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I love olive oil. It’s a staple in cooking but have you baked with it?
I’ve baked with coconut oil (like my coconut dark oil chocolate chip cookies or coconut oil brownies), but these fudgy brownie cookies were my first crack at baking with olive oil and I loved them.
Unlike a chocolate crinkle cookie that is crisp, these brownie cookies are chewy and dense and full of chocolate flavor.
Why you’ll love Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- They’re easy! You only need 8 easy-to-find ingredients to make them from scratch.
- They make a small batch (20 cookies), but you can easily double the recipe if you need more.
- They’re kid (& adult) friendly
Sometimes when I bake something, I’m thankful for them to be gone. Not because they weren’t good but because they were too good and I was eating too many of them. These cookies are one of those cases.
They were all I could think about.
I hurried up and ate them (all) so I wouldn’t have to think about they anymore.
How’s that logic?
Equipment needed to make Fudgy Brownie Cookies
- Baking Sheets – I really like these with the lip.
- Mixing Bowls – These are my favorite mixing bowls with the grippy bottoms.
- Hand Mixer – I use my hand mixer way more than my stand mixer.
- Cookie Scoop – I have a variety of sizes and use them all.
Ingredients for Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Olive Oil – Use a good quality, light olive oil for the best flavor. Something you’d like to use on a salad or dip bread into.
Sugar – I’ve only tested with granulated white sugar.
Eggs – Two large eggs. I buy free range, organic and you can really see a difference.
Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder. You can use dark or regular.
Baking Soda – Helps gift some lift to the cookies and makes them chewy.
Hot Water – Just hot water from the tap, you’ll dissolve the baking soda into the hot water.
Sea Salt – You’ll use a flaky sea salt both in the batter (dough?) and sprinkled on top.
Chocolate Chips – I like Ghirardelli baking chips. There is a noticable difference between a higher quality and store brand chocolate chip. These are optional, some people prefer their brownie cookies without chocolate chips. Using caramel chips instead would be a good swap…
How to make Brownie Cookies
STEP ONE: First, use a hand mixer to fully combine the olive oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition.
STEP TWO: In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the hot water and set aside.
STEP THREE: Then, add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt to the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms. Pour in the baking soda mixer and continue mixing until fully combined.
STEP FOUR: Finally, stir in the chocolate chips until distributed. Cover and place in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
STEP FIVE: Once the oven is preheated, remove the dough from the fridge and use a medium cookie scoop to portion out approximately 1.5 tablespoons, spacing them a couple inches apart. I do 9 cookies per cookie sheet. Sprinkle the top with sea salt and bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are just set. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheets, and then remove.
What to serve with brownie cookies
These cookies are excellent alone but if you’re into milk, they’d be great with a glass of milk because they’re so rich and chocolatey. They’re also great with some vanilla ice cream.
Possible Substitutions/Additions
If you want brownie cookies without chocolate chips, you can skip a mix-in entirely or switch it up to something else. Other possible mix-ins include, crushed up Andes mints, caramel chips, butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips.
How to store Fudgy Brownie Cookies
How to store leftovers
Store leftover brownie cookies in an airtight container (or freezer bag) at room temperature for up to a week. They won’t last that long!
Can I freeze brownie cookies?
Yes, you can freeze brownie cookies – two ways.
First, you can freeze the uncooked dough. I like to prepare as directed, scoop out the dough onto a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and then flash freeze (freeze overnight until solid). Once fully frozen, move the dough balls to a freezer bag and store in the freezer of for up to 3 months. You can bake directly from frozen, just add a minute or two to bake time. Cookies on demand.
Alternatively, you can freeze already baked cookies. Lay them in a single layer in a freezer bag, with parchment paper between the layers, and freeze laying flat. Take them out of the freezer when ready to enjoy and thaw at room temperature on the counter.
Fudgy Brownie Cookies FAQs
Can you use olive oil for baking cookies?
