One-Bowl Fudgy Brownie Cookies
Ever wanted the chewy, fudgy gloriousness of brownies in cookie form (if you haven’t, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU)? Look no further! These insanely delicious one-bowl brownie cookies are amazing and completely irresistible!
These cookies, you guys.
They are definitely up there in probably my top 5 favorite cookies of all time.
They are insane. Fudgy. Chewy. Ultra-chocolatey. And just like the best desserts? They are AMAZING straight from the freezer (such dangerous info).
If the cookies/recipe look a bit familiar to you, you aren’t imagining things.
The original recipe was published in the eCookbook I put out several years ago, but I recently decided it was high time to let the entire world have access to these decadent brownie cookies.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that these are some of my favorite cookies ever. Everything about them speaks to my soul. Easy? Check (we’re talking one bowl, one wooden spoon kind of easy).
Soft and fudgy? Double check.Decadent and richly chocolate? Yep. Check, check, check.
If you can melt chocolate and butter, add an egg and a few dry ingredients, you’ve got yourself some of the best cookies on the planet. And look how cute they are fancied up a bit?
These clearly have a Valentine’s day vibe, but you could put your own spin on how to dip and sprinkle.
How elegant would they be dipped half in white chocolate? And then drizzled with dark chocolate. Or sprinkles. The only caution I can give is to not let the adornments overshadow the simple gloriousness of the fudgy brownie cookie itself.
These brownie cookies have been a staple in our lives (and freezer) for years and years.
I’m just so happy to finally be sharing them with every last one of you. If you haven’t made them out of the eCookbook yet, let now be the time. And if you have made them, let me know what you think (and then congratulate yourself for being head of the game by making another batch!).
You can never have too many brownie cookies. That is a guiding theme of my life. I’ve made these cookies for so many events over the years, and they are met with rave reviews every single time, which should come as absolutely no surprise.
An intensely chocolate, fudgy, cookie that’s basically a brownie in cookie form? Yeah, what’s not to love?
Fudgy Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
- ¾ cup (159 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (28 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (85 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate chips at 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth (but not overly warm). Let the mixture cool until room temperature.
- Add the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well-combined.
- Add the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Gently stir until evenly combined (don’t overmix). Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough for 1-2 hours until the dough is more firm but not so stiff you can’t scoop out the cookie dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Scoop out heaping tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into balls (I use a medium #40 cookie scoop).
- Place the cookie dough balls a couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (about 12 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until set around the edges but still soft in the middle (and there are a few cracks on top); don’t overbake!
- Let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature for a couple days or freeze for longer (these taste great straight from the freezer!).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (originally published in the eCookbook I created a couple years ago)
These cookies are so good! Would these work as regular brownies?
You could bake them in a pan…but they probably will turn out more like a chewy cookie bar than a brownie.
1st: These cookies are fantastic. Very very good.
2nd: I almost had a crisis. I had book club in 90 minutes and wanted to whip up some cookies. I checked the total time needed to make these and it said 30 min, I saw I had all the ingredients, and plowed forward without reading the instructions first. This is mostly my bad for not pre-reading the instructions, but it was very unpleasant to finish the cookie dough and then read it needed to be chilled 1-2 hours before scooping out. The dough was made and I didn’t have enough time (or softened butter) to make another batch of another cookie, so I crossed my fingers and put the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes and then called it good. The texture wasn’t great to scoop and the cookies were a little on the flat side once cooked, but they were still fudgy and delicious, as promised.
I want to reiterate, I’m the dummy for not reading the instructions first, but it is a little misleading for the total time to be 30 minutes when it actually needs to be chilled for a few hours in addition to the 30 minutes.
Thanks Mel!
Good point, Lindsey – I edited the timing in the recipe to reflect that.
Can you make them with unsalted butter
Yes, just increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon or so
I have your ecookbook, but had never made these until right now.
This recipe is a keeper! Easy to make. And so delicious!
