The Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Cookie

Chocolate brownie cookies live in that wonderful middle ground between a chewy chocolate chip cookie and a square of fudge. The crackled tops and slightly underdone centers come from a generous dose of cocoa powder folded into a creamy butter-and-double-sugar base, then bumped up with semi-sweet chocolate chips and a generous cup and a half of chopped pecans.

Using both granulated and brown sugar isn’t an accident. Brown sugar adds moisture for chewy centers, while white sugar helps the edges crisp up cleanly. The two together give you the textural contrast that defines a brownie cookie versus a regular drop cookie.

Pull them from the oven when they still look soft and slightly underdone in the middle. They’ll firm up on the cooling rack and reward you with that signature fudgy bite.

Pro Tips

• Cream the butter and sugars for a full minute. This incorporates air and lightens the dough, which directly translates into the crackled tops.
• Use Dutch-processed cocoa for a smoother, deeper chocolate flavor, or natural for a brighter, more brownie-like edge. Both work, but they bake slightly differently.
• Leave plenty of space (about 3 inches / 7 cm) between cookies on the sheet. They spread significantly, and crowded cookies merge into one giant slab.
• Don’t overbake. The cookies look soft when properly done. Pulling them too late gives you crisp instead of fudgy.

Variations

• Use walnuts or hazelnuts in place of pecans for different nut profiles.
• Stir in white chocolate chips alongside the semi-sweet for a triple-chocolate cookie.
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the cocoa for a deeper chocolate intensity that doesn’t taste like coffee.