Yield: 8 brownie cookies // Total Time: 30 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. // Recipe updated 06/12/23
Thick, fudgy & chewy brownies in cookie form.

small batch brownie cookies
If you can’t decide between a brownie and a cookie, you don’t have to. These brownie cookies are thick, fudgy & chewy, with crisp cookie edges. Start now and you can be enjoying them in just 30 minutes!
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 and can easily throw off a recipe. 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!
mix the dough carefully
When you’re mixing in your flour, you’ll want to make sure you only mix just until that last streak of flour disappears in the dough. Otherwise, you run the risk of overmixing the dough which will make the cookies more tough and chewy.
underbake for perfect cookies
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven so you’ll want to take them out right before they look all done and set. These cookies will need 8-10 minutes given that your oven is at a true 350F and you scooped out 3 tbsp. scoops. I took mine out at 9 minutes when the edges were *just* set.
how to get perfectly crackled brownie tops
The three most important ingredients involved in getting crinkle tops on brownies are egg, sugar, and chocolate. First up, you’ll want to beat together the egg and sugar for 3-5 minutes, until that mixture is light, fluffy, and has significantly increased in volume. By doing that, you’ve dissolved the sugar into the egg and allowed air to be trapped inside the mixture. When that bakes, it will expand and then fall down. The fall is what will give you that crinkle top.
Next up, the chocolate. Now I know I’m usually saying to use fancy chocolate for the best flavor, but when it comes to brownies, I’ve found that you want the opposite. Chocolate chips are going to be your friend here. I know I should know why, but for some reason, chocolate chips have always yielded me with a more prominent and reliable crinkle than chocolate bars. Also, I have tried these cookies with Ghirardelli, Nestle, and Great Value chocolate chips. Nestle and Great Value yielded a crinkle. The photos on this post are from using Ghirardelli, which didn’t yield a great crinkle. Crinkle or not, the cookies are *super* delicious. I just wanted to let anyone who might be interested in this (I hope there’s at least one) what I have found if they want to ensure they get that crinkled top!
scoot your cookies
If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, don’t panic! Rarely do any cookies come out perfect. The way to fix this is to take a bowl or biscuit cutter that is slightly larger than your cookies, and swirl the cookie around in it on the baking sheet right when it comes out of the oven. This will put your cookie back into a perfect circle and make these brownie cookies nice and thick!

ingredients and substitutions
Semi sweet chocolate chips: We will use these to melt into the dough for the brownie base, but also to add in to the dough for texture and more chocolatey goodness! 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!
Dutch process cocoa powder: for flavor. I recommend using dutch process because it is darker and has a richer flavor than natural cocoa. However, you can certainly substitute in natural cocoa powder. Just note that the cookies will turn out lighter in color!
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Corn starch: helps the brownies stay nice and fudgy while adding some structure to the dough! If you don’t have corn starch, you can use 65g of cake flour in place of the flour and corn starch.
Baking powder & baking soda: for making the cookies rise and be thick!
Salt: helps to bring out and balance the sweetness of the cookies.

can I double this recipe?
Yes! I even more strongly recommend using a kitchen scale when you’re scaling up a recipe to ensure the best results.
can I make these ahead of time?
If you’re looking for a crackled top, you’re going to want to bake these off right away. However, if you’re not so worried about the crackled top, you can store the cookie dough air-tight in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking the cookies off. You’ll want to let the dough sit out on the counter for at least 30 minutes to let it get soft enough to scoop again before baking. Note that your cookies will likely bake up a bit thicker after resting as well!
how to store small batch 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
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.

brownie cookies troubleshooting
why didn’t I get a crinkled top?
There are two factors going into getting a crinkly top on the cookies. One is making sure you beat together the egg and the sugar. This captures air into the mixture, which rises and falls while baking. When it falls, it gives a crinkled look. The next factor is the type of chocolate you use. I mention it earlier on because it’s important, but the type of chocolate will make a big difference! I’ve found that chocolate bars will not give as prominent of a crinkle as chocolate chips. When it comes to chocolate chips, I’ve had success with Nestle and great value semi-sweet for getting a crinkle on the cookies, but with these pictures, I used Ghirardelli which, while delicious, did not give many crinkles on top. Regardless, the cookies are delicious but I just wanted to share that insight in case anyone was wondering!
why is the batter so runny?
The batter is more runny than your average cookie dough because the dough itself is a cross between a brownie batter and a cookie dough. If you try to add more flour to it to thicken it up you’ll end up with a cookie that is less fudgy, don’t be afraid to bake it as is!
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make these small batch brownie cookies?
If you made these small batch 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!

Small Batch Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 180 g semi sweet chocolate chips divided (1 c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter (1/4 c.)
- 90 g light brown sugar (scant 1/2 c.)
- 1 egg
- 15 g dutch process cocoa powder (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 60 g all purpose flour (scant 1/2 c.)
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together 90g of semi sweet chocolate chips and butter until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder, then set the mixture aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the sugar and egg for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and fold together until no streaks remain.
- Add in the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the mixture together until only a few flour streaks remain, then fold in the chocolate chips just until no flour streaks remain.
- Use a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop to scoop out the cookies. Leave at least 2" of space between each cookie, to allow room for spreading. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Once the cookies come out of the oven, use a bowl or cup that is slightly larger than the cookies to make them more circular and thicker if desired. Top with some flaky sea salt, serve and enjoy!
Iva says
Me and my friend made these cookies today and the batter looked runny so we added more flour and they turned out perfect! If your batter is also runny add more flour till its thicker and enjoy!
P.S. I do recommend putting less sugar because they are really sweet.
Erin says
Thank you so much for making these! The dough is supposed to be a little runny because it’s a cross between a brownie batter and a cookie dough, which helps give it a fudgier interior. 🙂
lani says
hi! i tried making these today and i didn’t get that crackled top on the cookies. i made sure to mix the brown sugar and egg for 5 minutes. i also had to bake them a little over 10 minutes because i used a toothpick to check the cookies and there was a lot of batter coming off of it still… what could i be doing wrong? thank you!
Erin says
Hello! Are you by chance using a baking bar rather than chocolate chips? I’ve found that baking bars don’t give a prevalent crackled top as often/easily as chocolate chips. Also, if you aren’t baking the cookies right away they will lose their crackled top. I wouldn’t recommend checking them for doneness with a toothpick since they are meant to be fudgy, if they look “done” with a toothpick then they are over-baked. It could be that your oven isn’t getting hot enough as well, which is why I highly recommend an oven thermometer! If your oven is at the right temp. with the thermometer and you used a 3 tbsp. scoop then they *should* be done in the 10 minutes, just keep in mind that the cookies will continue to cook and set even after being taken out of the oven. I hope this is helpful!
Cathy says
Best cookies I’ve ever made!!
joey says
hi! i tried this today and my batter was too runny. i tried putting it in the fridge for 5 minutes, it firmed abit so i tried putting it in the oven, while baking tho, it spread continuously and became like a flat bread..what could be the problem?? thanks!
Karen says
I had the same problem . I think the butter and flour ratio is incorrect
Erin says
Hi! The batter is a little runny as this is a cross between a brownie and a cookie, it doesn’t hold up like typical cookie dough. Are you measuring the ingredients by weight? If not the problem could be adding too much of the liquid ingredients / too little flour. Hope this helps!
Nique says
I made this cookies today and they were very delicious 😋. The recipe was simple and easy. I will definitely make these again.
Erin says
Thank you so much, I’m so happy you liked these! 😊