This is Donna Hay’s brownie cookie recipe. I have been eye-balling this for sometime now every since I saw it on Pinterest. The cookie portion is dead-on like the kind of brownie I like—soft center, chewy edge, and chocolatey, but not so dense and fudge like that you need to guzzle milk to clear your throat of a chocolate coating. At the center of this brownie sandwich cookie is a caramel creme filling that lightens up the chocolate and gives the whole ensemble a cloud-like textural contrast.
So with Father’s Day today it was perfect timing. Matt loves brownies and since I’ve made him a salted dessert lover, especially salted caramel, I swapped the peanut butter filling for just that—a salted caramel creme filling.
Along with that, the recipe is extremely fast to make and easy enough that the little guy could help me with it. We gave it to Matt and he loved them as much as I did. As for the little guy, he opted to just eat the cookie portion with milk.
If you are a brownie fan you will love this recipe for the brownie cookie alone or as a brownie sandwich cookie. I’m such a fan, this will probably be the way I have my brownie for the next few months, especially since I have tendency for obsessive behavior.
A few notes:
- The only adaptation I made to this Donna Hay brownie cookie was to swap out the filling from peanut butter to salted caramel.
- If you can, make the caramel portion since it will provide for a deeper flavor. Click here for a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to make homemade caramel.
- For the chocolate portion I used a Ghiradelli’s dark chocolate.
Brownie Cookies with Salted Caramel Creme Filling
Makes 24 one inch sandwich cookies | Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment paper.
****Please note the recipe is for 1/4 cup of flour–not more. I see comments saying that is not enough or the batter is thin. To prevent a thin batter make sure to beat the eggs and sugar for FIFTEEN minutes, yes, that long — don’t short it or the result is a thin batter. Beating it that long will emulsify the batter and help to create a thicker batter. Lastly, this recipe is from from Donna Hay and the only tweak I made was to swap the peanut butter filling for a caramel filling. ****
Ingredients:
Brownie Cookie (adapted from Donna Hay)
- 12 oz. chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder, sifted
Salted Caramel Creme Filling (by Bakers Royale)
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups confectioner sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salted
- 1/4 cup caramel (Make sure caramel is cooled if making homemade. Click here for homemade caramel sauce recipe)
Instructions:
To make brownie cookies:
- Place 7oz. of the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan over low heat and gently stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add in flour, baking powder, melted chocolate mixture, remaining 5 oz. of chocolate and mix to combine. Set aside to to stand for 10 minutes. Spoon a little under a 1 tablespoonful of the mixture, onto parchment lined bake sheet. Bake for about 8–10 minutes or until puffed and cracked. Allow to cool completely on trays.
To make caramel creme filling:
- Place butter in a bowl and beat until creamed. Add in confectioner sugar and salt and beat until light combined. Add in caramel and beat until combined.
Assembly:
- Spread a tablespoon and a half of caramel creme on underside of one brownie cookie and place a second brownie cookie bottom side down on top frosting.
Miriam @ Overtime Cook says
These look absolutely delicious! Definitely on my must try list.
Carol says
In the Salted Caramel Creme recipe, what is the 1/4 salted?
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
This is crazy because I was googling brownie cookies all last week. And brownie mix from a box cookies were coming up and I kept trying to find a solid, deep, rich amazing brownie cookie to no avail. Til now. THANK you!!!
Sukaina says
Looks amazingly delicious!I’d prefer the salted caramel over the peanut butter anytime!
Naomi says
Carol-That’s 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
IdaBaker says
These look fantastic. I’m sure if I brought these to next month’s family get together, they would be a hit.
Ali @ Gimme Some Oven says
Oh my goodness – this combo sounds amazing!!! So want to try that salted caramel creme filling! 🙂
Melissa from the Blue House says
These look WONDERFUL.. . and your pics are gorgeous!