You sure can and these brownie cookies are an excellent example of when it works well. Choose a good quality, extra virgin olive oil. Make sure you use an olive oil that you like on its own (like on a salad or for bread dipping). Chances are if you don’t like it as-is, you won’t like it in baked goods, so make sure you pick one you enjoy.
What’s the difference between a cookie and a brownie?
Well, a cookie is usually a small, round, flat baked treat, often with something mixed in like chocolate chips or nuts. A brownie is a small square of rich baked good, usually made with chocolate. These brownie cookies are the best of both worlds combining rich, brownie batter into a thin, chewy cookie.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Using a medium cookie scoop (approximately 1.5 TB), this recipe will make around 20 cookies.
At what temperature should I bake brownies?
Most brownies, like my better than box mix brownies, bake at 350°. These cookies also bake at 350°.
Need more brownie recipes? Try these:
Easy Chocolate Brownies
Homemade Cosmic Brownies
Peanut Butter Brownie Bites
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Click here for my entire collection of brownie recipes.
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Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon hot water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more for sprinkling
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips I used Ghirardelli baking chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the olive oil and sugar and mix, with a hand mixer, until well combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each one.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the hot water and set aside.
- Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt to the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms.
- Add in the dissolved baking soda and beat until well combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Cover and place the dough in the fridge while the oven preheats to 350° and you line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Once the oven has preheated, use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets, 9 per sheet. Sprinkle with additional sea salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheets before removing to enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This post was originally published July 12, 2013 and updated December 2021.
Oh these cookies look dangerously good!! Holy cow! I love anything sweet and with a little bit of salt. This sounds amazing.
I am drooling over here! I love salted chocolate and brownies and cookies and everything else about this recipe. Yum!
OMGOSH. These look so good! Definitely making these soon! 🙂
you had me at sea salt!
These look FABULOUS! I’m going to exchange the flour out for low-carb baking mix and hope that they taste just as good as yours look! 🙂
These cookies look absolutely delicious! Baked to perfection!!!!
I think I gain 10 pounds every time I visited your site Melissa 🙂 These looks so delicious…beautiful pics!
Erin @ Table for 7
Would like to make these for cookie exchange. Can you freeze the dough ahead?
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not. I rarely plan ahead enough to freeze things 😉 let me know if you try!
What kind of olive oil did you use? I have only used extra virgin olive oil for a lighter taste should I use a full bodied olive oil?
I don’t remember specifically, but I only ever buy EVOO. Usually the “lighter” one. I’ll pay attention next time!
I made these are they were a big hit at a neighborhood potluck. Definitely a “grown up” cookie. I got way more than 21 cookies out of the recipe, with each cookie about 2″ in diameter (not small). Mine came out looking just like yours, but much flatter. Not at all “cake like” as you described them. Definitely soft and chewy, though. Trying to figure out why mine came out so flat. I used basic (not super fancy) EVOO, was careful about measurements, I did include the vanilla. Any ideas?
Well, my husband described them as cake-like, I thought they were more like brownies. Your baking soda might be old making your cookies flat? I’m glad everyone liked them though!
Look yummy! Can I make dough ahead of time and freeze?
Hi Nila. Yes, you can freeze. I like to prep the dough, scoop into balls onto a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and pop into the freezer. Once they’re fully frozen (usually overnight), I move the frozen balls into a freezer bag & they’ll be great for a few months. Bake from frozen, just adding a minute or two extra to the bake time. Hope you like them!
Made in May 2022. Ingredients sounded alright, but I was a bit skeptical after the dough was made and placed into the refrigerator. I was really skeptical when I scooped each cookie and placed onto the cookie sheet. It just didn’t look right.
BUT . . .
Cookies turned out beautifully and tasted great. Was very, very pleasantly surprised.
You need to try this recipe if you like chocolate cookies.
Thanks so much, Danny!
Although good, we felt the recipe lacked for flavor so we added 1 tsp vanilla. Made a world of difference bringing out the chocolate flavor.
I’ll be making these at Christmas and adding different chips as you suggested.😁
I’m glad you liked them 🙂