with a 40 scoop on a Silpat. Since we are at 6500 feet altitude I upped the oven temperature to 375 degrees and baked for 11.5 minutes. Cookies did spread a little and had nicely domed tops.
How many does this make please?
I always love your recipes and follow you on IG. Made these cookies and they are dry, very surprising. Any ideas? I did not make any changes to the recipe. The only thing that makes sense would be over baking…..must be my oven.
Try baking them a couple minutes less and seeing if that helps. Dry with a cookie like this usually just means baked too much.
Not a great recipe. I used Baker’s chocolate and Hershey’s cocoa, and Guittard chips. The cookies are excessively bitter, with a tang from the overlarge amount if cocoa and unsweetened chocolate. Either the cocoa or the chocolate will make a very chocolatey cookie. More is not always better. Milk chocolate or white chocolate chips might be better than standard semisweet, too.
Maybe higher-end brands of chocolate and cocoa need to be used. I mostly use Baker’s but somehow didn’t think it would work well here and was very satisfied with Ghirardelli baking chocolate.
My friend and I made these last night. Oh my word! The best and browniest cookies ever! Thanks Deb!
I made these after making the best cocoa brownie (why dirty another bowl on another day lol). Yum! Added walnuts and choc chips. Will definitely make again and do them as a slice and bake so I can cook them in my pie maker machine when I have a chocolate craving. I am sure that will be better than having them call my name all day long from the cookie jar.
i made these twice in the last two weeks and they are amazing. Here are my comments re ingredients. The first time I used Ghirardelli unsweetened baking chocolate and Ghirardelli cocoa. The cookies had a top note when first biting into them that I didn’t like. It was kind of like wine with different flavors coming out serially, except unwelcome. The second time still I still used Ghirardelli chocolate but substituted Droste cocoa, and there was no undesirable top note at all, just incredibly intense chocolate flavor.
Also, I am having wrist issues right now and used my stand mixer to no ill effect.
Nowhere near as sweet as a brownie. I refrigerated the dough overnight and it was nearly impossible to scoop, even after an hour at room temperature. NYT recipe for tiny salty chocolate cookies will give you cookies that perfectly resemble the crisp part of the brownie edge.
AMAZING cookie – however one critical point – the cocoa measurement in grams is very off from the cup volume. If you use the grams you get a pretty heavy, dry, not terribly pleasant cookie. Using the volume produces the intended result and is heavenly.
Disappointing! Baked for 9 mins and these ended up being way too cakey for my liking. The end results made me crave real brownies afterwards. I did read in the comments after the fact that it may be better to measure the coco in cup volume and not by weight (what I had done). I ended up freezing these and liked them much more frozen. Won’t be making again though.
I’ve made these in the past with amazing results! Today I made them with a slight variation: I added about 45g white chocolate chips, 45g bittersweet (60%) chocolate chips and 25g milk chocolate chips. I was going for that triple chip effect- SO GOOD!
These are delicious – but question. Have you ever made/eaten waffle brownies?
In fact, I have a recipe for them in my last cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Every Day. Brownie waffle sundaes!
Not sure if anyone will read this many years later, but I made these last night and echo the sentiments about baking time. I did one tray at 10 min and the other at 9 and even though both seemed underdone when I brought them out, they ended up more dry than I was hoping for. Still delicious, but will decrease the baking time even more next round
These cookies were great! I was worried about the sweetness so I used semi-sweet chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate.
I was needing an intense chocolate experience in a cookie and this recipe is perfection!
These cookies hit every note and are perfect: deep satisfying, rich chocolate flavor, perfect texture (not cakey), and moist. And it’s an easy recipe. I used a combination of chopped semi-sweet and bitter chocolate for the chocolate add-in and used 75 grams instead of 115 grams. I found that to be enough for me. I added toasted chopped pecans because I love nuts in anything and I like the texture and toothiness they add to the cooke. I froze some dough balls and stored them in the freezer in a ziplock for when I get a future chocolate craving.This will be my go-to chocolate cookie recipe.
Thanks for giving the measurements in grams. It makes baking so much more convenient and accurate.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
These are not “kid friendly.” Too dark and bitter (I used light brown sugar). I guess you would have to push down on batter before baking to flatten out. First time I have ever been disappointed by a recipe on this site. Hurts to waste ingredients though.