Melissa from the Blue House says
Wait… the filling says “1/4 salted.” What does that mean? 1/4 cup? I don’t get it…
Shaina says
So, I wasn’t so excited about brownie cookies. It’s the salted caramel creme that got me. Anything salted caramel sort of gets me. I am weak. In a good way, of course. Also, I totally need to live closer to you so I can hover as you take photos and then consume all the leftovers. This would be ideal.
Liv B says
Those cookies look amazing! And I can imagine them tasting exactly as you say. It’s been a long time since I made cookies & I think this is the perfect recipe to get back into the cookie game with! I’ll be trying these out this week! 🙂
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says
Oh my these look delicious 🙂 Love the crackled outside of the cookies.
Naomi says
Melissa-that’s 1/4 teaspoon of salted caramel. The recipe has been updated. Thanks!
Naomi says
Melissa – Thank you for the kind compliment on the photos. 🙂
JulieD says
Oh my god, I die! Love this!! I need you to hold my hand while I make caramel!!
Kristen says
Those brownie cookies look like perfection… mouth watering, chewy, tender. Mmmmm!
What great creations, Naomi!
Barbara says
I’m in love with these and I don’t even like chocolate! 🙂
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
My mouth is watering… and gorgeous shot as always! The extra crinkle in the paper is so cool.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Omg….amazing!! Yum!
Darlene M says
These look delicious! I see the recipe calls for only 1/4 cup flour. Is that correct?
Kristen says
Ok, making them now and my cookies spread out way too much… Suggestions?? I’m new at the baking thing =)
Lynna says
this is amazing! beautiful creation & i cannot wait to make these and share it with friends!
Ann P. says
AWESOME. Chocolate + salted caramel = one of the best things on earth! I just saved this 🙂
Diane {Created by Diane} says
Delicious, really I’m sure I got a taste of them just looking at them! They look WONDERFUL.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
You had me at Brownie Cookie
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
You speak my language.
STEPHANIE says
Can i make these with out the paddle brush attachment? All i have is a hand mixer with the normal blenders or the whisk attachment? And what kind of chocolate do you use? Thanks. Would love to make these.
DessertForTwo says
Oh my lands. I think I deserve one of these everyday at 5:00. Don’t you? 😉
Naomi says
Stephanie- Yes, you can make this with your hand mixer. No stand mixer with paddle attachment needed. The chocolate I used was Ghiradelli’s dark.
Naomi says
Kristen – I’m not really sure why that is the case, but here a few things I would check: Oven temperature-Make sure it is accurate. Eggs-Make sure they are large and not extra large eggs. Chocolate-If you used milk chocolate than they will spread a little more, not considerably, from the higher fat content. Baking powder (leavener)-Make sure it is still fresh by placing 1 teaspoon of baking powder in a bowl and add 8oz. of water to it. If it reacts and efferveces immediately, then it is fresh. If it does not or there is a delay, then your baking powder is no longer fresh.
Naomi says
Darlene – Yes it’s only a 1/4 cup.
Amanda says
Making a version of these right now… you totally 100% inspired me! GAH-orgeous girl!
Janna says
Oh My Gosh….these sound amazing!! I will definitely be trying these!!
Erin @ The Food Doctors says
Making my mouth water…
Nealey @ Dixie Caviar says
I just stared blankly at my computer screen for a few minutes, like a moth to a flame. I’m so glad I saw this post. Adding to my giant must-make list!
Jenny says
These look incredible! Great pictures and great recipe.
Michelle says
WOW!!! JUST WOW!!!! These are a MUST!
Kelli Ann says
Morning… I have these going in my oven as I type. I am a little concerned that my cookies didn’t puff up the way yours look in the picture. My batter is pretty thin. Can you help me troubleshoot?
Naomi says
Kelli Ann – I’m not really sure why that is the case, but here a few things I would check: Eggs-Make sure they are large and not extra large eggs. Chocolate-If you used milk chocolate than they will spread a little more, not considerably, from the higher fat content. Baking powder (leavener)-Make sure it is still fresh by placing 1 teaspoon of baking powder in a bowl and add 8oz. of water to it. If it reacts and efferveces immediately, then it is fresh. If it does not or there is a delay, then your baking powder is no longer fresh.
