Yield: 6 black cocoa brownie cookies // Total Time: 25 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
Can’t decide between brownies or cookies? Now you don’t have to choose with these fudgy and oh-so chocolatey brownie cookies!
Small batch black cocoa brownie cookies
Brownies? Delicious. Cookies? Delicious. Putting them together? AMAZING. These black cocoa brownie cookies have the best of both worlds: crisp cookie edges and a rich, fudgy center. They also have a crackled top because I believe that that is a MUST for brownies. Also they have candy eye sprinkles added to them for maximum Halloween-ness. These are seriously so delicious and super easy to make, so let’s get to it!
Why do you post small batch recipes?
I love making small batch bakes because they are the perfect size myself and others who don’t have a lot of people to bake for in their home. Small batch helps cut down on waste and eliminates the feeling that all that excess dessert MUST be eaten. Here on my blog I post a lot of small batch bakes with a mix of some 8-10″ single layer cakes from time to time. All my recipes can easily be doubled or tripled to fit your need, so long as you use grams to measure!
Small batch black cocoa brownie cookies recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Make your chocolate more chocolatey
Did you know there’s a way to get even more chocolate flavor out of your cocoa powder? This little trick is my favorite way to add more flavor to my chocolate recipes! The trick is to “bloom” your cocoa. Blooming the cocoa means you mix it with a hot liquid and let it sit before adding it to your baked goods. Doing so releases the cocoa powder particles from a very thin membrane on them, exposing cocoa solids and bringing out more flavor. In this recipe, we do that by mixing the cocoa with the hot butter and chocolate mixture. If you want to know more about cocoa powder and the different types available, you can read my blog post all about it here.
Get those perfectly crackled brownie tops
The secret to getting those perfectly crackled tops is actually quite simple! All you need to do is whisk together the eggs and sugar to get them nice, light and fluffy prior to adding them to the rest of the brownie batter. Whipping up the eggs and sugar brings more air into the batter, which after baking collapses, forming that perfectly crackled top.
Mix the dough carefully
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies super tough and chewy.
Under bake for perfect cookies
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. The cookies may look a little underdone at 10 minutes, but it’s important to take them out to keep them nice and soft. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool (or just eat them right there!)
Cookie scooting
Wanna know the secret to perfectly round cookies? It’s cookie scooting! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is just slightly larger than your cookies and place it over one of the cookies. Gently swirl the bowl around the cookie to make the cookie perfectly round (and slightly thicker). And that’s all there is to it!
Ingredients and substitutions
Semi sweet chocolate chips: We will use these to melt into the dough for the brownie base. You can certainly use a semi sweet chocolate baking bar, just note that the crackled top will not be as prevalent and the cookies will most likely spread to be more thin.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cookies. You can use salted butter in it’s place, just be sure to reduce the added salt from 1/2 tsp. to 1/4 tsp.
Light brown sugar: for flavor, texture, and moisture.
Egg: for moisture and for binding the dough together. The egg and sugar will interact to help form the crackled top as well!
Black cocoa powder: gives the cupcakes a deep, rich chocolate flavor and turns them black in color!
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder: for making the cookies rise and be thick!
Baking soda: reacts with the brown sugar to help the cookies rise.
Salt: helps to bring out and balance the sweetness of the cookies.
Chocolate baking bar: for chopping up and putting into the batter so that you have melty chocolate goodness throughout. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, dark) or chocolate chips here!
Candy eye sprinkles: optional, but highly recommended for the optimal Halloween cookie effect!
How to make small batch black cocoa brownies cookies
1. Melt the butter and chocolate. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter and chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval. Mix together until smooth, then immediately mix in the cocoa powder and set aside.
2. Whip up the eggs. This step is super important in getting that classic and desirable brownie crinkle top. It seems excessive, but you’re going to need to beat the eggs and sugar together on high speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Trust the process!
3. Mix together. Add the melted butter mixture into the whipped eggs and mix until combined.
4. Add in the dry ingredients. Add in your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together *just* until that last streak of flour disappears. Be careful not to overmix the batter, which will lead to some tough and chewy cookies!
5. Bake. Use a medium sized cookie scoop (~3 tbsp.) to dish out the cookies evenly spaced apart on a lined baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F / 175°C.
6.Get perfect cookies. Once the cookies come out of the oven, I recommend “scooting” them. This just means take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is slightly larger than the cookie, place it on top of the cookie, and swirl the bowl around to make the cookie a little more round. You will also want to press the candy eyes into the cookies while they are still hot.
7. Serve and enjoy! Enjoy your black cocoa Halloween brownie cookies!
Small batch black cocoa brownie cookies Q & A
Can I double these small batch black cocoa brownie cookies?
Of course! Obviously they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe to make 12 delicious black cocoa brownie cookies. I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
You certainly *could* make the dough ahead of time, but I wouldn’t really recommend it. I’ve found that when you chill the dough, you don’t get that crackled top.
How to store small batch black cocoa brownie cookies
Like most baked goods, these cookies will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
Cookie Sheet: I absolutely love USA pan products because of their great quality. I use their cookie sheet which is always the perfect size for all of my small batch cookies!
Silicone baking mat: parchment paper will always do the job for cookies, but I like to use a silicone mat when I can to try to cut down on waste. This is the one I use.
Cookie scoops: I have gone through a lot of cookie scoops in my baking journey, and these ones have lasted me the longest without breaking. Plus they are dishwasher safe!
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make these small batch black cocoa brownie cookies?
If you made these small batch black cocoa brownie cookies I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Black Cocoa Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 90 g semi sweet chocolate chips (½ c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter (¼)
- 18 g black cocoa powder (3 tbsp.)
- 90 g light brown sugar (scant ½ c.)
- 1 egg
- 55 g all purpose flour (scant ½ c.)
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 90 g semi sweet chocolate baking bar (½ c.) chopped
- 12 count candy eye sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Chop up the baking bar if using one, and set aside.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the semi sweet chocolate chips and butter until the mixture is smooth. Then, mix in the black cocoa powder and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the sugar and egg on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
- Add in the melted chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chopped chocolate. Fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula just until no flour streaks remain.
- Use a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop to generously scoop out 6 cookies. Leave at least 2" of space between each cookie, to allow room for spreading. Top with additional chocolate chips or chocolate if desired, and bake for 10 minutes.
- Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, you can take a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies and swirl it around over the cookies to make them a little more uniform and circular. Also while they are still hot, press the candy eye sprinkles in to the tops of each cookie.
- Serve and enjoy!
Mar says
Hi! They look great but I’m wondering what should be done about the batter being liquid after mixing it all. I did weigh everything and it was all exactly as described. My only thought was to chill the dough. Maybe waiting longer so the butter chocolate cocoa mixture isn’t so wet…
Erin says
Hi! The dough is quite liquidy since it’s a mix between a brownie batter & cookie dough. It’s perfectly good to use! Chilling will cause the crinkle top to disappear when you bake it.