Chocolate Brownie Cookies

It's hard to find something quicker, simpler and tastier to prepare in the kitchen than homemade cookies (especially if we have a couple of "extra" hands willing to take on the task). There are countless cookie recipes, but generally each of us has one that stands out above the rest, our favorite cookie recipe, the one that never fails. In our case, and after a long and undisputed reign of the typical chocolate chip cookies , these brownie- style chocolate cookies are our latest weakness.

And not just because they come loaded with chocolate (and the good kind, the kind we like to eat just like that), but precisely because of that; choosing your chocolate carefully will make a huge difference in the final result. After all, this ingredient alone —which plays a double role thanks to the melted chocolate in the dough and the extra chocolate pieces we add at the end—represents almost half (or without the “almost”) of the content of each of these chocolate cookies, so it seems more than understandable that it is necessary to pay special attention to its choice.

Another of the virtues of these chocolatey cookies lies in their irresistible texture; if you like a good brownie as much as I do, you will understand exactly what I am talking about. I am referring to that dense and tender crumb at the same time, soft and melting , full of flavour and intensity that at the very least forces you to squint and sometimes can even leave you speechless. You can see it, right?

And if all this were not enough, what can you say about its appearance? That colour, that shine, those irregular cracks that capriciously cross its surface, do nothing but predict good times (and if they are in good company, even better). So, decided. I'll be waiting for you here with a couple of these and a glass of milk so you can tell me about your first-hand experience.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES

Pallarès carbon steel kitchen knife with boxwood handle , T&G wooden board and Laura Ashley porcelain bowl

Ingredients (for 24 cookies)

All ingredients must be at room temperature , unless otherwise indicated.

• 225 g good quality chocolate (50%-70% cocoa, according to personal preference) ⁽¹⁾ , finely chopped
• 55 g unsalted butter
• 135 g whole brown cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs (L)
• 85 g of common wheat flour
• 12 g (2 level tablespoons) pure cocoa powder, fat-free and without added sugars
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (Royal type)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 75 g chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
• Flaked salt (optional)

NoMu Vanilla Extract , De Buyer Non-Stick Baking Tray , KitchenCraft 6-Piece Measuring Spoon Set and Nordic Ware Extra Large Cooling Rack .

Elaboration:

1. We preheat the oven to 180ºC (electric and without air) and place two oven racks, one in the upper third and the other in the lower third ⁽²⁾ .
2. In a medium heatproof bowl, place the finely chopped chocolate and butter and melt them in a bain-marie over a medium saucepan of water over medium-low heat (not boiling), stirring constantly with a whisk. It is very important to make sure that the bottom of the bowl never touches the water; the chocolate must melt thanks to the heat of the steam; the water temperature is too hot to come into direct contact with the container where the chocolate is held, which will end up spoiling due to excess heat. The Nordic Ware Double Boiler makes this task really simple and safe. If you prefer, you can also melt chocolate and butter in the microwave, always on medium power and checking and stirring with a spatula at 30-second intervals to prevent the chocolate from burning. Once melted and combined, let the mixture cool while you continue with the process.
3. In a separate small bowl, add the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and stir with a whisk until completely combined. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a separate large bowl with a whisk attachment, preferably electric), beat the eggs together with the sugar and vanilla extract at medium-high speed for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture acquires a fluffy and smooth consistency. It is very important to incorporate enough air into the mixture at this point to achieve that attractive crackled surface on our cookies.
5. Next, add the melted chocolate and butter (step 2), which will have already cooled a little, and mix gently until you get a homogeneous mixture.
6. Next, we add the dry ingredient mix that we had set aside (point 3) and, now by hand if we have been working with the electric mixer, with the help of a silicone spatula we gently incorporate them, using only the necessary movements until there are no visible traces of flour left. We will obtain a dough that is visibly more fluid than the dough of other types of cookies (such as butter cookies or the typical cookies with chocolate chips), but dense enough to work with without any problem.
7. We then place approximately 27 g of dough per cookie (about a heaping tablespoon) on a pair of non-stick baking trays ⁽²⁾ , like this one from DeBuyer , which does not require baking parchment paper, with about 5 cm of separation between them. To make this task easier, we can use a small ice cream scoop or a pressure gun (without a decorative nozzle). If we do not have any of these accessories, we can also use a couple of tablespoons, making sure that the portions of dough are more or less rounded. For greater comfort, we can lightly grease the spoons with release spray or a thin film of neutral-flavoured oil (such as sunflower oil, for example).
8. Once our portions of dough are arranged on the trays, we spread the chocolate chips or pieces, pressing them lightly on the dough ⁽³⁾ . If the dough has hardened a little (this will depend on the type of chocolate we have chosen ⁽¹⁾ and the time elapsed since we melted it; if we have placed the portions of dough with the help of two spoons, it takes a little longer and the result is less uniform) and we want our cookies to have a more or less homogeneous shape, we can flatten the portions of dough slightly with our hands and even smooth out any more visible irregularities they may have with our fingertips. Even so, I personally find the rustic look of homemade cookies quite captivating.
9. Finally, we bake our cookies for about 10-12 minutes (depending on whether we prefer them softer on the inside or more cooked; I personally like them soft in the centre like brownies , so I leave them for less time), swapping the positions of the trays halfway through the baking time. Their appearance will not tell us when they are done, so it is best to err on the side of caution and not overcook them, because if they are overcooked they will become dry and completely lose their charm.
10. We remove them from the oven, sprinkle a few flakes of salt on top of our cookies (if we want to give them that salty touch, which I assure you is a great idea) and let them rest on the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack with the help of a flat spatula so that they finish cooling (they are still somewhat fragile when they come out of the oven). Even so, if any of them “escape” before they cool completely, I won’t tell anyone…

Grades:

• ⁽¹⁾ The higher the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate we choose, in addition to the greater the intensity of the flavour, the denser our cookie dough will be as it cools. Even so, once in the oven, it will melt again without any problem.
• ⁽²⁾ If we do not have two racks and/or two non-stick trays, we will bake our cookies in batches (the leftover dough can remain in the bowl at room temperature between batches). If we are going to use a conventional oven tray, we will have to cover the base with a silicone mat or with baking paper. In this case, the tray will be in the central position of the oven when we put the cookies in and we will have to let it cool before going back for the next batch.
• ⁽³⁾ Some people prefer to add the chocolate chips directly into the dough (in the last step) instead of placing them on each of the already formed cookies. The difference is that they may not be as visible (this is just an aesthetic issue), some cookies may be heavier in chocolate than others and, if any chocolate falls on the base of the cookie, it will melt on contact with the baking tray and leave a hole in the cookie. Also, if we use a pressure gun to dispense the dough, they could get stuck.
• We can also refrigerate the cookie dough for about 30 minutes once all the ingredients have been combined; this way, we can even handle it directly with our hands when portioning out the dough.
• If you want your chocolate cookies to be even more chocolatey or with an extra texture, try adding a few more chocolate chips to each cookie (you can even double the amount). You can also leave them out at all, although I don't recommend it; you'd be missing out on an indescribable experience.
• Although we will end up with a slightly different texture and flavour, we can replace the butter with olive oil. We will end up with some truly interesting and equally delicious cookies.
• If this seems like a lot of cookies, you can easily divide the quantities in half.
• They are stored at room temperature in an airtight container protected from air for about 3 days.
• Remember: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml; 1 tablespoon = 15 ml.

Don't be fooled by appearances; it will take you less time to make and enjoy these delicious chocolate brownie cookies than to read the recipe (you know how much I like to share with you every detail of my experience with the process of the recipes I bring you). And now, enjoy!

A hug,

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