Lastly, if you might try chilling your dough for an hour then popping it back in the heated oven and see what results. On a side note I use an ice cream scoop to drop my dough, so my cookies start in the shape of a half sphere. Please do comeback and let the rest of us know the end result. BTW-If you take a look at Donna Hay’s picture her cookies are a litte flatter than mine.
Stephanie says
I read the recipe over and over again and i still don’t know what went wrong. My mix was very liquid i can’t even make the cookies. Is there really only 1/4cup of flour?
kankana says
love those cracks on top! Saving this recipe to try sometime later 🙂
Megan says
Do you use regular chocolate bars or baking chocolate?
Naomi says
Hi Stephanie There really is only 1/4 cup of flour. Click over to the link and check the recipe. As I mentioned, I only changed out the filling portion.
I’m sorry to hear that the recipe is not working for you. I’m not really sure why it’s so liquidity. Anyone else out there able to trouble-shoot this?
Naomi says
Megan – I used regular Ghiradelli’s dark chocolate chips.
Naomi says
For anyone having trouble with the recipe yielding flat cookies or thin batter problems, check out Dormestic Goddess’s pic here http://t.co/uN7pUwky her cookies did not run into the same issues. Like I mentioned before, I’m pretty sure this Donna Hay recipe is solid. But let the rest of us know if you have the same issues, I’m so curious why this is happening and maybe we can collectively troubleshoot it.
Amanda says
I’d devour those cookies alone but the filling is a nice added bonus. They look amazing!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Oh goodness these have to be the best thing ever! I can’t even imagine how insanely good the brownies and salted caramel are together.
Javelin Warrior says
On Fridays, I share my favorite food finds in a series called Food Fetish Friday – and I love this post so I’m featuring it as part of the roundup (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and I look forward to seeing what you create next…
Aurelia says
These cookies look amazing. Wow! I absolutely have to get one right now!
Larni says
About how many individual brownie cookies do these make? Not as a sandwich cookie, but each brownie cookie piece?
Alessandra says
These look like the best cookies ever. I love brownies, and caramel, Another great recipes added to the must make list.
Kayla says
These cookies were absolutely delicious but mine turned out paper flat. Also, letting the caramel cook to the point of smoking led to a nasty burnt aftertaste. More flour in the cookies. Less cooking time for the caramel sauce.
Rachael - Made From Scratch says
oh my, these look delicious I can’t wait to try them! I love the idea of swapping the peanut butter filling for salted caramel, perfect. x
Mercedes@Satisfy My Sweet Tooth says
These look so incredible! I am so into salted caramel anything and have been wanting to try these brownie cookies as well!
meatballs & milkshakes says
These look absolutely mouthwatering! I’m going to have to give these a try once it cools down enough to use my oven!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
My gosh this recipe sounds fantastic! I could eat a million!
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
one of my favorite cookies are brownie cookies and have tried a few recipes so far. will have to try your version as well.
thanks for sharing Naomi, just linked to them in my 100 chocolate recipes round-up
alison says
These are delicious but only made 12 sandwiches and I followed the direction to a T.
Kellie says
I stumbled on this recipe when doing a search for cookie sandwiches. I made a slightly different version yesterday because I can never leave anything well enough alone. Instead of caramel buttercream, I made chocolate peppermint buttercream. So, so tasty! For the actual cookies, I wanted them to be a little more chewy and dense, so I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and then filled the measuring cup to 2/3 with white sugar. I also doubled the flour and baking powder. They turned out EXACTLY how I imagined! That’s rare, so I was so pumped! Thank you for sharing this recipe. My variation was a huge hit!
Jill says
So these look amazing, but my first attempt was a bit bad. A. I think the chocolate I chose (Trader Joe 72% dark) was way too much. B. I think the size to scoop is 1 T. not 2 T. ? Has anyone else had this issue. I actually doubled the cookie recipe and only got 24 cookies by using a 2 T. scoop.
