These Chewy Brownie Cookies are thick, dense, and intensely chocolatey -- somewhere between a soft brownie and a classic cookie. They've been a longtime favorite on my site. Originally adapted from a Crisco shortening recipe, they consistently get great reviews because people like their texture.
The Secret to Their Chewy Texture
Unlike most chocolate cookies made with butter, these brownie cookies are made with shortening, which has a higher melting point and helps the cookies bake up chewy and fudgy rather than flat. The result is a rich, dark chocolate cookie with crisp edges, a soft center, and plenty of chips (use whatever flavor your like) in every bite.
Crisco or Spectrum
Over the years I've switched from Crisco to Spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening, and the recipe still works beautifully. If you love chewy brownie-style cookies or want a great chocolate cookie without butter, these are worth a try.
Baking Tips
Measuring Shortening -- weigh your shortening. Using a measuring cup is rarely accurate with shortening. A tablespoon weighs about 12 grams, a half cup comes in around 96 grams, and 1 cup weighs roughly 190 grams.
Brown Sugar -- Brown sugar amounts can vary based on how its packed. I use a scale and a weight of 300 grams.
Cocoa Powder -- This recipe works with natural or Dutch process cocoa powder, but I use natural since it's an old recipe developed before Dutch process became widely available. The acid in the natural cocoa powder works in tandem with the baking soda.
Mixing -- Beat the shortening and sugar mixture just until blended rather than light and fluffy. Less beating can help curb spread. If you want more spread, beat (or flatter cookies), try beating until fluffy.
Bake Time -- This is tricky. The old recipe calls for only 7 to 9 minutes of baking at 375F If your oven is fully preheated and you stick to smaller size cookies, this time may work. Otherwise, bake just until they appear set.
Cooling -- The cookies will continue to bake internally as they sit on the parchment-lined tray. Sliding the parchment onto the counter traps a bit of steam, helping the cookies stay moist as they cool.
Yield -- The yield will vary depending on how big you actually make these. I tend to make cookies large, so I'll get as few as 24 sometimes. But these work really well as smaller cookies, and if you use a just barely rounded tablespoon or a small scoop, you'll get at least 32.
Recipe
Chewy Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup shortening (125 grams)
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar (300 grams)
- 1 tablespoon water (14 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (200 grams)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups chocolate chips, white chips or any other flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or leave ungreased. Greasing will cause the cookies to spread.
- With an electric mixer, beat the shortening, brown sugar, water and vanilla on medium speed until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Stir the flour mixture into the shortening mixture until incorporated. Stir in chips.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons or medium cookie scoops about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake on center rack for about 7 to 9 minutes (minimum -- mine usually take a little longer) or until cookies are just set.
- Let cool for about 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then slide the parchment onto the counter and let the cookies cool on the parchment paper. If you don't have parchment, you can use foil.
Christine from Cook the Story says
This cookie recipe has every ingredient it needs to make them highly addictive! YUM!