The BEST soft, fudgy, and chewy brownie cookies inspired by Little Debbie's cosmic brownies! Enjoy chilled for the perfectly fudgy & dense texture.
Why I Love These Cosmic Brownie Cookies
- Super Fudgy & Dense: just like my copycat cosmic brownies, these cookies have a thick, dense, and super fudgy texture. The use of dark cocoa powder & the addition of a tiny bit of corn syrup helps give it this iconic chewy texture.
- Easy to make: these double fudge cookies are one of those cookies that look fancy but are actually easy to whip up! The ganache comes together quickly using the microwave (no stovetop needed!). No need to run to Crumbl next time you're craving one of these bad boys.
- A crowd favorite: Whether you're making them giant or scooping them into smaller, bite-sized cookies for holiday platters (see how I make them Christmas-themed below!), these are one of those cookies that everyone loves.
Ingredient Notes
- Cocoa Powder: I use and recommend Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder to give them a moist, rich flavor. You can substitute for regular unsweetened cocoa powder, just note that your cookies will have a puffier texture and won't have the iconic brownie taste.
- Rainbow chip sprinkles: You can find these at Michaels, Amazon, or one of my favorite budget-hacks is to get a box of Pillsbury Funfetti brownie mix (at most grocery stores!) and use the packet inside. You can then just keep the brownie mix for another time.
- Light corn syrup: We're using a small amount of corn syrup to create a chewy, dense, fudgy cookie. Omitting it will not result in the ideal texture, so I highly recommend using it (ps. light corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup!). You can find this in the baking aisle (Karo or generic brand works). If you can't find it where you live, you can try using thick honey or light molasses to achieve a similar texture (it won't be exact). Or you can use 1 tablespoon of milk but keep note that the cookies will likely end up puffier and won't have the same chewy, dense, fudgy texture.
- Heavy cream: In order to get a thick chocolate ganache that "hardens", you'll want to use heavy cream (also known as "heavy whipping cream" at grocery stores).
- Chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet chocolate chips but if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor, you can use milk chocolate chips.
Where to buy the sprinkles?
I get my rainbow chip sprinkles on Amazon! It's a big, bulk-sized bag that will last you for a while! It also comes with a resealable bag for easy storing.
And! You can use them on my other cosmic recipes: Homemade Cosmic Brownies or even just use as an ice cream topping on my No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream!
How to Make Cosmic Brownie Cookies
This is just an overview showing step-by-step photos, jump to full recipe card with exact instructions.
Step 1: Make Cookie Dough
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix together cookie dough. Dough should be thick and similar to a play-doh consistency, as shown below.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to cream softened unsalted butter (½ cup, 1 stick), light brown sugar(½ cup), and granulated sugar (¼ cup) for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg (1 large), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and light corn syrup (2 tablespoons) and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything can combine.
- Add in baking soda (¼ teaspoon) and salt (¼ teaspoon) and mix for another 5-10 seconds until combined.
- Lastly, add dark cocoa powder (½ cup) and all-purpose flour (1 ¼ cups) and mix on medium until combined.
Tip: Using softened butter is important here! If your butter is straight from the fridge, microwave for 10 seconds to slightly soften.
Step 2: Scoop, Flatten, Bake
Scoop dough into ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) sized scoops (I use this stainless steel cookie scoop!), roll into balls, then gently flatten each dough ball into a ½" thick disc; this will help them spread instead of be puffy. Bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes, then allow cookies to fully cool before topping.
Tip: Baking on a parchment-lined, light-colored metal pan will allow your cookies to bake evenly without overbrowning. This is the trick to soft, chewy cookies!
Step 3: Decorate
After the cookies are cooled, spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate ganache on each cookie and top with rainbow chip sprinkles.
Jump to full recipe card with exact instructions to make the ganache.
Step 4: Refrigerate & Enjoy!
Refrigerate the frosted cookies to help the ganache set. Chilling will also help them become even better & fudgier! You can also keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days, if desired.
Tips & Variations
- Make it holiday themed! Pick out the red, pink, and green rainbow chip sprinkles (shown below!) to make them Christmas-themed!
- Top with mini m&m's or sprinkles: Don't have rainbow chip sprinkles? You can also top with mini m&m's or any sprinkles of your choice!
- Have extra ganache? If you end up with a little extra chocolate ganache, stick in a ziploc bag in the freezer and then add to hot cocoa!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Did you make this recipe? If so, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Fudgy Cosmic Brownie Cookies (TikTok Viral!)
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to cream softened ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, and ¼ cup granulated sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons light corn syrup and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything can combine.
- Add in ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt and mix for another 5-10 seconds until combined.