Best cookies ever! A perfect gift. So happy to discover this delicious recipe! It’s now my favorite. Don’t overcook, they firm up as they cool.
Can you roll these in sugar before baking, like your peanut butter cookies?
Hi! How many cookies does this make?
Depending on your scoop size, anywhere from 15 to 25.
I made these and along with some vanilla ice cream took them to a friend’s place for the dessert portion of a barbecue. They made the best ice cream sandwiches ever! The expression on everyone’s faces along with the reverent silence(because everyone was busy eating!) was hilarious. Many compliments and happy people.
So yummy!! and super easy! These will be my new go-to cookies <3
Beautiful cookies. Mine look just like your photo. Cook time perfect. Chill time perfect. Next time I will add walnuts and sub semi sweet choc for half of the chocolate..Boy oh boy are these rich and chocolatey.
I made these today because #eatingmyfeelings from the election. I only had a regular milk chocolate bar and chocolate chips, so I used those and backed down the brown sugar to 130grams and only 1Tbsp of white sugar. I also added pecans. These turned out beautiful and delicious, and satisfied my craving for chocolate-brownie happiness. Thank you Deb!
Hi, I hate to be that person, but I don’t have unsweetened baking chocolate, only the Tj’s huge red bar of 72% dark chocolate (is that considered bittersweet?).
Any idea how I should alter the recipe to keep it close? leave out some sugar? thanks so much!
Since they’re not crazy sweet, but taking away sugar can affect moisture, I might leave it all in.
Ooh la la fudgy cookie come to mama! I found this recipe exactly 1 hour ago and I have 2 dozen cookies cooling right now. I didn’t have sugar free chocolate, so I used 60% chips and dropped the added 2T of white sugar. Can’t wait to gorge, thanks for the recipe and posting it now to replace nail chewing 😃
Can there be Infinitely Adaptable Blondie-est Cookies? I’m tempted to mash the two recipes together and see what happens.
Oh that does sound fun. I’ll put it on the list!
Can’t figure out where it says how many cookies this recipe is supposed to make
Okay I just made these and they are AMAZING. My husband smelled them baking upstairs, came down, proceeded to eat five, and then got yelled at because I hadn’t even tasted one yet. I’m vegan so I swapped the 2 eggs for 2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, let sit for a few minutes). It worked perfectly and now these cookies will be part of my rotation. I’m just kicking myself because I’m almost completely out of milk and a glass of milk is necessary with these.
Made these today and while very tasty, I found them to be dry and crumbly, even when under-baked. Reading through comments, it seems other people had this issue as well. Any ideas? Could it be due to the quality (or lack there of) Of the cocoa powder? Granted, I made these with a 4 and 6-year-old, so our measurements probably weren’t SUPER precise.
Deb, I love you and always have great success with your recipes…I desperately want to love these cookies but have made them twice with sad results. They are not fudgey or gooey and the texture has ended up crumbly…and they don’t spread at all in the oven…just stay balled up. Today when I made them, i was. Weighing out the cocoa powder and I thought “45g seems like a lot more than 1/2 a cup”. After the sad results, I got my scale back out and this time weighted a half cup of cocoa powder…which came to 35g. Wondering if the 10g of extra cocoa powder is the culprit…going to try again tomorrow…because I really want to love these cookies!
Have you tried baking them for less time? These cookies are particularly sensitive to even a little overbaking — you want to take them out when they still seem raw in the middle.
These are my new favorite cookies. Love everything about them, as does everyone that tastes them. I made them right before Thanksgiving to take to a dinner party. Then left for Florida for a month. When we got back, I popped a frozen pizza in the oven. All I could smell was these cookies – the essence lingered in the oven for a month! Of course, I had to make them the very next day!
They will be the star of my Christmas cookie platter – thank you!
These cookies are the easiest and the best. My go-to recipe!
Hello Deb! You are wonderful. I have been making this recipe for many years now with always huge success!! However, I’m trying to save time by freezing batter and doing the slice and bake technique. It is now a frozen log. Cook at same temp and for same amt. of time??
Also, hard to slice frozen dough no? Making for large party and want them to taste as amazing as they always do. Thank you!!!
I think these will look great as a slice-and-bake with thick slices. Definitely hard to slice frozen cookies with melted chocolate, you can let it warm up a bit or just do your best with a sharp serrated knife. You can bake from frozen and they will spread even less.