I’m going to remake the cookies because I need to send them with my husband tomorrow for work… I’m going to use my usual Ghiradelli chocolate instead, 1 T. scoops and I think I’m going to try the combo of brown sugar/white sugar and doubling flour like someone else suggested.
Shannon says
Just pulled the first batch of cookies out of the oven; they are perfect! I followed the directions exactly, but I did use only 1 heaping tablespoon of batter per cookie. They are definitely big cookies! They would have been way too big if I had used 2T. Also, I only got 15 cookies, which means I got 7 sandwiches with one leftover cookie. Next time I will use a melon baller to get more cookies. Mine aren’t quite as puffy as the pictures here, but they aren’t flat either. I am really happy with how they turned out, and I cannot wait to eat one with the caramel filling!
Shannon says
Update: I used one of my old, crummy cookie sheets to cook my last batch. My two good sheets had cookies on them cooling. Anyhow, these cookies were flatter, and I think it was the crummy cookie sheet. I have noticed that other cookies made on that sheet have not turned out all that well in the past. So, those of you with flat cookies, it could also be your cookie sheet!
M says
My sister made these tonight and they are amazing!!! The cookies spread out much more than anticipated and as a result were rather flat. We didn’t mind. Definitely a keeper, especially if you are a chocoholic and are looking to gain some weight!
Eric says
Hi! I’m new at baking and decided to try this recipe. It tasted great but I wasn’t able to scoop the dough because it was way too thin. It was very runny that when I tried to scoop it, it spread all over. I will admit that I didn’t beat the eggs and sugar that long. I probably beat it just for 8 minutes. Would it make a big difference if I beat the eggs longer? Thanks.
Barbara says
I made these today after stumbling across this recipe looking for something new to take to a ladies night potluck. OMG!! These turned out amazing – my batter was thick, and I did run the mixture for the 15 mins. I used Trader Joes Regular Dark Chocolate and made the salted caramel for the caramel cream. I did differ from the recipe and used a heaping tablespoon (I have one of the cookie scoops to measure out the dough/batter.) and it gave me the right yield for the recipe of 24 cookies, I had double the batch of cookies so I ended up with 24 sandwich cookies and only 1 recipe of caramel cream and it was perfect!
Karla Rodríguez says
Hi! I tried to make this cookies today and the batter that result was really really thin! I couldn’t make the cookie shape because it expands on the tray. I don’t know what I did wrong, I followed the instructions just like you said. 🙁
Josie says
I was wondering why mine turned out so thin! I followed the recipe exactly and was disappointed they did not turn out as good and fluffy as yours did!? Any ideas why?
Katie says
Just made these and they came out rather flat. I think that is a result of being in Utah where our elevation is about 5,000. I usually add a 1/2 cup more flour to cookie recipes but wasn’t sure about this one. Will definitely add extra flour next time. Great recipe!
kathy ryan says
What do you mean by 1/4 caramel, real caramels melted or store bought caramel sauce?Iam not going to make the homemade caramel.
Naomi Robinson says
Kathy – You can use store bought caramel, keep in mind the flavor will be slightly different than if you used homemade caramel.
Patti says
Turned out perfectly! My caramel was a little thick so I just added a little heavy cream and warmed it up enough just to get soft for the icing. My 8-year old daughter suggested we drizzle some caramel over the cookies and add just a dash of sea salt. That took it to amazing. Thank you so much!!!
Nicole says
Eric,
Yes beating the eggs will make that much of a difference. Egg whites are used often in recipes whipped to be light and fluffy. You have to beat the batter for so long because with the added ingredients it takes longer for the whites to fluff up!
Laura says
What temp do you bake the cookies at?
