Fudgy, chewy and even gluten free, these chocolate brownie cookies are the ultimate recipe to satisfy that chocolate craving. With gorgeous shiny, crackly crust, these cookies are bound to impress.
If ya’ll saw my instagram stories the past couple of weeks, you know I’ve been going nuts trying to get these brownie cookies right!
I was initially attempting a vegan recipe, with absolutely no success. That would even be an understatement. They were horrible. So I threw a couple of eggs into the mix and alas, they solved the problem. They normally do!
These gluten free brownie cookies are a slightly variation of my skillet brownie recipe but with a few tweaks to make them perfect as cookies.
They have gorgeous shiny and crackly crust (can a cookie have a crust, idk, but we’ll call it that) and a deliciously fudgy center. Kind of like my chocolate crinkle cookies!
How to make these cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside
Add the 8 ounces of chocolate (please note this is 8 ounces by weight, not volume! see notes if you don’t have a kitchen scale) to a bowl and melt in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each interval until fully melted.
Alternatively, add to a double boiler and melt on the stove. Melt the coconut oil and measure out 1/3 cup. Set the chocolate and oil aside for now.
In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes. The long mixing time is key for the shiny crackly tops! After 2 minutes, beat in the coconut oil, melted chocolate and vanilla.
Beat in the cocoa powder, corn starch, flour, baking powder and salt. Be sure to spoon and level the flour. If you’re using the espresso powder, also add this in now. I usually don’t use it, but if you want a really rich chocolate flavor, it will do just that!
The batter will be like a thick brownie batter, but not thick like traditional cookie dough. This is what you want!
Fold in the chocolate chips. Spray a medium cookie scoop with oil (will help with the scooping since the dough is a bit sticky) and quickly scoop the dough and add to the prepared baking sheet, leaving a bit of space in between for spreading.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, I usually do 12 in my oven. They will continue to firm up as they cool so you want them slightly soft when they come out of the oven.
Use a round cookie cutter to swivel around the cookie to create a perfectly round shape.
Let cool on the baking tray, then sprinkle with sea salt flakes and enjoy!
Tips for crackly tops
Cream the eggs and sugar. Using an electric mixer to combine the eggs and sugar for several minutes. This will allow an almost meringue like substance to form around the cookies as they bake, which is what gives them their characteristic shiny tops!
Use good quality chocolate. I LOVE the Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe and virtually all of my recipes that require chocolate chips!
I personally love semi-sweet, which I recommend for this recipe. You can use a dark chocolate instead, but of course the cookies will be darker and more rich! Good or bad, depending on what you like!
Bake ASAP! Not to be dramatic, but time is of the essence when making these brownie cookies! They’ll still be delicious and fudgy if you wait a bit, but if you want crackly shiny tops, they need to get in the oven within a few minutes of making the batter. The sooner the better!
Can I make them vegan?
Unfortunately, no. If you follow me on instagram, you’ll know I tried and let’s just say it did NOT go over well. I have another vegan chocolate cookie recipe you can make instead, or my vegan brownies!
Storage Tips
These brownie cookies can dry out if left to their own devices, so keep them in an air tight container where they will stay fresh and fudgy for about 3-5 days.
I like to warm them up in the microwave for just a few seconds before eating. They’ll be good as new! Brownie points (pun intended) if you crumble them over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. SO good.
Try these desserts next!
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram and leave a comment below so I can see your creation!
Brownie Cookies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate I like Guittard semi sweet chips
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp granulated cane sugar
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil measured when melted, not solid
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup gluten free all purpose flour can sub regular AP flour if not GF
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- optional: 1/2 tsp espresso powder helps create a really rich flavor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside
- Add the 8 ounces of chocolate (please note this is 8 ounces by weight, not volume! see notes if you don't have a kitchen scale) to a bowl and melt in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each interval until fully melted. Alternatively, add to a double boiler and melt on the stove.
- Melt the coconut oil and measure out 1/3 cup. Set the chocolate and oil aside for now.
- In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes with an electric mixer. The long mixing time is key for the shiny crackly tops! After 2 minutes, beat in the coconut oil, melted chocolate and vanilla.
- Beat in the cocoa powder, corn starch, flour, baking powder and salt. Be sure to spoon and level the flour. If you're using the espresso powder, also add this in now. I usually don't use it, but if you want a really rich chocolate flavor, it will do just that! The batter will be like a thick brownie batter, but not thick like traditional cookie dough. This is what you want!
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Spray a medium cookie scoop with oil (this will help with the scooping since the dough is a bit sticky) and quickly scoop the dough and add to the prepared baking sheet, leaving a bit of space in between for spreading. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired. The sooner you can get the cookies in the oven, the better. If the batter sits for too long, the cookies won't get shiny/crackly.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes, I usually do 12 in my oven. They will continue to firm up as they cool so you want them slightly soft when they come out of the oven.
- Use a round cookie cutter to swivel around the cookie to create a perfectly round shape.
- Let cool on the baking tray, then sprinkle with sea salt flakes and enjoy! It's important to let them cool completely, otherwise the center of the bottoms can stick to the parchment a bit, so try to wait a good 20-30 minutes if you can!
Lindsay says
These are AMAZING! I adapted them into a keto-friendly version and they were still heavenly!!! Love it! Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Amazing! So glad they worked as a keto version!
Megan says
Ok, 2nd time making these and they are so yummy and have that perfect shine. But mine are spreading so thin. Are they supposed to be ultra thin? I am using tapioca instead corn starch otherwise as you wrote it. Let me know!
Claire Cary says
tapioca isn’t as absorbent as cornstarch, so you may need a touch more. I’d try with corn starch, they shouldn’t be spreading super thin!
julia says
I don’t have any corn starch, will the cookies turn out good without it?
Claire Cary says
Unfortunately, you definitely need the cornstarch in these! If you have tapioca starch that should work too
Mia says
Could I make these using almond meal instead of gluten free flour?
Claire Cary says
No, that won’t work here.
Noree False says
These are AMAZING!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Noree! So happy you think so 🙂
Alexandra says
Hi there! Are there any substitutes I can use for the coconut oil? (Ex. Olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, etc.)
Claire Cary says
Butter! That’ll work just as well as the coconut oil 🙂 you can use dairy or non-dairy!
Elyssa says
These really are the best ever brownie cookies. Ive made them twice. Once gluten free and once with regular flour. You’d literally never know the gluten free ones were gluten free…they’re that good. Tasted just like the regular ones! Perfectly gooey on the inside but crispy on the outside!
Claire Cary says
Yay so glad they worked both ways!
Stacia says
I have made these cookies twice now in the last few weeks (after seeing the instagram post), and boy are they delicious!! They are actually a gluten-free version of a cookie that I have been lusting over for the last several years, so I was very excited when I saw the recipe show up. I made them a second time because I wanted to try adding in walnuts, and that worked out really nicely! I followed the recipe exactly, and didn’t add the espresso since I have a coffee allergy.
One note – I didn’t notice it the first time through (though it was there) was delineating between refined and virgin coconut oil. I used virgin the first time, and of course they tasted coconut-y. I used refined the next time, and voila, perfect cookie with no unintentional coconut taste. New lesson learned. Thanks, Claire!
Claire Cary says
Yum, love the addition of walnuts, I’ll have to try that! Glad you liked them enough to make them a second time, even with the coconut flavor! Thanks so much for your review, always so appreciated!