I wonder if anyone has tried to spread this batter into a 9 x 13 pan and proceed as instructed in your just posted chocolate ice cream sandwich. So many readers love this brownie cookie recipe I thought it might be adaptable as a flat sandwich for ice cream as opposed to just using as cookies with ice cream between. Any comments on this would be welcome.
These will be my new go-to cookies… So yummy!! and super easy!
These cookies are the easiest and the best. I want to try this…
OMG delicious….! Just made these for the first time….
will 100% be sprinkling them with the Maldon salt I finally bought?
This is a great recipe, i ll surely try these cookies for Eid festival.
have killed many lonely hours for me and have filled my house with joy. Wish you and your family so much joy and peace.
Perfect recipe for an extreme chocolate craving! I subbed Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour and Miyoko’s vegan butter to accommodate for allergies and it still worked perfectly. I didn’t have baking chocolate so used Guittard dark chocolate chips and reduced the brown sugar by 30g. They are still super dark and not too sweet. Thanks Deb for another winner!!
The dough looked so amazing but the cookies turned out so dry! I only baked for 10 minutes but I would try 7-8 next time, and maybe reduce the flour. Such a bummer!
These are fantastic! I made the dough Tuesday night. Baked 6 cookies last night and portioned the rest into balls and put them in the freezer. Great recipe for a rich chocolate cookie when the mood strikes.
May I switch out Dutch process for the cocoa here? May I use chocolate essence flavoring? How is that done, replace the vanilla or supplement it? I also have coffee essence flavoring, would that be a nice add? These are natural organic and quite concentrated. Thanks!
These are yummy! I added 1T of flour after the first batch and they fluffed up a little bit more. Without the flour they were a tad flat, but that could also be because of the altitude. They are rich and chocolately.
My daughter brought some of these to us almost a year ago. The best chocolate fudgy cookie ever! I’m diabetic so I’ve been waiting to make them. They are wonderful! One thing. I need to buy a cookie scoop. I probably made them too large. They didnt spread out & I only have 16. Some of them fell apart but I dont care becz they’re awesome tasting. Can you say topping for icecream??
Disappointed! I found these dry and nowhere near as flavorful as Outrageous Brownies, Ina Garten’s recipe which remains the favorite of everyone I’ve made it for. I wouldn’t make this recipe again.
I´ve made them so many times by now. I love them as does everyone else. Not overly sweet, very very rich. Wonderful.
I’m wondering if these could be dusted in powdered sugar before baking to give them that crinkle look and pretty them up for a Christmas platter…? Or would it ruin the texture?
These cookies are for true dark chocolate lovers and are honestly some of the best cookies I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. For those readers from Columbus, Ohio – these will remind you of Northstar Cafe’s “Chocolate Truffle” cookie. I’ve made them multiple times – typically with a mixture of unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate (adjusting sugar accordingly). I have added a teaspoon of espresso powder or freshly ground coffee and found it really amped up the chocolate flavor even more. I’ve made batches where I added a touch of peppermint flavor, and swapping half the chips for Guittard Mint Chips. I’ve made batches where I swapped half the chips for peanut butter chips. Each time — gooey, incredibly chocolate-y, and a massive crowd pleaser. I typically bake for 10-11 minutes tops and find that results in a perfect goo to crisp ratio :)
I used Dutch process cocoa, and since I didn’t find it to be sweet enough, I rolled my balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar before baking. Yum!
The dough was unexpectedly interesting and rich. The spatula really knifed off very satisfying pieces for “testing purposes” and I was almost sad to add chocolate chips which I cannot believe I am saying. I just used brown sugar and next time I will use chopped pecans. Great recipe! Thanks
Do you think if I rolled these in powdered sugar they would be the ultimate chocolate crinkle or crackle cookie? My boys are begging me to make crinkle cookies but the last recipe I tried I was super disappointed. Smitten Kitchen has never let me down!
Thank you but I fear these are the wrong cookie — taller. For a crinkle, we really want a cookie that spreads more.
I love this cookie. I use a black cocoa, dark chocolate and milk chocolate chunks. I slightly underbake for soft cookies for days. Recently I used this as a base for a white chocolate macadamia cookie. Omitted the cocoa powder, boosted the flour, a bit of almond extract, roasted macadamia bits and high quality white chocolate. Beautiful. Delicious. Thanks Deb!