Asia says
Made these today… Followed directions EXACTLY including setting the timer and beating my egg mixture for the full 15 minutes. Large eggs (not xl), and the batter was soup thin. I added another 3/4 cup flour (so 1 cup total)and put them in the fridge for the 10 minute resting period. This resulted in a scoopable, cookie dough consistency that held it’s shape when scooped.I used a 2 Tablespoon scoop and got 24 cookies (so 12 sandwiches) and this included an extra 3/4 cup of flour. The finished product was a good texture not dry or dense at 9 minutes baking and looked as pictured although the color wasn’t as dark.
Additionally, I am a very experienced baker and live at a low (500ft) elevation. The original recipe which this was adapted from specifically says “whisk” the egg mixture, so I may try this again using the whisk attachment for the mixer since that is the appropriate tool for whipping eggs anyway. My eggs were room temperature as well which makes them fluff better for more volume as opposed to cold eggs.
The yield on the original recipe is 12 sandwiches, this author states 24 sandwiches. Not sure how the yield can double when the ingredients haven’t changed and the original recipe calls for “Tablespoons of dough”.
I will make this again because my finished product was tasty with my major adaptations.
Asia says
It says above the actual ingredient list, 350.
Laura says
Thanks!
Cosette says
First of all….SO glad I stumbled upon this recipe. Second, SOOOO glad I read everyones comments below! I took many people’s suggestions of adding a bit more flour and scooping 1T instead of 2T…also half white sugar, half brown. They came out AMAZING! My batter was not too thin at all, the cookie part was not too sweet, and it cracked at the top like it was supposed to. I was also good on the yield. I have baked quite a bit in the last year or so and everyone who has tasted these cookies have said this is by far the greatest of all my baked goods! If you have read this comment and many others before mine….good job! Your cookies will probably turn out better. ; )
laura h. in austin says
i am terrified of making these based on the recipe. how on EARTH is 1/4 cup of flour supposed to yield TWO DOZEN sandwiches and therefore 48 cookies?
someone needs to go back and review the ingredient measurements. this cannot be correct, and the comments seem to support this absurdity.
Naomi Robinson says
Hi Laura – It is indeed 1/4 cup, if you would like to check the ingredients. The link to Donna Hay’s site is below (for quick reference) and in the recipe . As I stated it’s her recipe and the only tweak I made was to swap out the peanut butter filling for caramel filling.
http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/sweets/biscuits-cookies/brownie-cookies-with-peanut-butter-frosting
Rhea says
I absolutely adore these cookies! I’ve made them multiple times and never had a problem with thin batter/never needed to use extra flour and they’ve always been a big hit! Mind you I live in New Zealand which uses the same size measuring cups as Australia (where the original recipe is from) which are NOT the same size as American measuring cups. My advice would be to go on the weight of flour not the cup size 🙂
JLL says
Hello! I found your recipe through Pinterest and am thrilled to have used it as one of my new cookie recipes for seasonal office cookie plates. I followed it as exactly as written (all times, etc.) and had VERY good luck with them turning out beautifully! Mine turned out a little more “airy” then I anticipated, but the flavor is so intense it’s kind of a nice contrast. I used the 60% Ghiradelli chocolate chips and they were intensely flavorful, but not so much that I had to hunt for a glass of milk 🙂 We also have a family-favorite caramel recipe that I used, but the salted caramel filling idea was a great departure from the standard chocolate/pb recipes out there. Great job!
Morgan says
Can I just use brownie mix from the store?
Red @ Adventures of a Hungry Redhead says
For the 1/4 caramel – can I use the ice cream topping type? Can I melt Kraft carmels? I’m too lazy to make the caramel myself 😉
Ariane says
Very nice brownies cookies ! Not the best cookies but the cream is incredible !
Brittany says
I just finished making these, I will be ready to assemble once the cookies cool. I followed the recipe closely (I actually prepared the homemade caramel sauce recipe during the fifteen minutes that my eggs were beating). The “dough” was nice and thick, and the cookies puffed and cracked, but after ten minutes of cooling I tried to move them to a wire cooling rack and they were totally runny in the middle so I just left them on the baking sheet and put them back in the oven for two minutes. Now I’m letting them cool completely on the baking sheet. They did not burn. I am just wondering if they were supposed to come out chewy or crunchy?
