Espresso Brownie Cookies

Recipe by PJ Hamel

Break open these dense, brownie-like drop cookies hot from the oven to find pools of melting chocolate inside. Once they're completely cooled, the chocolate pools solidify into nuggets; either way, they're oh-so-chocolatey-good!

Prep
10 mins
Bake
8 to 10 mins
Total
18 mins
Yield
3 dozen cookies
Double-Shot Mocha Chunks

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line with parchment two baking sheets.

  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.

  3. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth.

  4. Stir in the cocoa powder and flour; the dough will be sticky.

  5. Mix in the chocolate chips and chunks.

  6. Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2" balls) onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2" between them. A tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Cookies will bake into chunky mounds, and you don't need to leave a lot of space between them; they won't spread much.

  7. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they're just set; they'll still be a bit shiny in the center. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.

Tips from our Bakers

  • For flatter rather than mounded cookies, press the dough down gently with your fingers before baking.
  • Reader Mrs. M. says she makes a "Chunky bar" variation of these with 4 ounces (2/3 cup) chocolate chips, 4 ounces (3/4 cup) raisins, and 4 ounces (3/4 cup) peanuts, instead of all chocolate chips and chunks. We found that these cookies will be VERY soft coming out of the oven, but don't panic; they'll firm up nicely as they cool. Thanks, Mrs. M!
  • To make a greater number of cookies (perfect for potlucks and team sports dinners), drop the dough onto the baking sheets in 1" balls; a teaspoon cookie scoop works very well here. Bake the cookies for 7 to 8 minutes. Yield: about 5 1/2 dozen to 6 dozen cookies.
  • Want to substitute whole wheat flour for some (or perhaps all) of the all-purpose flour in this recipe? For best results, see How to substitute whole wheat flour for white flour in baking.