Two dessert favorites join forces in this top-rated recipe for Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies that star chewy, fudgy centers and slightly crispy edges.
Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies are for the troubled multitaskers in this world—those that can’t find the time to eat a cookie and eat a brownie and drink a cup of coffee (Hint: There’s a touch of espresso in these beauties!), all in one sitting.
I feel your pain. And these cookie brownies ease that pain, one chocolatey, chewy, caffeinated bite at a time.
What can you expect from this recipe?
Imagine the texture of a rich, fudgy brownie, but in the circular shape of a good ol’ chocolate chip cookie.
You know I’ve always got a secret ingredient (or perhaps 125 of them) up my sleeve, and in this case, it comes in the form of instant coffee granules.
The hint of espresso amps up the chocolate flavor without contributing an overbearing coffee taste. Now to answer the most important question of all…
How Do You Get a Crackly Top on Brownies?
Three words: beat those eggs!
In Step 3 of this recipe, you use the whisk attachment to beat the eggs with the sugar and instant coffee granules. The more air you beat into the eggs, the fluffier (and almost meringue-like) they get. More beating = more crackly top!
Ingredients
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a double boiler (a small pan set within a larger pan of simmering water), combine the unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of chocolate chips and butter, stirring until melted. Remove the smaller pan containing the chocolate from the double boiler and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugar and instant coffee granules on high speed until very thick and mixture forms a ribbon when whisk is lifted, about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the bowl, whisking just until combined.
- Turn off the stand mixer. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and stir just until combined. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips.
- Portion heaping tablespoons of batter about 2 inches apart on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are cracked and puffed on top. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Kelly’s Notes:
- The batter will be much looser than your average cookie dough. If you’re making multiple batches, keep the batter in the fridge in between batches.
- When in doubt, underbake the cookies, as they’ll continue firming up as they cool on the cookie sheet.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Shoutout
Did you try this recipe?
Share it with the world! Mention @justataste or tag #justatasterecipes!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Recipe adapted from Gourmet.
Haven’t baked yet but the dough is hard to mold! Followed all the directions. Should I refrigerate first before rolling or add flour?
Hi Billy! The dough should be very stiff but scoop-able.
I made these per the recipe and after 12 minutes in Minnesota the insides where raw. I baked the next ones until the tops just cracked and that took 17 minutes. I then re-baked the ones that were ray for another 8 minutes and they are perfect. The chocolate chips (Toll House) completly melted into the cookie and made it very rich and gooood!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Marcus!
Very good, will bake again! Might try with 3/4 cup of sugar – will this negatively affect the egg-sugar-coffee whip?
I sprinkled some sea salt on the tops at the end, have done that the last couple of years when a cookie or bar is very chocolatey and sweet. I find the coffee doesn’t cut the sweetness enough.
I had lots of little crinkles, not big cracks but was fine with that.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Deb! I haven’t tried reducing the sugar amount in this recipe so I’m not sure what the resulting taste/texture would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
I agree. A bit too sweet not a strong enough coffee flavor. I tried the coconut oil bc want to be dairy free and the texture wasn’t runny like a lot of ppl said bc the first time I made with canola oil and was too runny. I beat the eggs and choc mixture for a while, became really fudgy almost like mousse. But when they baked they became quite thin. I wonder why
Hi Miriam – If you overmix the dough, you will end up aerating it (adding air) which causes the cookies to rise and then fall, leaving you with flat cookies.
Amazingly good!! :)
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Linda!
My family devoured these! Excellent recipe and great instructions. Thank you for sharing this ❤️
You are so welcome, Sharon! I’m thrilled your family enjoyed the cookies!
Kelly
I just came across this recipe — is the 3/4 cup of flour correct?
Yes :) Enjoy!
Hi!!!! I’ve been making these following your recipe for a few years now. I LOVE THEM! And so does everyone I share them with. The other day I added 1 tsp peppermint extract to make peppermint mocha cookies and they turned out great! I just wanted to let you know (: Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!
I’m SO thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Amanda! And I love your addition of peppermint extract – YUM!
The cookies are amazing!!! But I got 37 cookies out of a single recipe…and I used my ice cream/cookie 2″ scoop, which is a heaping T. How big are your Cookies? Also I left out the 1/8c of sugar. Perfection!
Hi Sherry! My cookies are pretty average size.
These are soft and chewy and so delicious.
So glad you enjoyed them, Tammy!
Do you think I would be able to substitute a gluten free flour blend for this recipe? I have friend who is anaphylactic to wheat, but she would love these cookies sooo much!
Hi Andrea – You could try using a gluten-free flour such as Cup4Cup that’s a 1:1 ratio as regular flour. I’ve never tried this so I’m not sure what the result would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
These are wonderful – chewy, and delicious.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Oh, Thank you. Stupid me, I read 350°C. I could have googled it mysef. Thanks for your reply. I’m gonna try to make them soon.
Hi. These look absolutely delicious. _I’d love to make them. The problem is that currently I have an electric oven that only goes to 240°C. Do you think it’ll be enough to bake them properly? I don’t want to try and waste all the ingredients.