- Lastly, add ½ cup dark cocoa powder and 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour and mix on medium until combined.
- Scoop dough into ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) sized scoops (I use this stainless steel cookie scoop!), roll into balls, then gently flatten each dough ball into a ½" thick disc; this will help them spread instead of be puffy.
- Bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes. Do not overbake. The centers may look a tiny bit wet but will continue to bake on the hot pan, allowing them to firm up without overbaking.Allow to fully cool before decorating.
- In a medium-sized, heat-safe bowl (cereal bowl sized), place ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl or large liquid measuring cup, heat ¼ cup heavy cream in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until it begins to bubble (it's important that your measuring cup or bowl is at least 4x taller than the milk line, as it will expand when it's heating and can easily overflow). You can also heat this on the stove; remove it once it begins to steam.
- Use a hot pad to carefully remove milk from the microwave and pour over the chocolate chips (do not stir yet!). Use a fork to press down the chips so that they're fully covered with the cream.Allow to sit for about 3 minutes, then use a fork to stir; it will be thick and will likely look like it's not going to mix together but keep at it until smooth & creamy.If your mixture doesn't melt down, microwave in 10 second increments at 50% power, stirring in between each increment until smooth.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate ganache on each cookie and top with rainbow chip sprinkles. Place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to help the ganache harden.
- I recommend refrigerate the cookies as they get even better & fudgier when chilled! You can also keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days, if desired.
Notes from Melissa
- Smaller cookies: For smaller cookies, use a 2-tablespoon scoop and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Cocoa Powder: I use and recommend Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder to give them a moist, rich flavor. You can substitute for regular unsweetened cocoa powder, just note that your cookies will have a puffier texture and won't have the iconic brownie taste.
- Rainbow chip sprinkles: You can find rainbow chip sprinkles at Michaels, Amazon, or one of my favorite budget-hacks is to get a box of Pillsbury Funfetti brownie mix (at most grocery stores!) and use the packet inside. You can then just keep the brownie mix for another time.
Did you make this?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! Leave a review & photo of your creation and be sure to mention @DesignEatRepeat or tag #DesignEatRepeat on Instagram!Save this recipe!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
YUM! These are so so so good! Mine didn’t turn out exactly like cosmic brownies (little lighter/not as oily), but they are delicious! I made 12 ~2-3 Tbsp cookies and baked them for about 9 minutes. Already excited to make them again!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Clara! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
These are extremely delicious! I’m making them for Valentine’s Day and adding pink sprinkles!
I was super disappointed in these- especially texture wise, and not very sweet. Others may like them. 🤷🏼♀️
This turned out perfect! My family loved it. I will be making again for sure. Thanks for such an easy to follow recipe.
Yay, thank you so much for leaving a review, Lindsey!
Will the cookies be just as good doubling or tripling the recipe?
You can scale the recipe just fine but I will note that the batter is thick so I would only double it if you have a stand mixer. One reader said they doubled it with a Kitchenaid and it was a bit difficult to mix, so it depends on how big of a mixer bowl you have! But I definitely wouldn’t double if using a hand mixer :)
LOVE! 10/10 recipe!
Amazing recipe and will definitely make more!
These cookies are so easy to make and taste amazing! I doubled up the recipe because one batch was not enough for my family. Thanks for the recipe.
I'm so glad you and the family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
We made this recipe with bobs red mill gf 1:1 and it turned out amazing. So gooey and delicious. Very rich!
FAMILY FAVORITE!!
A did swap a few ingredients and it still turned out good and adorable.
I’m also apart of the challenge For the KitchenAid ❤️
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Lyllian!
For anyone who can’t get a hold of light corn syrup:
Cook 60g sugar with 60g water until it has a syrup light consistency and let it cool.
This recipe is fantastic and I made it twice within two days, because the first batch was gone immediately! Since I’m not from the US, I can’t get a hold of the corn syrup and had to tweak the recipe as stated above.
Would definitely recommend!
Thank you so much for the extra tips, Viktoria! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for leaving a review!
These really are the BEST fudgy brownie cookies, perfect amount of fudginess and that ganache frosting puts them over the top! To save time I measured out 1/4 cup of the dough into an adjustable measuring cup and it worked so well because when I pushed the dough onto the cookie sheet they came out as these uniformally sized, 1/2 inch tall discs that I didn't need to first roll into a ball then flatten. I will absolutely be making these again, especially with all the super cute sprinkle options available!
That's a great idea and tip, Erin! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for leaving a review!
Super fudge-like and easy!
Even better the next day, highly recommend!
So good! Must have for the season!!
Tastes better than the Cosmic Brownies! Super simple and absolutely amazing!