Chocolate brownie cookies, chewy and fudgy, like a brownie! Vegan and gluten-free with no eggs, no aquafaba! Also called Crinkle Cookies, or Mudslide Cookies. Say hello to your new favorite vegan brownie cookie.
Chocolate Brownie Cookies
A super fudgy chewy dream of a brownie cookie. You probably have heard of these cookies by other names as well, such as crinkle cookies or mudslide cookies. I wanted to make these types of cookies but they all require eggs.
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Well I didn't use eggs here, I used water. Yes, you heard me. I used water instead and it worked perfectly. Let me explain.
I tried using other egg replacers, but more often than not it made the recipe unpredictable, so I leaned on water and a touch of flour, and the perfect brownie cookie appeared. Dependable. Delicious.
Before we dive into the mysteries of these brownie cookies, I'd like to invite you to sign up for my free chocolate course. Five lessons hit your inbox with detail on how to create your own simple healthy chocolate desserts.
Okay, so let's get started...
Ingredients in Brownie Cookies
cocoa - I used Valhrona's dark cocoa here but regular cocoa is also fine, just lighter in color.
flour - I have made this with both all purpose and BRM gluten-free baking flour
baking soda
dark chocolate bar - I have used many brands, mostly Ghiradelli and Black & Green. Look for 60% but few ingredients, just cacao butter and sugar, etc. Looked for a quality brand that states it's cacao percentage.
olive oil - virgin
cane sugar - I used organic cane sugar but the granules are bigger so it took me longer to melt. Don't use powdered sugar.
water
How to Make Brownie Cookies
My recipe below will provide you with the specific measurements and steps but here is a general rundown of how to make these cookies.
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a quarter cookie sheet with parchment.
2. Make the chocolate syrup by melting dark chocolate in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted completely, then stir in the olive oil.
3. Make the sugar syrup by adding water to sugar in a different pyrex measuring cup and microwaving at 30 second intervals twice. Stir until sugar granules seem dissolved. Look at the spoon. If they are not dissolved, heat again, just don't burn.
4. Add the chocolate syrup to the sugar syrup and stir until combined.
5. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the liquid mixture and combine with a spoon.
6. Using a scoop, add cookies to a pan at least 2 inches apart. I fit 6 cookies in a quarter cookie sheet. Do not chill the batter, just bake the first batch and then rest end on end. Don't refrigerate batter and bake it later - the batter will seize up. This makes 16 cookies.
7. Bake for 9 minutes exactly.
8. Once baked, flatten while hot with a spatula, and fit a cookie cutter around the edges to ensure the circular form is correct.
9. Store these cookies in a container at room temperature. They will keep a week or freeze.
How Do These Brownie Cookies Taste?
These fudgy chocolate dream cookies are:
Chewy
Fudgy
Yummy hauntingly chocolatey
Chewy.
Did I say chewy?
Tips to Help This Recipe Succeed
1. Relax and know that your cookies may look slightly different - puffier or flatter, smoother or rougher, but they will taste the same. The recipe texture is sensitive to water content and acidity of different brands of chocolate and oil and sugar.
2. Try to use a quality dark chocolate bar, 60% cacao (I use Black & Green or Ghiradelli), and not chocolate chips. Chips definitely have qualities that will change the structure of the cookie. I also used dark cocoa to get this color.
3. Be sure the sugar has dissolved well. A few granules on the spoon are okay, but if there is a lot sugar undissolved, warm the mixture again - just don't burn. Microwave in increments of 30 seconds only.
4. Don't over cook this cookie. These cookies are fudgy so they will look undone at 9 minutes but they are done. IF your oven is hotter, 8 minutes will work. Check your oven temperature if you aren't sure.
Possible Additions to Cookies
The structure of these cookies will change if you add things like nuts or chips so I wouldn't recommend it.
However, you can enhance the flavor with addition of spices such as ½ tsp of vanilla, or 1 tsp of brewed coffee, or 1 tsp ground coffee powder, or 1 tsp of cinnamon or even ½ tsp cayenne pepper.
If adding liquids like vanilla and brewed coffee, add those FIRST to the empty measuring cup you will use to collect the water for the sugar syrup. THEN add the water up to the proper measurement. That way you aren't increasing the liquid.
Q&A for Brownie Cookies
People love brownie cookies and here are some of the questions they ask.
What's the difference between brownie and brownie cookie?
According to comparisons on Wikidiff, a cookie is a small, flat, baked cake which is either crisp or soft but firm while a brownie is a small square piece of rich cake, usually made with chocolate.
Is a brownie a cookie or cake?
Brownies are considered to be a bar cookie, according to Wikipedia.
