Chocolate Brownie Cookies

These chocolate-brownie cookies combine the best of both worlds: the crackly, fudgy texture of a brownie with the chewy, crispy edges of a cookie.

They are a chocolate lover’s dream because, in addition to the rich chocolate cookie, they are also loaded with bittersweet chocolate chunks. It’s one of my most addictive cookie recipes, and the one that everyone always asks me for!

For more delicious cookie recipes, try my Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, my French Financiers, or my Coconut Macaroons.

Ingredients:

• Butter: I use unsalted butter for this recipe.
• Bittersweet Chocolate: I prefer bittersweet chocolate to milk chocolate in these cookies because it prevents them from becoming too sweet. Look for dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa for the best flavor.
• Eggs: Use jumbo eggs that are at room temperature. Room-temperature eggs will beat to a higher volume more quickly than cold eggs. If you forget to take the eggs out of the refrigerator, simply submerge them in warm water for 5 minutes to bring them up to room temperature.
• Brown Sugar: Keeps the cookies’ centers moist and chewy.
• White Sugar: White sugar contributes to the crispness of the cookie’s edges and crackly top.
• Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor, not imitation extract.
• All-purpose flour: If in the States, any all-purpose flour will work. If you are in France, use the T55 All-Purpose Flour. This is the same flour I use for muffin recipes here to achieve that great, fluffy, American-style texture. My Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins are my new favorites!
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: The combination of melted chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder gives these cookies incredible flavor. My favorite brand is Hershey’s. In fact, I love it so much that I ordered it from Amazon and had it shipped to France! Since it’s a critical ingredient in my Chocolate Bundt Cake, which is my go-to chocolate cake.
• Baking Soda: Makes cookies chewier than baking powder. You can see how chewy my Snickerdoodle Cookies are thanks to the baking soda!
• Salt: I use Kosher salt for the best flavor.
• Chopped Chocolate Chunks: For stirring into the batter once done. I prefer using chopped chocolate (7067% cocoa), the same type you’ll use for the batter, because it melts better and becomes gooey, unlike chocolate chips, which hold their shape.
• Fleur de Sel Sea Salt: Just a sprinkle once the cookies have baked. The combination of the rich chocolate and salty sea flakes is so fantastic! You can also try it on my Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart recipe. Equally good!

Step#1: Melt the Chocolate and Butter

• In a medium saucepan, give the butter a head start by melting it first. Then add the chocolate.
• This will create a protective layer in the pan to prevent the chocolate from scorching.
• I prefer to melt the butter and chocolate on the cooktop rather than in the microwave, because it gives me more control over the heat and prevents the chocolate from overheating.
• Once melted and combined, allow the chocolate mixture to cool while you beat the eggs and sugar.

Step#2: Beat the Eggs and Sugar

• In a stand mixer, beat the eggs, sugars, and vanilla for 5 minutes, until thick, voluminous, and pale white. The idea is to build up a lot of air in the batter.
• You could use a hand mixer; it just may take a bit longer than 5 minutes to achieve the fluffy texture, around 6-8 minutes.
• I prefer to use the whisk attachment rather than the paddle attachment to achieve the best texture.
• The air beaten into this egg mixture helps the batter form a cookie that rises and then deflates as it cools. This is what causes the cracks in the cookies once they are cooled.

Step#3: Fold in the Chocolate

• Once cooled, gently drizzle a little chocolate into the egg mixture to temper the eggs and prevent scrambling.
• This will help the chocolate and egg mixtures reach the same temperature.
• Then add the remaining chocolate, folding it in slowly to preserve the mixture’s lightness.
• At this stage, it’s OK if it’s a little streaky; it will combine further in the next stage, when the dry ingredients are added.

Step#4: Fold in Dry Ingredients

• Sift the dry ingredients together through a fine mesh sieve.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder is very lumpy, so working it through a sieve will keep your batter light and airy and not be weighed down by the lumps or heaviness of the flour.

Step#5: Fold in the Chocolate Chunks

• Chop the chocolate into small rectangular chunks.
• Fold in the ingredients, ensuring they are evenly distributed without overmixing or deflating the batter.
• The chocolate chunks really double the incredible chocolate flavor of these cookies!
• You’ll notice the texture of the dough is closer to brownie batter than cookie dough at this stage. It’s important to refrigerate the cookie batter for at least one hour to set up. Otherwise, the cookies will become too flat and will spread too much.

Step#6: Scoop and Bake

• Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchmentpaper. A medium-sized scoop will produce a 3-inch cookie.
• The cookies spread a bit, so bake only 6 cookies at a time.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

Step#7: Cooling and Setting Up

• Once the cookies are done, they will look puffed up.
• Allow them to cool for at least 2 minutes on the cookie sheet.
• The residual heat in the pan will help set the cookies and make them less fragile.
• Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool further.
• Sprinkle with a touch of Fleur de Sel sea salt.