No Chill Brownie Cookies (20 Minutes!)

Zoha Malik

by Zoha Malik

Updated:

Rated 5.00 out of 5

36 Comments
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These No Chill Brownie Cookies are the ultimate 20 minute chocolate fix! They come together in one bowl with no mixer, basic ingredients and barely any effort. The batter is thick enough to be spooned onto a baking sheet without being chilled, and goes into the oven straight away. The result is indulgent, deeply chocolatey cookies that taste like edge pieces of brownies: thin and crispy outside, and chewy, gooey and chocolatey in the middle. Perfect for anyone who prefers the edges of brownies to the middle. And the simple secret to their rich texture? Grinding the sugar into a fine powder, just like I do in my Chewy Brownies and Fudgy Brownies.

A close-up of chocolate cookies with chocolate chips cooling on a wire rack. The cookies are round, dark, and have a soft texture with several chocolate chips on top.

Step by step photos

Let’s quickly go over the steps with photos to help you visualize this simple recipe:

A glass mixing bowl on a wooden surface, containing melted butter and a mound of sugar in the center, ready to be mixed together.
Start by grinding the sugar in a food processor until it looks like powder, and melt the butter. Add both to a bowl
A metal whisk rests in a glass bowl containing a pale yellow mixture of sugar and butter on a wooden countertop.
Whisk for about 30-60 seconds until the mixture looks smooth.
A glass bowl on a wooden surface contains melted butter and two raw eggs being mixed with a metal whisk.
Break in the egg and egg yolk.
A glass bowl with a yellow liquid mixture being whisked, sitting on a wooden surface. A metal whisk is partially submerged in the mixture, indicating that it is being mixed or blended.
Whisk again until the egg is fully incorporated – about 30 seconds.
A glass bowl filled with ingredients being mixed, including cocoa powder and flour, with a whisk resting inside on a wooden countertop.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
A glass bowl filled with chocolate brownie batter is being mixed with a metal whisk, resting on a wooden countertop.
Whisk gently and slowly until the dry ingredients are just combined; do not over-mix at this stage as that can create too much gluten.
A glass bowl filled with chocolate brownie batter and chunks of chopped chocolate, being mixed with a metal whisk, sits on a wooden surface.
Add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate – I prefer a mixture of milk and dark.
A glass bowl filled with thick, glossy chocolate brownie batter and chocolate chunks sits on a wooden surface, with a small pile of chopped chocolate and the edge of a black-handled knife nearby.
Gently fold until just combined; avoid over-mixing. The batter will become thicker as you fold it.
Twelve scoops of chocolate cookie dough with chocolate chips are evenly spaced on two sheets of brown parchment paper, ready to be baked on a metal tray.
Spoon little dollops onto a baking sheet. It’s ok if they spread slightly – just keep sufficient distance between them.
A baking tray lined with parchment paper holds twelve large, round double chocolate chip cookies, each topped with chocolate chips and chunks.
Bake for just a few minutes until the cookies look set around the edges.

Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top, let the cookies cool down, serve and enjoy!

Why I grind the sugar first

Even if you’re starting with superfine or caster sugar, grinding it in a blender / food processor breaks it into smaller particles. The ground sugar dissolves more easily in the butter and gives the cookies a more moist and rich texture, as well as the characteristic shiny crinkle top you expect from brownies. And no, this is not the same as using powdered/icing sugar, as that contains cornstarch which can create a chalky texture.

A stack of five brownie chocolate cookies with chocolate chips sits on a cooling rack, surrounded by more cookies in the background.