Do people prefer brownies or cookies?
A poll done in February 2022 by Mashed.com found that cookies won over brownies as a favorite dessert. So that means this recipe would be beloved since it combines the two.
Other Brownie Recipes
Dark Chocolate Vegan Brownies
Sweet Potato Brownies
Pumpkin Brownies
Brownie Truffles
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Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cocoa
- 1 cup flour - all purpose or gluten-free
- ½ tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 4 ¼ ounces dark chocolate bar 70%
- 3 ½ tbsp olive oil
- ⅔ cup organic cane sugar
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Prepare ingredients
- Line a quarter cookie sheet with parchment.
Make Brownie Cookies
- Make Chocolate Syrup: Add 4 ½ ounces or about half a cup of dark chocolate to a measuring cup. Melt in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted completely. The type of chocolate you use matters: I used 70% Ghiradelli baking bar.
- Stir in the olive oil.
- Make the sugar syrup: Pour the water into the sugar and microwave at 30 second intervals twice. Stir until sugar granuels seem dissloved. Look at the spoon.
- Add the chocolate syrup to the sugar syrup and stir until combined.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the liquid mixture.
- Mix batter with a spoon. Do not chill the batter, just bake the first batch and then the second and be done. Don't refrigerate it and bake it later - the batter will seize up.
- Use a 2-tbsp scoop to scoop the mixture and space cookies at least 2 inches apart. I fit 6 cookies in a quarter cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9 minutes exactly.
- Once baked, flatten while hot with a spatula, and fit a cookie cutter around the edges to ensure the circular form is correct.
Store
- These cookies will harden fast, so bag them and keep them at room temperature. They will keep a week or freeze.
Lynda
I love this recipe. Thank you! Chocolatey, chewy, rich. Most requested cookie by my BF.
Tommy
Iv'e made these three times now. I can honestly say the most incredible cookies I've ever made.
Tara
I love this version. Thank you for sharing!
Dee Dine
Thank you Tara!
JoeBakes3
I love the minimal ingredients here. I will check out your other recipes.
Dee Dine
Thank you!
J
Can I use powdered sugar?
Dee Dine
No it must be cane sugar
Patricia
Can I double (or quadruple 🙂 ) the recipe do you think?
Thanks
Dee Dine
I'm sure you can!
HonAllen
Made these, PERFECT cookies. I didn't change your recipe at all. I used Navitas brand cacao. Thank you for sharing!
Dee Dine
Glad it worked for you, thanks for sharing!
DonbakesNY
These work perfectly cacao.
Dee Dine
Interesting, thank you.
tara
I LOVE THIS RECIPE. Actually it failed the first time, but worked perfectly once I turned the heat down. I think it varies with others because of heat flucuations in ovens. I love all your easy chocolate recipes. I'm a boy mom and we can never have enough chocolate treats. Thank you so much for sharing them. Tara
mimiblue
What oven temperature did you use?
mauree
Mine were puffy but I used 1 tsp baking powder insteadof baking soda.
joelie
I used my convection oven and dark cocoa. They came out flat and crackly like yours. My BF loved them and so did I.
Lara
Is there a way to substitute sugar for a healthier option?
Dee Dine
No not without changing the structure. But I haven't tried other forms.
camfoodie
I made these twice! The first time they were a mess so I am glad the recipe is small batch. They tasted fine though. Just scary to look ata. I made them again and changed nothing. They were PERFECT.
Dee Dine
Thank you for telling me your experience! They always taste great even if the appearance is off! Dee xx
Elsa
well I followed the recipe exactly, and my cookies were crinkly on one side but bubbly on the other, just like you described. Should I try again? They tasted delicious. I didn't feel the need to run from the room lol.
Dee Dine
Sounds like you were close! The moisture, even in the air, can make a difference. Glad you didn't feel the need lol
Paola
I also had bubbles..is it possible that it's due to too much baking soda???
DanaP
I made them and got good sized cookies. Almost burned them, had to remove at 6 minutes. Made them again, added mini chocolate chips and made six small cookies on a larger cookie sheet. I know you used a quarter. Love this recipe. Thank you.
Dee Dine
Glad they turned out with chips added! Thanks for sharing!
Cy
WOW! I just made these! Thanks for the recipe! My son loved them. Cy
Dee Dine
Great news Cy!
Maria
What should be the temperature of the oven? Should I use air flow?
Dee Dine
Hi Maria, The temperature is on the recipe, 350 F. I don't know what airflow is?
Denise
What can be used instead of sugar?
Dee Dine
I don't think a granular sugar free product will work the same, but let me know if you try it.