My first attempt at making these healthy brownie cookies was a bit of a disaster. The dough was too dry, but I didn't want the dough to go to waste, so I added milk and eggs. It helped, but I knew the next time I tested them exactly what I needed to tweak. I've really gotten into baking cookies lately, if you follow me on Instagram, maybe you've seen this on my stories. Failure is always a part of the baking process for me, but it's all good, because the end result is worth it. Especially, when the end result are these gluten free brownie cookies.
These decadent, fudgy cookies are a delicious cross between a brownie and a cookie. And when it comes to cookies, I like them to be relatively thin, crispy on the outside and fudgy and soft in the middle. And these gluten free brownie cookies (or brookies) are exactly that.
In order to make these brownie cookies, here is exactly what you'll need:
My go-to flour when baking cookies is almond flour. I find that it results in the softest tasting cookie. You can see a similar recipe for my pecan chocolate chip cookies over here.
Whenever I bake things that are gluten free, I find that using more than one flour is necessary. Tapioca flour is another flour that I always have on hand. Also note that tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing, it just depends on how it's been labelled. Tapioca flour is very fine, and is great for using to thicken sauces, soups or anything else that needs thickening. For baking, it helps to provide some chewiness and crispiness, two things that are key for any cookie recipe.
Not everyone likes walnuts in their brownies, I do! It provides a nice crunch to the cookie and to me, it really makes these cookies taste more brownie like.
I haven't tested this recipe without eggs, as they are key to binding these cookies and providing moisture to the recipe.
You could substitute dark chocolate chips for this recipe, but I just love using dark chocolate instead. Personally, I prefer the texture that chopped chocolate provides to this recipe. I love this brand of dark chocolate!
Cocoa powder is what makes these brownie cookies taste like a brownie. I recommend using Dutch processed cocoa powder. I don't recommend cacao powder as it will be a little too intense and the colour will be a lot darker.
For these healthier brownie cookies, I use a mix of coconut sugar and a little bit of white sugar. Coconut sugar adds a little more depth of flavour, more so than what traditional white sugar can offer. You can opt to use brown sugar if that's what you have on hand. You can also omit the white sugar and use all coconut sugar as well.
Most things are just better with butter. Butter makes these cookies taste rich and also provides flavour. If you can't do butter, ghee will also work. I haven't tested these with coconut oil, so I'm not sure if it will work the same. A vegan butter should also work as well.
I am a salty girl, and to me cookies just taste so much better with a pinch of salt on top. It helps to cut the sweetness and honestly, they just taste so much better. I like using Maldon flaky salt on top, and adding them right after baking, while they're still hot from the oven. You could omit the flaky salt if you don't have it though.
Making these gluten free brownie cookies is pretty easy! Once you have all your ingredients ready, the recipe comes together pretty quickly. I have a few tips to ensure successful cookies.
Yes, I know that the walnuts get baked in the cookies, but toasting them beforehand really makes these brownie cookies stand out even more. This is one step that I think is really necessary to make them taste even better. So don't skip it!
Whisk the almond flour, through to the cocoa powder and set aside in a medium sized bow, while you prepare the wet ingredients.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, then go ahead and add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Set aside!
Usually I am just a simple whisk and go girl. But beating the sugars and eggs really helps to ensure the sugars are incorporated. I only have a basic hand held mixer and that works just fine for these. You want to make sure you blend on medium for about 3 minutes in total. It will be very smooth and bubbly after.
As with any baking, you don't want to over mix the dough, you just want to mix it enough so that everything is just combined. Stir the melted butter and chocolate in with the whipped eggs and sugar and take a moment to admire the swirls.
Then add in the dry ingredients along with the toasted walnuts and chopped dark chocolate. Stir until just combined! Then pop the cookie dough in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes. This makes it a lot easier to scoop the cookies as the dough is quite sticky. Plus this helps the cookies not to spread too much during baking.
When you're ready to bake, place them on a cookie/baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, the dough will still look a bit undercooked, thats ok, it will continue cooking while on the tray. Add flaky salt on top right when you take them out of the oven. Let them cool on the tray for about 10 minutes, then place them on a cooling rack. Continue with the next batch, until all the cookies are made.
I like to keep my brownie cookies in a sealed container on my counter for a few days. Then, I'll move them to the fridge still in that sealed container.
Because this recipe makes about 16-18 cookies, and I'm just one person, living alone, I also store leftovers in the freezer. To do this, I wrap them in some parchment paper and then in a sealed plastic bag. Whenever I want one, I take it out and et it come to room temperature, for about 8-10 minutes. They taste almost as good as when you made them fresh, obviously they're not hot from the oven, but they're still REALLY good. You could pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds if you want to recreate that whole fresh out of the oven thing too.
If you do freeze them, they also work well as the sandwich to whatever ice cream you put in the middle too. You can see my recipe over here for double chocolate paleo cookies made into ice cream sandwiches.
If you make these brownie chocolate chip cookies, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to tag me on Instagram, and/or leave a comment, rating or review below.
Don't let the instructions intimidate you, it's just me trying to be as descriptive as possible. These brownie cookies are really easy to make!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products and services I have personally used and love. Disclosure here.
Decadent and fudgy double chocolate brownie cookies!
If your cookies are a little on the pillowy side and not flat enough, bang the baking tray down to flatten the cookies. They will deflate a little as they sit on the baking tray as well.
To get the salt to stick on top, you can just lightly touch the tops of the cookies once they come out of the oven to expose some of the melted chocolate chunks, the salt will stick to that.
And I’m so grateful you’re here! Have a look around at some of my favourite recipes and stay a while.
Comment Below
Did you love this? Let us know!