Fudgy brownie cookie meets creamy peanut butter frosting all topped with a semisweet chocolate ganache. The cookies are perfect for any chocolate peanut butter lovers and they taste even better than they look.
First this recipe starts out by making your brownie cookies. These cookies are perfectly chewy and fudgy and they create the perfect base for the frosting and ganache topping. Similar to many of my brownie recipes, you'll melt your butter separately and stir in your cocoa powder which will help to deepen the chocolate flavor. There is no melted chocolate in the actual cookie but the end result will be perfectly fudgy still I promise.
After whisking your sugars and egg together, and then combining your vanilla extract and butter and cocoa mixture in, you'll form your cookie dough with the rest of your dry ingredients. The best part is that the dough requires no chill time so they can bake right away.
These cookies don't spread much in the oven so once you scoop your cookie dough, you'll want to press the cookie dough into thick disk shapes before they hit the oven. If needed, you can also gently press onto your hot, baked cookies with a flat tool like a measuring cup if you need to gently guide the center of the cookie to be a bit more flat.
It's really important that your baked cookies cool completely before you top with your peanut butter frosting. To do this you can use the fridge to speed up the cooling process. You'll also want to give your frosted cookies time to chill before adding your chocolate ganache and then from there it's up to you - you can chill your completed cookies before enjoying, dive in with the warm ganache, or you can even pop them into the freezer. There is truly no wrong way to eat them!
For storage, because of the heavy cream and buttercream frosting, it's best to store these in the fridge or freezer. The good thing is that these will taste delicious for many days after you make them, unlike other more chewy or soft style classic cookies. This also makes them a great bake ahead option to bring to a gathering with friends.
Ingredients
Brownie cookies
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 113g
1/3 cup cocoa powder 35g
1/2 cup light brown sugar 96g
1/4 cup granulated sugar 48g
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 150g
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Peanut butter frosting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature 28g
4 tablespoons peanut butter* 64g
2/3 cup powdered sugar 80g
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Chocolate ganache
1/2 cup (3 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
Total time: 4 hours
Prep time: About 30 minutes
Bake time: 8-10 minutes
Servings: 11 cookies
Equipment
Nonstick pan or microwave safe bowl
Hand mixer
Spatula or large spoon
Various bowls
Cookie sheets
Parchment paper
Large cookie scoop (about 2.5 - 3 tablespoons)
Cooking instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you haven't already, take your butter for your frosting out of the fridge so it can come to room temperature.
First, make your brownie cookies. Melt your butter either in a nonstick pan over low to medium heat or in the microwave. Then stir in your cocoa powder until fully combined and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, add both sugars and your egg. Use your hand mixer at a medium speed or a whisk (or a spatula will work) and mix together until lightened in color. Then, add in your vanilla extract and your butter and cocoa powder mixture and continue mixing until everything is combined into a smooth chocolatey mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
Then, using a spatula or large spoon, fold in your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda and salt - until your dough forms.
Scoop your brownie cookie dough onto one or two large parchment lined cookie sheets. Each cookie should be about 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons. These cookies won't spread much so you'll want to press the scoops down using the palm of your hand to flatten them a bit into thick disk shapes.
Bake your cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. If you'd like, you can lightly shape your cookies right when they come out of the oven using a bowl or round tool (like a cookie cutter) that's just larger than the perimeter of your cookies, and if you need to flatten your cookies at all you can use a flat tool like a measuring cup to gently press down on the center of your cookies when still hot.
Allow your cookies to cool completely - about an hour at room temperature and then an hour in the fridge.
Make your peanut butter frosting. Add your room temperature butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl. Use your hand mixer to whip the two together until smooth.
Add in your powdered sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla. Continue to mix at a medium to high speed until your mixture lightens and your sugar is completely incorporated.
Finally add in your tablespoon of heavy cream. Continue to mix at a high speed for a few minutes until your frosting is smooth and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl and mixer attachment at least once part way through mixing.
Frost each of your cookies with about a tablespoon and a half of peanut butter frosting and place them into the fridge or freezer.
Make your chocolate ganache and finalize your cookies. Place your chocolate into a bowl and set aside.
Heat your heavy cream in a nonstick pan on your stovetop at a low to medium heat (or very carefully in short increments in the microwave) until there are some wisps of steam coming off of your cream. Pour your heated cream over your chocolate chips and let sit for a minute or two. Use a spoon to mix until smooth. If your chocolate isn't melting completely, you can always place the mixture into the microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth.
Let your ganache cool off for about 5-10 minutes, it should be pourable but not too hot. Remove your cookies from the fridge/freezer and top each with about a tablespoon of your ganache. You can enjoy right away or let your ganache set at room temperature or in the fridge, and then enjoy!
Store these cookies in the fridge for about a week and they will taste delicious cold, or you can pop them into the microwave for about 10-15 seconds (it will warm up the cookie and ganache but the frosting should remain cold). You can also freeze these cookies and either enjoy frozen, or let them defrost in the fridge or at room temperature before enjoying.
Carb and serving info
Servings: 11 cookies
Carbs per serving (1 of 11): 39
Carbs for full recipe: 434
Carbs for cookies only: 282
Carbs for frosting only: 94
Carbs for ganache only: 58
Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.