Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

• 167 gplain flour
• 85 gunsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• Pinchsalt
• 300 ggranulated sugar
• 85 gbutter, melted and cooled
• 60 mlhoney
• 10 mlvanilla extract
• 2 largeegg whites
• 113 gbutter
• 45 mlmilk
• 7.5 mlvanilla extract
• 360 gicing sugar
• To tastejimmies sprinkles

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the trays

   Heat the oven to 175°C and grease two baking trays.

2. 2

   Mix dry ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. 3

   Make the dough

   In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, melted and cooled butter, honey, vanilla and egg whites until combined. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and use your hands to mix just until blended.

4. 4

   Shape the cookies

   Lightly grease your hands and roll the dough into balls about 2.5 cm across. Place them on the greased trays, then flatten each one slightly with the back of a spoon.

5. 5

   Bake and cool

   Bake for about 7–9 minutes, just until the cookies are slightly cracked. Transfer them to a cooling rack.

6. 6

   Make the buttercream

   In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, milk and vanilla. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

7. 7

   Frost and store

   Once the cookies have cooled completely, spread a generous amount of frosting over each one and add the jimmies. Let the frosting set, then store the cookies in a container with baking parchment between the layers.

What are brownie cookies?

Brownie cookies bring together the cocoa-rich flavour of brownies and the individual shape of cookies. They belong to the American tradition of home-baked chocolate treats, though this version is finished with buttercream rather than left plain.

Soft centres: A short bake keeps the cookies tender, while small cracks on top signal that they are ready to come out of the oven. The creamy frosting and jimmies add a sweet, celebratory finish.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 135 calories, 1g protein, 24g carbs, 5g fat.

The flour and sugars provide most of the carbohydrates, while the butter in the cookies and frosting contributes most of the fat. Egg whites add a little protein; pair a cookie with yoghurt or a glass of milk if you want a more balanced snack.

Choosing the ingredients

Cocoa and flour: Unsweetened cocoa provides the chocolate flavour, while plain flour gives the dough structure. Whisk them with the baking powder and salt so they are evenly combined before adding the wet mixture.

Cooled butter: Let the melted butter cool before mixing it with the sugar, honey, vanilla and egg whites. This helps the ingredients combine without warming the egg whites.

Handling the dough

Gentle mixing: Use your hands to bring the wet and dry mixtures together, stopping as soon as the dough is blended. The method calls for a brief mix rather than kneading.

Lightly greased hands: The dough can be sticky, so grease your hands before rolling it into balls. Flatten each ball only slightly with the back of a spoon.

Getting the bake right

Oven cue: Bake at 175°C for about 7–9 minutes, checking for slight cracks on the surface. The recipe does not call for waiting until the cookies look fully firm.

Cooling: Move the cookies to a rack after baking and leave them to cool completely before frosting. Warm cookies can soften the buttercream.

Making smooth buttercream

Cream first: Beat the butter, milk and vanilla together before adding the icing sugar. Add the sugar gradually, as directed, and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Set before storing: Spread the frosting generously over each cooled cookie, add the sprinkles and allow the topping to set. Place baking parchment between layers when packing them away.

Serving and sharing

For a party: Arrange the frosted cookies on a platter once the buttercream has set, so the toppings are less likely to smudge as they are handled.

With a drink: Serve them with tea, coffee or a glass of milk. Their sweet frosting makes a small cookie a satisfying dessert on its own.

Recipe notes & tips

• Measure the flour and cocoa before starting so the dry mixture is ready when needed.
• Use cooled melted butter in the dough, as specified.
• Grease your hands lightly before rolling the sticky dough.
• Keep the cookie balls similar in size so they bake at a similar rate.
• Check for slight cracks from 7 minutes, as the baking time is short.
• Wait until the cookies are completely cool before adding the buttercream.

Variations

• Chocolate sprinkles: Use chocolate jimmies for a more understated topping.
• Colourful finish: Choose jimmies in colours to suit a celebration or season.
• Vanilla balance: Reduce the frosting on each cookie for a less sweet finish.
• Smaller cookies: Roll smaller dough balls and begin checking them early in the stated baking window.
• Plain tops: Leave off the jimmies for a simple buttercream finish.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Warm melted butter: Let it cool before mixing it with the egg whites.
• Overmixing the dough: Mix by hand only until the ingredients are blended.
• Skipping the hand grease: Lightly grease your hands to make rolling easier.
• Overbaking: Remove the cookies when they are slightly cracked, after about 7–9 minutes.
• Frosting warm cookies: Cool them completely first so the buttercream stays in place.
• Stacking too soon: Let the frosting set and put baking parchment between cookie layers.

How to store

Once the frosting has set, store the cookies in a container with baking parchment between the layers. The recipe does not specify a storage duration or reheating method; for the neatest frosting, serve them at room temperature without reheating.

Frequently asked questions