Zoha’s tips to perfect these brownie cookies

Here are some tips that will help you perfect these cookies (aka, learn from my mistakes!):

  • If the batter feels too runny, give it a few minutes. The fat from the butter and cocoa powder sets fairly quickly in brownie batter, making the batter thick enough to be scooped without chilling. If your batter feels too runny, it might be really warm in your kitchen. Just wait a few minutes (you can even chuck it in the fridge) and it should become thicker
  • Use a light colored baking sheet. I can’t emphasize this enough! A dark baking sheet will cause the bottom of your cookies to cook and burn before they’re done baking
  • Keep the cookie dollops small. In order to get the bake on these cookies perfect, it’s important to keep them on the smaller side – about 1.5 tbsp or 35g each. If you make them bigger, they will take longer to bake and risk getting burnt on the bottom
  • Don’t overcrowd the cookie sheet! Trust me, I’ve made this mistake – you need to keep at least 2″ between each cookie dollop as they spread quite a bit. This means your cookies should be divided between 2 cookie sheets, instead of being crowded onto one. If you only have 1 cookie sheet, bake the cookies in 2 batches
  • Don’t over bake. The cookies are done baking when they feel crisp and set around the edges but are still soft to touch in the middle. They will continue to cook and set as they cool down
A stack of rich, chocolate chocolate-chip cookies on a cooling rack, with the front cookie showing a bite taken out of it. The cookies appear soft, gooey, and studded with melty chocolate chips.
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A close-up of chocolate cookies with chocolate chips cooling on a wire rack. The cookies are round, dark, and have a soft texture with several chocolate chips on top.

No Chill Brownie Cookies (20 Minutes!)

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 stars from 7 reviews

Crispy, chewy and deeply chocolatey brownie cookies made in just 20 minutes start to finish. One bowl, no mixer, no chilling – and they taste like the edge pieces of brownies!

Yield:20 cookies

Prep Time:
12 mins
Cook Time:
8 mins
Total Time:
20 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250g)
  • 11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (150g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour (86g)
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder, Dutch processed recommended (50g)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 200g chopped chocolate or chocolate chips; I like to use a mixture of milk chocolate and dark chocolate
  • Optional: flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 360F (conventional / no fan). Line 2 13×18″ light colored baking sheets with parchment paper
  2. Measure the granulated sugar first, then add it to a food processor. Blitz for 30-60 seconds or until the sugar turns powdery. You may need to shake the bowl/jug along the way
  3. Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave in 15 second increments
  4. Add the ground sugar to the melted butter. Whisk with a hand whisk for about 60 seconds or until the mixture looks smooth
  5. Add the egg and egg yolk, and whisk again until the eggs are fully combined and the mixture looks smooth (about 30 seconds)
  6. Now sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt directly into the bowl. Gently mix in the dry ingredients using slow folding motions until just combined. Do not over-mix to prevent gluten formation. I like using a rubber spatula for this step
  7. Lastly, add in the chopped chocolate / chocolate chips and fold until evenly dispersed. Do not overmix
  8. By this point, the batter should be thick enough to scoop. If it’s runny, it might be warm in your kitchen – wait a few minutes or chuck it in the fridge for 5 minutes if that is the case. Spoon 20 cookie dollops onto the 2 baking sheets, keeping at least 2″ between them. Each dollop should be about 1.5 tbsp or 35g
  9. Bake for ~8 minutes in the pre-heated oven until the cookies feel set around the edges but are soft to touch in the middle. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy!

Video Tutorial

Notes

  • Make ahead and storage: These cookies are best consumed fresh, or within a day, for optimal texture and flavor, so I don’t recommend making them ahead of time. I like keeping them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days

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Comments

  1. sakina

    hi,
    I tried these cookies.
    I scooped out 35g balls but they really spread alot and became very thin. would you know where I went wrong. I used the exact measurements in gms as per the recipie.

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Sakina! Where are you based? Could be a difference in ingredients

  2. Hafsa

    Aaa, it turned out so yummy 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️

    1. Zoha Malik

      YAY!