(We did experiment a little. We tried some baked in a mound directly out of the cookie scoop. The next ones we portioned out with the scoop, but pressed flat on the top. And last we scooped the dough, then rolled it into a ball. They all baked a little different. Our favorites were directly from the scoop, not flattened at all. They looked the nicest and had a soft (but cooked) center. The flattened ones were not as nice looking. (But they weren’t overcooked.) The ones we rolled into balls were the least cooked in the center. I ended up baking them a little longer to be sure we didn’t have raw cookies. Of course they all tasted great!)
What a great idea! I’m sure you’re recipe here is amazing and delicious.
Curious though, if we’re talking use a brownie mix, what would be needed to make them work like cookies like this?
I honestly don’t know, Ann – that would involve quite a few changes. Good luck if you decide to experiment!
Mel, have you ever used this recipe in a 9×13 to make brownie cookie bars? Lately I find myself making all my cookie dough recipes (including your s’mores cookies) into cookie bars due to saving time. I typically just lower the temp. Just wondering if you’ve tried it just for convenience.
I haven’t, sorry! But it’s worth a try!
These cookies are amazing! Do you know how long these cookies will last in the freezer?
If they are kept in a well-sealed bag or container, they’ll be fine in the freezer for a couple of months.
These ARE the best brownie cookies without a doubt ❣️❣️❣️THANKS
Hey, Mel!!
First off, you are my go to for ALL THE THINGS…you never fail me.
One quick question, I only have dutched cocoa. Is the acidity from the brown sugar enough for the baking soda since the cocoa is alkalinized? Seems like it should be ok since it works with ccc….?
Appreciate the help!
Dutch process cocoa should work fine – you could add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to the recipe as well.
Super yummy!!! ❤️ Love this recipe!!
Yum yum yum
Could I make these with honey instead of the brown sugar? Maybe half honey half brown sugar? What liquid should I omit to get the same consistency? Anyone’s thoughts and suggestions would be awesome! Thanks
These came out wonderfully and I even put the chocolate and butter in last. Multitasking had me doing too much at one time. I wish I could share the picture of them!
Wow. Wow! So good! Great, easy, and delicious recipe!
Oh geez! 1 stick of butter is 8 tblsp not ounces. I should have known you wouldn’t make a rookie mistake. I’ve been baking for 8 hours and my brain is obviously over it. You can feel free not to post that previous comment. Sorry!
Omgosh, I was thinking the same thing with oz and tablespoons. I was so concerned, I forgot it was a one-bowl recipe and forgot to add the chocolate and butter, so that went in at the end. Wish me luck!
Hmmm, I wonder if this is why there is so much variation in the results. You ask for half a cup of butter which is one stick but then it also says 4 oz….which is 1/2 a stick of butter. I’m making them now, hopefully the 1/2 cup is correct. Fingers crossed!!!
i loved this recipe but it was a little dry the cookies were gone within 24 houres of making them
I just made This recipe and it sucks that they didn’t turned out thicker .. they came out really flat 🙁
Followed all the directions and time not sure how they went wrong
O MG…my husband is in brownie heaven,
Made these tonight for a party, also made
chocolate chip and p-Nut butter.
He said, don’t Take those to the party !
I haven’t eaten sugar in 5 mos. so I won’t
try them, but wow look and smell awesome.
Thank you Mel. It’s a favorite now !
I’ve commented on these before, but they are amazing. I made them in the spring along with three other kinds and put them in the freezer to get my family through the summer when it was too hot to bake and we didn’t want to make any desserts. These are my favorite from the freezer and the s’more cookies are my second favorite.
I made these today with my toddler to restock my stash and with her “help” it only took 25 minutes. That’s a win since we were waiting on a break in some thunderstorms to go for a walk. I don’t roll these cookies since they are just for us. I just make sure they are packed into my scoop and drop them on a silicone mat for baking.