Natascha S. says
Hello! I followed instructions by the book, but the cookies spreaded on the table, got quite thin and flat, not at all like the pictures.
Cori says
Could not resist the flavor combo or your photo…had to pin and make right away. Which I did and no disappointment here. They turned out just as beautiful & delicious as stated. Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
Lisa says
I’m wondering how long these will keep, and assuming that they are to be kept at room temp. I sell baked goods at a local farmers market and would like to try these. Can I make them a couple days ahead?
Debbie H. says
…but if you haven’t tweaked anything other than the filling, how is your yield double what the original (Donna Hay) recipe is? On the link you provided, it says “makes 12 cookies”. Your recipe says “makes 24 sandwiches.”
There has to be an error somewhere…..
Shawn says
What kind of chocolate do you recommend? Semi-sweet? Dark? I noticed a couple of people used dark, but I’ll be making these for teenage boys, not sure dark chocolate will be appealing to them.
Avianti Jewelry says
This is the first recipe I’ve seen for brownie cookies. I’m so glad you gave the tip about the exact cup of flour and how long to beat it, because I may have screwed it up.. Thank you for sharing!
Natassia says
I made this recipe tonight for a friend/coworker’s birthday and they turned out amazing! I followed the recipe just as written and had no problem with runny batter or flat cookies. Also worth noting is that the recipe says it yields 24 sandwich cookies, not 24 sandwiches which I think is where some may be confused. I was able to make 34 cookies (17 sandwiches) using a 1T cookie scoop.
Thanks for sharing!
Erin says
Everything in this recipe worked for me – I followed all directions AS STATED and they were fabulous!! You have to do the full 15 minutes for the egg mixture and, I used melted choc chips instead which worked good as well. You have to let the batter stand. It is not going to be a cookie you roll up in your hand – its like a brownie, just spoon it on and they turned out great!
Jeanne says
I made these as written and they turned out amazing! I used dulce de leche in place of the caramel because I already had some in the fridge. These are my new go-to chocolate cookies. I loved them so much. Here’s my review and photos:
Robyn says
So amazing. Made these last night. Followed the recipe exact ally as written and got the perfect amount of brownies plus and extra set which served as a taste test. To make sandwiches I used a Baileys chocolate ganache recipe on half the batch and the other half I drizzled with a homemade caramel sauce which was used in this recipe. I will definitely make these again.
Brekke says
I figured it out! I believe the reason some people are getting thin, flat cookies is because of the chocolate being used. The first batch I made, I used dark and milk dipping chocolate which I had around. You can’t use dipping chocolate because of the cocoa butter ratio, it’s higher so that the chocolate is less viscous when melted and easier to use when dipping/coating but makes the cookies spread too much. Second batch I used plain old bittersweet chocolate chips and they worked out perfectly. Make sure you use regular dark chocolate!!!
Deb Lieu says
Hi,
i haven’t used your adapted version of the recipe, but i made my first batch from the donna hay website, following her instructions without tweeking.I also left quite a bit of space in between cookies but it completely spread and become sooo flat that it was 1-2 mm. it did crackle, but was super flat. where did i go wrong and how do i prevent that from happening? i wanted to make mini cookies, maybe the size of a 1 – 1.5″ max almost a two bite size. please help – i just dont want to botch the next lot.
i look forward to your reply.
— Deb
Danielle says
Mine also turned out a bit flatter than the photo but I didn’t mind. The brownie texture was still great. Next time I think I will make them mini and definitely chop the chocolate into smaller pieces. They are super chocolatey but also super rich. I think they would be great if made mini, and the recipe would yield so many more. I also used the bakers royale recipe for homemade caramel and it was a success!
Becca says
I continue to come back to this recipe after discovering it years ago. I follow the directions exactly as published and they turn out perfectly every single time. Sometimes I just make the cookies, sometimes the cookies with the caramel creme, and sometimes I make homemade ice cream to go in between two of the cookies. It is recipe perfection.