  3. Shahana Mirza

    AMAZING!!! like im literally screaming 😍😍 its a musttt tryyy.. so yummy and perfect ❤️

    1. Zoha Malik

      Made my day omgggg

  4. Amber Admani

    Made cookies for the first time in my life. And let me tell you, these cookies were so easy to make and so delicious. They taste better than the subway double choc cookies. So crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Thank you for an easy recipe.

    1. Zoha Malik

      Made my day – thank you, Amber!

  5. Harika

    By looking at it they are wonderful and mouth watering. The chocolate chips melt in beautifully for you always. When I do it, they just don’t melt, they become harder. What kinds of chocolate chips do you use?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Harika! Great question – I don’t actually use chocolate chips! These are callets – see here on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TfcDM1. They’re in the shape of chips but they’re pure chocolate and melt nicely. If you can’t get these, do chopped chocolate instead 🙂

  6. Fatema kunwawala

    I want to bake this in microwave . what setting should I use

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi! Unfortunately these won’t turn out right in the microwave

  7. Amna Rauf

    Hi Zoha!
    I made this and they tasted amazing. I followed your recipe exactly however my cookies came out paper thin. Before baking, my dough was not that liquidy and seemed like the right consistency. I let it sit for about 1 hour at room temperature before baking it though, as I was finishing up bedtime routines etc lol. Is that the reason why?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Amna! Yes, it could have impacted the temperature of the dough and therefore its spread. It’s also possible your oven wasn’t hot enough. Then cookies spread more before they cook and set

  8. I

    Hey, I tried this and it tasted absolutely AMAZING! They came out very thin though, any idea why that happened?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi there! They’re meant to be thin and chewy brownie cookies 🙂 If you want them thicker, you can chill the dough balls and then bake!

  9. Nilofar Patel

    I love all of your recipes and love to try it also. Thank you 🙂

    1. Zoha Malik

      Thannk you Nilofar! Hope you love this one

  10. Sara

    Hey! i really wanna try but there is no measurements mention.

    1. sakina

      I’m from Tanzania.

      they turned out very tasty. I tried another batch with 30g out the same.
      everyone loved them at home though.

      I also tried your cinnamon rolls and they were very tasty.
      baked cheese cake also turned out super yummy. thank you❤️

      1. Zoha Malik

        Thank you Sakina! You made my day <3

    2. Zoha Malik

      Everything is in the brown recipe card

  11. Manzi

    is it ok if I sell these at my university’s bake and sale👀? absolutely delicious MY GOODNESSS you’ve done it again!

    1. Zoha Malik

      Yes, of course!! <3

  12. Ayushi Panjwani

    Hi , I love all your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing them in such a detailed manner, they always turn out amazing. I had one request, can you please suggest alternative for eggs in your cookie recipe , I want to try out the eggless version as I am a vegetarian.

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Ayushi! Sadly I am not an expert at eggless baking. I think you can easily find eggless recipes on dedicated vegan blogs like banana diaries 🙂

  13. Christina

    Don’t have a processor, how do you suggest I grind up the sugar to get the same consistency? Super excited about these

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Christina! A grinder or blender might also work. If you have none of those, I recommend buying baker’s sugar!

  14. JT

    instead of making the sugar into powder can I simply use fine caster sugar?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi JT! I still recommend grinding as it does really help with the shine and texture, but if you’re tight on time you can skip it 🙂

  15. Inshara Rehman

    bestest bakerrrr ever

    1. Zoha Malik

      Aw love u!

  16. Naija Ehsan

    These are amazing!! I made them as soon as the recipe came out, so fudgey, the ultimate chocolate treat, I love all of your recipes 🫶

    1. Sage

      how sweet would you say they are? I lean towards just right amount of sweetness to less so want to have an idea before I try them! 😊

      1. Zoha Malik

        Hi Sage! If you are cautious with sweetness, use dark chocolate chips instead of milk or semi sweet and that will help balance things out.

    2. Zoha Malik

      AWH that was quick! Thank you so much for having faith in me <3

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Chocolate chip cookies on a white background

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