Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Fudgy, deeply chocolatey cookies with a shiny, crackly top and a soft brownie-like center, loaded with melted chocolate, cocoa and chocolate chips.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Wait
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 39 min
- Makes
- 16 cookies (about 3½ inches / 9 cm wide)
Steps
Before you start
- Take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so they are at room temperature; cold eggs can make the melted chocolate seize and stiffen.
- The dough must chill for 30 minutes before scooping, so plan the timing. It is a loose batter that firms up as it rests.
- Chop the chocolate bar into roughly ½-inch (1 cm) pieces so it melts evenly.
- Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. You will bake one sheet at a time.
Melt chocolate and butter
- Place the chopped semisweet chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water).
- Stir gently with a spatula until completely smooth, about 4–5 minutes.
- Alternatively, microwave in 20-second bursts at 50% power, stirring between each.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes, until warm to the touch but not hot.
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Ready when: Mixture is glossy and smooth with no visible chocolate pieces, and feels warm, not hot, on your finger
Tip: Keep water and steam away from the chocolate; even a drop can make it seize.
Whisk the dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and espresso powder (if using) until no streaks of flour or cocoa remain.
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Ready when: Mixture is a uniform dark brown color
Tip: Espresso powder won't make the cookies taste like coffee; it just deepens the chocolate flavor.
Whip eggs and sugars
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes.
- The mixture should become pale, thick and noticeably increased in volume.
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Ready when: When you lift the beaters, the batter falls in a thick ribbon that stays visible on the surface for 2–3 seconds
Tip: This long whipping is what creates the shiny, crackly top, so don't cut it short.
Add the chocolate
- Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat for about 30 seconds, just until combined and glossy.
- Scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
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Ready when: Batter is uniformly dark brown with no streaks
Tip: If the chocolate is still hot, wait a few more minutes before mixing.
Fold in the flour
- Add the dry ingredients all at once.
- Using a silicone spatula, fold gently until just a few streaks of flour remain, about 20 turns.
- The batter will be thin and pourable, like brownie batter.
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Ready when: Nearly no dry flour visible; batter looks thick and glossy
Tip: Do not overmix; too much stirring makes the cookies tough and cakey.
Stir in the chips
- Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
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Ready when: Chips are evenly distributed throughout the batter
Chill and preheatOven 350°F / 175°C
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until the batter is thick enough to scoop and holds its shape on a spoon.
- About 15 minutes into chilling, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Ready when: Batter is scoopable like thick brownie batter or soft fudge
Tip: If the batter is still runny after 30 minutes, chill another 10 minutes. If it gets too firm, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Scoop the cookies
- Scoop the batter into 3-tablespoon (about 55 g) mounds, placing 8 on each prepared baking sheet with at least 2 inches (5 cm) between them.
- Keep the second sheet's dough in the refrigerator while the first bakes.
- Sprinkle the tops lightly with flaky salt, if using.
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Ready when: 16 evenly sized mounds, 8 per sheet
Tip: Wet your scoop or fingers lightly if the batter sticks.
Bake the first sheetOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake the first sheet in the 350°F (175°C) oven for 11–12 minutes.
- The edges should look set and the tops shiny with fine cracks, while the centers still look slightly soft and underdone.
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Ready when: Edges are set, tops are shiny and cracked, centers look soft but no longer wet and glossy
Tip: Overbaking makes these dry instead of fudgy. They firm up as they cool.
Bake the second sheetOven 350°F / 175°C
- While the first sheet cools, bake the second sheet the same way at 350°F (175°C) for 11–12 minutes.
- Let the baking sheet cool for a few minutes before baking if you plan to reuse the first one, or use a cool pan.
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Ready when: Edges are set, tops are shiny and cracked, centers soft but not wet
Tip: Always put dough on a cool pan; a hot pan makes cookies spread too much.
Cool on the pan
- Let each sheet of cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes so they firm up, then use a spatula to move them to a wire rack.
- Cool another 5 minutes before eating.
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Ready when: Cookies lift off the parchment cleanly and hold their shape
Tip: Moving them too early will make the soft centers fall apart.
Good to know
Tips
- Weigh the flour and cocoa if you can; too much flour turns these from fudgy to cakey.
- Don't skip the long egg-and-sugar whipping; it creates the shiny, paper-thin crackly crust.
- Pull the cookies when the centers still look slightly soft; they will set as they cool.
- For extra-gooey pockets, press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops right after they come out of the oven.
Make ahead
"The dough can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 48 hours; let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes until scoopable, then bake, adding 1 minute if needed. Scooped dough balls can also be frozen on a tray, transferred to a bag, and baked from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for 13–14 minutes."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerator: up to 1 week (bring to room temperature before eating). Freezer: baked cookies up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature, or warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 4–5 minutes to bring back the soft, gooey center."
Substitutions
- semisweet chocolate bar (55–65% cacao) → bittersweet chocolate (60–70% cacao). Gives a deeper, less sweet cookie; avoid going over 70% or the cookies can turn dry.
- semisweet chocolate chips → chopped milk chocolate, white chocolate chips or chopped toasted walnuts. Use the same volume; nuts should be toasted and cooled.
- unsalted butter → salted butter. Reduce the fine sea salt to ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g).
- all-purpose flour → 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend. Cookies will be slightly more fragile; let them cool fully on the pan.
