These chocolate brownie cookies with cocoa powder are a cross between a cookie and a brownie, take only 20 minutes to make using 5 ingredients, no chilling needed, and have a lovely fudgy chewy texture.
These chocolate brownie cookie with cocoa powder are also called crinkle cookies or mudslide cookies. They have a chewy texture and shiny top and take only 20 minutes to make with no chilling needed.
The crackle top is tricky, but can basically be created by dissolving sugar in half its weight in water and using a melted chocolate bar. This also helps give the cookies a fudge factor. The result is chewy and delicious fudgy brownie cookies, as easy to make as my cosmic brownie cookies, my chocolate sugar cookies, applesauce chocolate chip cookies, and M&M sugar cookies.
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Why You'll Love This
This eggless chocolate brownie cookie is easier to make than a boxed brownie mix, but with much more flavor and with clean ingredients. In general this brownie cookie is:
- Chewy
- Fudgy
- Chocolatey
- Chewy.
- Did I say chewy?
Not only is it a delicious cookie for everyone, it is safe to eat for vegans, vegetarians and those who follow a gluten free diet. And this is a dairy free brownie cookie, using no butter or milk.
Ingredients
cocoa powder - I used dutch processed cocoa here but regular unsweetened cocoa also works; it will just make the cookies lighter in color.
flour - Use either all purpose flour or a gluten-free baking flour
chocolate bar - Melted. Use a quality brand with at least 70% cacao.
olive oil - virgin olive oil is best for a lighter texture.
cane sugar - I used organic cane sugar for the taste but regular cane sugar works too.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
1. Preheat oven to 350 F, and line a quarter cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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. Allow it to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
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. Allow both syrups to come to room temperature, about 10 minutes - do not refrigerate to speed this up.
4. Combine the two syrups (when both are at room temperature) and stir until combined. Set aside the combined syrups for a few minutes to be sure it is at a mild temperature before adding dry ingredients.
5. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the liquid mixture and combine with a spoon.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop, add balls of cookie dough to the cookie sheet 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 bake the rest end on end. Don't refrigerate the batter and bake it later - the batter will seize up.
7. Bake for 9 minutes exactly at 350 F.
8. Once baked, the cookies may or may not be puffy. If puffy, flatten them down while hot with a spatula for a chewier texture, then fit a cookie cutter around the edges to ensure the circular form is correct.
Storage
The batter for these 20 minute brownie cookies cannot be made ahead and stored as the cookies will not bake properly. But once the cookies are baked, you can store them for a week at room temperature in a container. Or wrap them in plastic wrap and put into an airtight container, and freeze for up to three months.
Recipe Tips
1.This fudgy brownie cookie recipe makes 16 cookies.
2. Like macarons, this chocolate cookie recipe is a bit sensitive to water content in ingredients and even air, and to the acidity of brands of chocolate, oil and sugar. So your cookies may look slightly different - puffier or flatter, smoother or rougher, but they will taste the same.
3. Try to use a quality dark chocolate bar, 70% cacao (I use Ghiradelli), and not chocolate chips. Chips definitely have qualities that will change the structure of the cookie. I also used dutch processed cocoa to get this dark brownie color.
4. 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.
5. 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.
Add-ins & Variations
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 teaspoon of vanilla, or 1 teaspoon of brewed coffee, or 1 teaspoon ground coffee powder, or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or even ½ tsp cayenne pepper.
Expert tip: If adding liquids like vanilla and brewed coffee, add those first to an empty measuring cup. Then add the water up to the proper measurement. That way you aren't increasing the liquid.
FAQS
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.
Brownies are considered to be a bar cookie, according to Wikipedia.
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
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
20 Minute Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Cocoa Powder
Equipment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- 2 glass measuring cups
- large mixing bowl
- hand-mixer, medium cookie scoop
- cookie baking sheet, parchment paper
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cocoa
- 1 cup flour - all purpose or gluten-free baking flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 4 ¼ ounces chocolate bar use a quality bar that is at least 70% cacao
- 3 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ⅔ cup cane sugar
- ⅓ cup water
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Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Prepare ingredients, be sure all are at room temperature
- 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.4 ¼ ounces chocolate bar
- Stir in the olive oil. Set it aside to come to room temperature.3 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- Make the sugar syrup: Pour the water into the sugar and microwave at 30 second intervals twice. Stir until sugar granules seem dissolved. Look at the spoon. Set it aside to come to room temperature - probably 10 minutes. Do not refrigerate either syrup to speed the cooling process.⅔ cup cane sugar, ⅓ cup water
- Add the two syrups (at room temperature) together and stir until combined. Set aside the combined syrups for a few minutes to be sure it is at a mild temperature before adding dry ingredients.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the liquid mixture.¼ cup cocoa, 1 cup flour - all purpose or gluten-free baking flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, pinch salt
- 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
- The batter cannot be stored as the cookies will not bake properly. But once the cookies are baked, you can store them for a week at room temperature in a container. Or wrap them in plastic wrap and put into an airtight container, and freeze for up to three months.
Tara
I love this version. Thank you for sharing!
JoeBakes3
I love the minimal ingredients here. I will check out your other recipes.
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.