Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maybe you’ve had a brookie and thought, “Wow. This is amazing. Two desserts in one!” Now picture this: Instead of cookie dough and brownie dough baked together into one pretty homogeneous (and, yes, delightful) texture, you get a tender, chewy classic chocolate chip cookie with golden-brown edges wrapped around a gooey, melty brownie-bite center. Brookie-adjacent, but ten times better in my opinion.

This recipe was inspired by my obsession with the brownie-stuffed cookies at Balaboosta’s Bakery in East Norwich, NY. I fell in love with them on a trip I took years back. We live in Atlanta, not New York, though. So, of course, I had to find a way to enjoy them without hopping on an airplane. They certainly scratch the itch. Let me know what you think.

Behind This Brownie Stuffed Cookies Recipe

In case reading the words “brownie” and “cookie” in the same recipe title isn’t quite enough to sell you, here are a few reasons why these brownie stuffed cookies deserve your attention:

• I love the surprise factor here. They look like your standard (albeit massive) chocolate chip cookie, but once you take a bite to uncover the brownie center, you realize you’re in for a double dessert. It’s a fun party trick, for sure.
• Because the brownie is wrapped in cookie dough, it’s protected from some of the oven’s heat. So the cookie dough gets nice and golden brown while the brownie center stays incredibly moist and gooey.
• Brownie center aside, I am obsessed with the cookie layer in this double whammy dessert. It’s tender and chewy, with perfectly golden-brown edges. I used some dark brown sugar for that molasses-y depth and sprinkled the cookies with sea salt. So good!

Tips From My Kitchen

This recipe may seem complicated, but it’s really just the combination of two easy-peasy classics. Here are some tips to make sure you get ’em just right:

• Let the butter cool. In the cookie dough, you’re using melted, then cooled, butter. It really is important to let it cool. Otherwise, the cookies will turn out kind of greasy, and the chocolate chips may melt.
• Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients (for both the brownie batter and the cookie dough), mix just until everything is incorporated. Mixing past that point will overdevelop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough, over-dense brownie-stuffed cookies.
• Get it all in there. When making the cookie dough and batter, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure no ingredients are left behind.
• Don’t over-bake the brownies. The brownie bites will continue to cook after you wrap the cookie dough around them and pop them back in the oven. So, bake just until they’ve set but are not fully cooked.
• Let ’em cool. Let the brownie bites cool before you wrap them in cookie dough. If they’re too warm, they’ll soften the cookie dough, making it tricky to work with.
• Use the refrigerator. It can be helpful to pop the fully cooled brownie bites in the fridge to firm up before stuffing the cookies. They’ll be easier to work with that way.
• Boxed mix shortcut. If you’re in a hurry or just have some boxed brownie mix lying around, you can use it. Follow the box instructions, but don’t bake them all the way through. I would not use pre-made brownies. They’ll come out dry after baking.

Ingredients You’ll Need & Why

If you’re a somewhat frequent home baker, you might already have everything you need for these stuffed cookies in your kitchen. Here’s a checklist for you (see the recipe card for precise measurements):

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• All-purpose flour – A quality 1:1 gluten-free flour would also work, but the cookies might not hold together as well.
• Baking powder – To help the cookie dough rise a little.
• Cornstarch – Adds structure to the cookie dough without drying it out, keeping it from spreading.
• Salt – I like adding a little salt to my desserts to balance the sweetness. It might sound odd, but trust me, it works.
• Butter – Melted, then cooled.
• Sugars – I used both dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds a more complex, almost molasses-y flavor and a little extra moisture.
• Large eggs – Use room temperature eggs for easier mixing.
• Vanilla extract – The sweet, warming depth it adds is a must.
• Chocolate chips – I generally use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but milk or dark chocolate chips would also work.
• Sea salt – For sprinkling over the finished brownie-stuffed cookies.

Half-baked Brownies

• Melted butter – I prefer unsalted butter here, since I’m adding some salt to the batter.
• Vegetable oil – Vegetable oil is the trick to moist brownies. The butter adds richness, while the oil adds moisture. The perfect combo.
• Sugars – I used a combination of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds a more complex, molasses-y flavor I enjoy.
• Vanilla extract – For a little added warmth and depth.
• All-purpose flour – Or a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – I mean it when I say unsweetened. You’re adding enough sugar to these without needing more.
• Instant espresso – The secret ingredient. The espresso powder really deepens the brownies’ chocolate flavor without making them taste like coffee.
• Salt – To balance the sweetness.
• Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet is the classic choice, but dark or bittersweet chocolate also works.

How to Make Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tie on your apron and get those mixing bowls out. Here’s how to make these fabulous brownie-stuffed cookies (see the recipe card for more detailed instructions):

Make the Half-Baked Brownies

• Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
• Combine the wet ingredients. Mix together the butter, oil, and sugars. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
• Combine the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, salt, espresso, and cocoa powder.
• Put it all together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by 3/4 of the chocolate chunks.
• Assemble and bake. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips, and bake for 20-25 minutes (until set but not fully cooked).
• Cool. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.

You can use boxed brownie mix instead. Follow the box directions, but reduce cook time by 10 minutes.

Mix the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
• Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the butter and sugars together for 1 minute. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
• Put it all together. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the chocolate chips.
• Chill. Chill in the fridge (covered) for 30 minutes.

Stuff and Bake the Cookies

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the brownies. Cut the brownies into small 1×1-inch pieces.
• Shape the cookie dough. Use a cookie scoop to form 1/2 of the cookie dough into balls and arrange them on the baking sheet. Make an indent in the center of each.
• Stuff the cookies. Place one brownie bite on each indented dough ball. Form another cookie dough ball, flatten it, drape it over the brownie bite, and form the dough around the brownie in a perfect ball.
• Bake. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
• Cool. Cool on a cooling rack and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Make-Ahead Ideas

This recipe can feel a little intimidating, seeing as you are making two desserts at once and then combining them. Here are a couple of ways to take the pressure off the day of:

• Prep the cookie dough. If you’d like to make the cookie dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days, you can do that.
• Prep the brownies. You can also make the brownies, cut them into 1×1-inch squares, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days.

When you’re ready to bake, finish any components you haven’t prepped, assemble, and bake as usual. I’d let the cookie dough soften a bit at room temperature before assembling.

How to Store

• Countertop: Once cool, seal any leftover brownie-stuffed cookies in an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
• Freezer (baked cookies): Need more time? Seal fully cooled stuffed cookies in a freezer-safe, airtight container (or wrap each in a double layer of plastic wrap) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
• Freezer (cookie dough): Rather than popping the baking sheet full of brownie stuffed cookie dough in the oven, pop it in the freezer for an hour or so. Once the cookies are firm, load them into a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen as you normally would. Just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

Looking for more chocolate chip cookie-inspired recipes? I’m with you. If you want the ultimate classic, you have to check out my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and/or my slightly elevated Chewy Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter. If you’re in the mood to get a little more playful, try these Chocolate Chip Cookie Fries (they’re incredible dipped in Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dip or this S’mores Dip) or my S’mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies.

And, of course, who doesn’t want to eat the cookie dough? Enjoy it safely with this Edible Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Recipe.