This is a really good recipe. Thank you for sharing it with me.
I would like to add chopped walnuts to this brownie cookie recipe. I am thinking about 3/4
Cup, would I need to make any adjustments to the amount of butter to compensate for the oil in the nuts? Thank you
I don’t think so…
When recipe calls for butter, but doesn’t state unsalted or salted, what should be used?
I always use salted.
These were delicious! On my last cookie sheet, I used a silicone mat and there wasn’t a difference in either sheet.
Mine spread out too much. I got chocolate blobs. The dough was really sticky. I couldn’t drop them with a cookie scoop. Very disappointed they did not get the crackly top. My family said they tasted good but don’t make them again. I chilled the dough and turned my oven temperature down. I have no idea what went wrong
These were so tasty, Mel! Just like eating a brownie! However, mine spread all over the place, haha! The first batch of cookies (refrigerated about an hour) were very fudgy and gooey and didn’t hold their shape at all when I took them off the pan. The second batch (refrigerated more like two hours) spread even more and were crispy around the edges. Any idea what I did wrong?
Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes! You’re amazing!
Hey Amber – sounds like you might need to add a bit more flour. That should definitely help!
Somehow I just saw this…thanks, Mel! I’ll definitely try that!
I added more flour, and mine stayed high and puffy. Delicious!!!
We made these on the weekend with our children, they were lovely.
Made it with my son today. It was delicious!!!
OMG I love them. When warm the chocolate flavor seems very mellow the next morning it seemed a little but stronger- need to try with dark choc chips. 🙂
Loved this recipe!
I replaced the vanilla peppermint extract one time, and they were even better!!!
Cookies taste good, but like another commenter above noted, my cookies did not spread as much as yours did and get that nice flat top. My cookies spread a little bit, but kind of look more like craggy blobs :/ I followed the recipe as written (by weight) and only refrigerated for about an hour prior to baking. I also baked the second batch after the dough had sat out for ~15 mins at room temp thinking that maybe the dough was too cold, but I think maybe I needed slightly less flour? I kind of wondered about that as I was mixing in the dry ingredients. I’m not sure. Anyway, not quite the appearance I was hoping for, but still tasty.
Do we need to whip the eggs and sugar very well to get a thick creamy consistency or just mixed enough before adding the dry ingredients?
I mix until really well combined – so I’d suggest mixing for a good solid minute or thereabouts.
I have been making the same double chocolate chip cookies for 20 years (I found the recipe in a Mrs. Field’s cookbook that I received at one of my wedding showers). They have always been a family favorite. After making these cookies today, I think I will be retiring the Mrs. Field’s receive for good. They are absolutely incredible! These are the double chocolate cookies I’ve always dreamed of. Thank you for another incredible cookie recipe!!!
Hello. I only have baking cocoa which I think means it is alkalized. Will that work ? Thank you.
Yes, it should work fine
These are absolutely delicious! My dough was a bit sticky, even after chilling in the fridge for a couple hours, so I stashed it in the freezer, which worked great. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Just made these today with my two youngest because they needed to have their attention focused on something that didn’t involved bubbles and sidewalk chalk inside my home These were delicious and they really enjoyed licking the beaters and bowl. Which bought me even more time. So thank you for my sanity and a delicious treat.
I’m all about those sanity-saving treats, Brenda!
Thank you for a beautiful recipe for such a worthy cause!
Your Mediavine swag is on the way and should be to you soon. It’s just a small token of our appreciation for your time and efforts to wipe out pediatric cancer.
~Jenny, Mediavine Marketing Associate
Thanks so much, Jenny!
absolutely divine! truly my favorite cookie ever! definitely now my go to! mine were a little flat so i’ll have to make them again with a bit more flour and see if that plumps them up but if not, who cares?!?
Could you replace the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt with self rising flour? And would the amount be the same?
I’m not sure, Brandie – sorry! I don’t use self-rising flour so I’m not familiar with conversions.