These thick, chewy, and super fudgy salted brownie crinkle cookies are the absolute best. They're made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips and have beautiful, glossy crinkled tops. They combine the most delicious parts of a brownie and a cookie and require no chill time!
What's better, a brownie or a cookie? It's impossible to decide! And you don't have to when you make these salted brownie crinkle cookies.
They're chewy, crackly, and fudgy like a decadent brownie and have round, crispy edges like your favorite cookie. They're absolutely delicious with a tall glass of milk.
If you're looking for more cookie recipes, check out these olive oil cookies, almond spritz cookies, and brown butter pecan chocolate chip cookies. And if you're a brownie fan, you have to make olive oil brownies or peanut butter brownies cookies- which are a fun variation on this recipe stuffed with peanut butter!
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Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about the ingredients used. For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card below.
- Large eggs + egg yolk- These aren't pictured, but the extra egg yolk gives the cookies an extra chewy texture.
- Oil- Instead of butter, I used avocado oil. Canola oil, grapeseed oil, or any other mild vegetable oil works.
- Bittersweet chocolate- I used 8 ounces of Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate. You can also use semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate, something around 60% or 70% cacao. Don't use milk chocolate because it will be too sweet.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder- For best results, use dutch processed cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder works in a pinch.
- Flour- Use all purpose flour or a cup for cup gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. Each will provide great structure and texture.
- Chocolate chips- Use high quality semisweet or dark chocolate chips. Don't use milk chocolate chips because they will be too sweet.
Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder vs Natural Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder is one of the most important ingredients in this recipe. I used dutch processed cocoa powder because it has a deep, rich flavor. Dutch processed cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been treated with alkali to reduce its acidity. This also darkens the color to a deep brown instead of red-brown and deepens the flavor.
Natural cocoa powder will not have the same deep flavor and color as dutch processed, but it will work in this recipe in a pinch! When looking for cocoa powder to buy, look for ones that mention alkali or say dutch processed on the container. My favorite cocoa powder brands are Rodelle, Guittard, and Ghirardelli.
How to Make Salted Brownie Cookies
For more detailed instructions and bake times/temperatures, scroll down to the recipe card below!
Step 1: Chop the chocolate and melt it in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, mixing every 30 seconds until completely melted. Then stir in the oil.
Step 2: Beat the eggs, egg yolk, and granulated sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture has lightened in color. It should be frothy and pale yellow.
Step 3: Add the oil and chocolate mixture and vanilla extract. Mix on medium until well combined.
Step 4: Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until just a few dry streaks remain. Overmixing will result in a tough cookie. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Step 5: Use a large cookie scoop (about 2 or 3 ounces) to scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The dough will be quite wet. Leave about ½ inch between each cookie dough ball.
Bake until the edges of the cookies are set but the middles are slightly underdone. They will continue cooking on the hot cookie sheet. Top with flaky salt and let them cool on the hot tray for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Baking Tips
- Aerate the eggs and sugar- This is the most important part of this recipe. Make sure to whip the eggs and sugar well, for at least 3 minutes on high. This adds air to the dough and is what gives these brownie cookies a chewy texture and shiny, crackly top.
- Don't burn the chocolate- When melting the bittersweet chocolate, microwave it at 30 second intervals, mixing between each to prevent the chocolate from burning.
- Don't let the batter sit- This is so important! Bake the cookie batter immediately after you make it. Don't let it sit on the counter for too long before baking since the chocolate will solidify and the cookies won't bake the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
In order to get a glossy top with crinkly cracks, you must whip the eggs for a long time and mix in the dry ingredients with a light hand. Then, immediately drop the cookie dough onto the sheet tray and bake. As they bake, the soft cookie dough's exterior with turn into a smooth, thin crust that hardens and cracks as the cookies expand.
Yes, you can use a smaller cookie scoop to make them smaller. The bake time will be shorter, about 9-10 minutes.
To prevent spreading, use parchment paper on your baking sheets. This gives the cookie dough something to stick to. Don't use a silicon baking mat; these are slick and will make your cookies spread more.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Salted Brownie Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Cookie sheet
- 1 Cookie scoop large
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or dark, chopped
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 pinch flaky salt
Instructions
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the chopped chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well between each until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- Whisk the oil into the melted chocolate until fully combined. Set aside to cool slightly.8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar together on high speed for about 3 minutes until the color is light and pale yellow.2 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the vanilla extract and melted chocolate oil mixture to the bowl. Mix on medium until well combined.8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Stop the mixer and add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Start the mixer and mix on low until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with the mixer on low or with a rubber spatula. The dough will be soft and wet.¾ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup dutch-processed cocoa powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Using a large cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets with about ½ inch between each cookie dough ball.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges have set and the tops are crackled. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely, sprinkle with flaky salt, and enjoy.1 pinch flaky salt
Alina
I’m gonna give it another try since I believe I did it wrong and it came out tasting like a “brownie” cookie. I used the wrong ingredients and and over baked it 😭 but I’m not giving up, I’ll try making this again w the right ingredients the next time, overall the the “cookies” came out looking pretty shiny and crunchy, tastes good too 👍
Sarin
Can I make this using air fryer ??
Megan Weimer
You can't make it using an air fryer unfortunately!
Kari
Hi 👋 looks delicious. The batter doesn’t need to be refrigerated before baking?
Megan Weimer
It doesn't! The batter will be sticky and wet though like brownie batter.
Olivia
Can I change vegetable oil for butter?
Megan Weimer
That should work!