Hi Romina! I just Googled 350F = ? °C and found that it is about 176°C :) So you’re all set!
Hi do you first need to dissolve coffee granules?
I’m afraid they won’t break up when mixing in and will leave rocky bits in batter.
Also can you sub butter for coconut oil?
Hi Miriam! There’s no need to dissolve the coffee granules and I’ve never made these cookies using coconut oil so I can’t say with certainty what the results would be. Let me know if you give it a shot! :)
As many have commented, 3/4 cup of flour is definitely wrong. Makes them too runny.
when and how does the butter go in?
Hi Andy! Per the recipe: “In a double boiler (a small pan set within a larger pan of simmering water), combine the unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of chocolate chips and butter, stirring until melted.” Enjoy!
would it work just as well without the espresso? I’m not a big fan :P
Definitely, Shauna! Just simply leave the espresso out. Enjoy!
These taste good, but i think part of the problem with them being too runny is that the butter doesn’t need to be melted with the chocolate in the beginning. I suggest adding the butter at room temperature- this will help the cookies hold together as a dough.
My suggestion is that you should put next to the chocolate chips in the recipe (1 cup for the double boiler and one for finish) as I melted two cups instead.
Thanks for your comment, Laura! I’ve added “divided” to the chocolate chips in the ingredient list.
I made these cookies the other day. Phenomenal. I had to make adjustments for latitude baking (1extra T of flour) and grated espresso beans into the chocolate because I had no instant espresso. The cookie was intensely chocolatey without being too sweet. The little espresso bean chunks that fell in gave a nice little crunch. Probably one of the best cookie recipes I’ve ever made!
I just made these and they’re so delicious! But they didn’t turn out as full as yours, mine are really thin! Any idea why?
Hi Julia! my first thought is to the age of your baking powder. Did you buy it relatively recently? If your baking powder is too old, it can result in flatter cookies. Hope this helps!
Baked these for Superbowl party yesterday and they were a HUGE hit. They are absolutely chocolatey and delicious. They definitely lived up to my expectations. Thanks for passing this along!
Thanks Kelly for the quick reply! I love the combo, so I think I’ll try to fiddle around and see what I can come up with :)
Qucik question. I don’t keep instant coffee granules around. Can I sub something else? A small amount of strong thick brewed coffee?
Hi Tracy! Feel free to just leave out the espresso, or you could also sub in the same amount of the brewed coffee. Enjoy!
Hi! I just made (my slightly adapted version) these cookies! So tasty!! I blogged about it and gave you credit. :) In case you are interested: http://cookingmisadventures.com/2013/01/14/pregnancy-craving-1-chocolate-deep-dark-chocolatetoffeeespressobrownie-cookies/
~ Courtney
Can I use milk chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate?
Chocolate brownie and coffee in one irresistible cookie! these are the best of both worlds
thanks for sharing the recipe, just linked to it in my 100 chocolate recipes from 100 bloggers post
Gorgeous! I’m starting to make my holiday baking list and these are definitely making the cut. I love espresso and chocolate together!!
I am sure the espresso made these out of this world. I love the way the flavor gets enhanced!
Agreed, Esi! Espresso always make chocolate so much better!
Hello
I was very excited to try this recipe. I followed the dircetions exactly but the batter was way too loose, I did refridgerated it but was not as the picture you posted. What advise can you give me ?
thanks in advance
Hi Asmaa! Did you overmi the batter? The reason it would be too loose is if you overmixed it. If you leave it in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, it should firm up.
These look amazing!! Love espresso in brownies, so tucking it into brownie cookies is an even better idea :)
I personally think a brownie cookie is an inspired idea. Love this!!
I love multi-tasking food! And these cookies sound perfect for those of us who can be a bit indecisive at times. Maybe. ;) Gorgeous. You just put me into a cookie-baking mood.
Omg! Perfect combination! Pinning this now! :)
Thanks, Joey!
You made my favorite brownie into a cookie! And best of all, I can eat more cookies than brownies! Btw I’m so jealous of your glass mixing bowl. That’s been on my wishlist for so long!
I love the crinkly top that comes from cookies (and brownies) like these. It’s something that just screams ‘you’re about to bite into something that’s going to blow your mind.’
Underbaking cookies is probably the one trick that took me the longest to really master. Such a good thing to mention.
These are some serious cookies & I wish I had a few right now! Gorgeous!
Oh my lordy — this looks so chocolaty and fudgy!
I wish I had these in my cookie jar RIGHT NOW!!!
The second recipe today that has tempted me…Yom Kippur fasting and a cookie obsession will never work well together. Fact.
Want. It. Now.
This looks too good. Seriously…making these as soon as I can!
Chocolate and coffee = heaven in my book.
And as always, your photos are flawless!! Do you use natural light? Because I want your windows if you do.
Considering that I have a massive coffee addiction, I think I need to make these this weekend!!! What a fabulous recipe Kelly!
best combination E.V.E.R.!!!
I love when cookies look so inviting! It doesn’t hurt when they involve everything that I love!
Delicious! Perfect for chocoholics like me.
I do need to make these. I love everything about brownies, cookies, and espresso. All in one is a dream come true.