Brownie Cookies In 30 Minutes
Crisp edges, shiny crackly tops, and the fudgiest centres, these brownie cookies are everything
Ingredients
- 227 g good quality semi-sweet chocolate 60-65% cocoa, finely chopped. Quality matters here, use the best you can find
- 84 g unsalted butter browned first for that deep nutty flavour. Don’t skip this step
- 1 tbsp neutral oil keeps the cookies soft and prevents them from drying out
- ½ tsp instant expresso powder enhances the chocolate without adding coffee flavour
- 63 g plain flour minimal flour is what keeps these fudgy rather than cakey
- 20 g Dutch-process cocoa powder richer and darker than regular cocoa, essential for that intense brownie flavour
- 1 tsp baking powder if you want denser and fudgier result, reduce it to ½ tsp
- 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour the secret to keeping centres very soft
- ½ tsp fine sea salt balances the chocolate and brings everything together
- 100 g caster sugar + 50g dark brown sugar the combination gives structure and chew
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk room temperature (the extra egg yolk adds richness)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 177°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper. Get everything weighted and ready before you start. This batter needs to go unto the oven quickly once it’s made.
- Brown the butter. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter then keep cooking and stirring until it turns brown. Watch it carefully so it does not burn.
- Remove from heat immediately and add the finely chopped chocolate, neutral oil and espresso powder. Stir until completely smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes- warm but not hot.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cornstarch/cornflour and salt. Set aside.
- This is the most important step. In a large mixing bowl, combine both sugars, the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Using an eclectic mixer in high speed, beat for a full 5-7 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick and has almost tripled in volume. It should fall from the beater un thick ribbons. Don’t rush this step, it’s what creates that signature shiny, crackly brownie top.
- Slowly pour un the warm chocolate mixture and mix until fully combined and glossy.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until combined. Stop as soon as you can’t see streaks of flour. The batter will be loose and glossy, more like brownie batter than cookie dough. That’s exactly right. If you want to add chocolate chips, you can add it now.
- Scoop immediately, using a 2 tbsp cookie scoop, portion the batter onto the tray leaving about 5 cm gap between each cookie. Don’t let the batter sit, bake it straight away for the best crackly top.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes. The top should be shiny and crackled, the edges set and the centre still looking slightly underdone. Pull them out at this point.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm. Leave to cool on the tray before moving them.
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