These cookies are spectacular! I made them as-written with three adjustments for high-altitude baking (Boulder, CO – about 5,000 ft above sea level): I reduced the baking soda by half, added an extra tablespoon of flour, and baked at about 360 degrees for about 10 minutes (adding 1-2 minutes when baking the dough frozen). Oh, and I sprinkled flakey sea salt on top of the cookies just before baking, because I love salt+chocolate. I definitely suggest doubling the recipe – it’s wonderful, and the dough freezes well if you want to bake some later. Definitely a keeper.
thnks great site realated foods
I’ve probably commented on this recipe before as I make these cookies all the time. They are frustratingly better than any actual brownies I’ve ever made. Just pointing out that if you substitute chopped Chocolove peppermint chocolate bars for the chocolate chips these become the best Christmas cookies ever. I can’t get through December without making at least 2 quadruple batches.
Delicious. We only had 3 1/2 ounces of dark chocolate – it worked quite well. Don’t think they will last long!!
Those look so so yummy!!! Muneeb Stone
They look delish! I am always “smitten” with your recipes. One question… can these be made w/o the chocolate chips/chocolate chunks. Thx!! 💝
You can but they do help a lot with the chocolate flavor.
this looks so good! Do you think you could add peanut butter? How much and would you remove anything else?
Have you tried these cookies using gluten free flour? Thanks.
Three people have reported their gluten-free adaptations. Hope one works for you:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/#comment-827592
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/#comment-1377085
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/#comment-2349200
OMGoodness these are the BEST cookie brownies EVER !!!!!!! thank you for sharing.
I made these but supplemented 4 oz bittersweet choc (all I had) and then supplemented the other 4 oz with semisweet choc. Used TJ’s semisweet choc chunks. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly and these are the best cookies I have ever made. They are so light yet really decadent and rich. They are still unbelievably delicious on day 2. I will definitely be making these on repeat.
So easy, quick and yummy! The cookies baked up beautifully were soft and moist/fudgy in the very middle. Rich deep chocolate flavor. I did add 2 T of espresso dissolved in 1/4 c. hot water and subbed Reece’s pieces instead of chips. These are my new favorite cookie!
Love this recipe (and how it comes out as-is). Was wondering: Has anyone ever subbed olive oil for part of the butter in this cookie? A local place has this really great olive oil cookie (it’s not vegan/has butter) and it looks just like this, but I’m trying to figure out how to recreate. The internet tells me I can do 3 parts olive oil for every 4 parts butter. Have tried other recipes, but most of them focus on eliminating the butter entirely and turn out kind of odd and grainy.
Made the brownie cookies today. Absolutely the best! Five stars! Will definitely make them again. My new go to double chocolate cookie.
Have to admit I was slightly hesitant to make these after reading the comments – there were enough remarks about them being dry or too flat or just mildly disappointing. But I should never have doubted because Deb can do no wrong.
First, one bowl recipes ALWAYS trump any others. I love minimal mess and this recipe delivers there. These cookies are EXACTLY what they promise – a brownie in cookie form. Not too sweet, not too dense… If you’re truly after a brownie, only brownies will do, but sometimes you want something brownie-ish without being quite so dense and decadent. This is a great middle ground chocolate treat and more easily shareable too. Good texture and the outer was just crisp enough to satisfy that edge-piece feeling too.
I used semi-sweet chocolate and they turned out great. Baked for 10 minutes and were perfect in my oven.
Thanks Deb!
Great tasting cookies and thanks to other commenters, particularly Kait, I also rolled the cookies, only cooked them for 9 minutes and let them sit on the sheet afterwards. I found them spread more than the photos but not much more than an average cookie. Tasted like my favourite crinkle cookies but much easier to mix so I’ll be using this recipe from now on. I did forget to add the chocolate chips at the end but still tasted perfectly sweet
I needed a recipe that would use the peppermint chips my husband accidentally bought. This worked perfectly – did a mix of peppermint chips & semisweet chips, and added maldon salt on top before baking. So rich and chocolatey — and so easy! Love it.
Yesss! Cookie size brownies! without the sugar coma!
My chocolate was Trader Joe’s 72% Pound Plus bar. So, i reduced the brown sugar by 1/4c and omitted the granulated sugar. But next time, i will keep the brown sugar as-is. I used half (chopped walnuts) and half (dark chocolate chips) for the stir-ins at the end.
I gave the dough 20 min in the fridge, and after baking they looked exactly like your pictures, I was so proud of myself!