Ghirardelli brownie mix cookies are chewy, crinkle top chocolate cookies made from one box of brownie mix, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons water. They bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes and one box makes about 20 cookies.
The whole trick is less liquid than the box asks for when you make brownies. That gives you a thick dough you can scoop, and the cookies come out with glossy cracked tops and soft middles. No mixer, one bowl, and about 45 minutes from opening the box to a cooled tray.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →Brownie Mix Cookie Ratio and Bake Times
- Mix: 1 box of brownie mix, 18 to 18.5 ounces
- Add: 2 large eggs, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons water
- Optional: ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks, ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), 10 to 12 minutes on a parchment lined sheet
- Yield: about 20 cookies from rounded tablespoons of dough
- Time: 10 minutes prep, 10 to 12 minutes baking, about 25 minutes cooling
- Keeps: 4 days airtight at room temperature
Which Ghirardelli Brownie Mix Makes the Best Cookies?
Any standard box works, but in my kitchen I reach for Ghirardelli. The chocolate flavor is deeper and the dough bakes up smoother. I have tried the same ratio with store brand mixes and always come back to it.
Check the weight on the box first. This recipe is balanced for 18 to 18.5 ounces of mix. A bigger box with the same eggs, oil, and water gives you a stiffer dough and thicker, drier cookies.
Triple chocolate Ghirardelli mix already has chocolate chips in the bag, so the extra ½ cup is up to you. It makes a very chocolatey cookie with melted pockets all through it. With a plainer box, such as double chocolate, the chips add those pockets. Skip any box that comes with a separate syrup or fudge pouch. That extra liquid turns the dough too loose to hold a scoop.
What Goes Into Brownie Mix Cookie Dough
Two large eggs bind the dry mix and give the chew. The ¼ cup of oil keeps the centers fudgy, and 2 tablespoons of water loosen the dough just enough to stir by hand. For a richer bite, use ¼ cup melted butter in place of the oil.
Espresso powder is optional. Half a teaspoon does not make the cookies taste like coffee. It sharpens the cocoa so the chocolate tastes darker.
Mixing and Scooping Brownie Mix Cookies by Hand
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Do this first. The dough is sticky, and you want to scoop it straight onto the tray.
Put the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and water in a large bowl and stir with a sturdy spatula. Keep going for a full minute after it comes together. It should look thick, glossy, and heavy, like very stiff brownie batter. That minute of stirring dissolves more of the sugar in the mix, and dissolved sugar is what rises to the top in the oven and dries into the shiny crackled skin. Fold in the chips and espresso powder last.
Scoop rounded tablespoons onto the sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Lightly oil your hands or the scoop if the dough clings. If it slumps into a puddle instead of holding a mound, chill the bowl for 15 minutes and try again.
When to Pull Brownie Mix Cookies From the Oven
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. At 10 minutes the edges look matte and set, the tops have cracked, and the centers still look glossy and a little puffed. That is the moment for soft, fudgy cookies. At 12 minutes they are firmer and chewier all the way through.
They will look underbaked. Leave them on the hot sheet for 5 minutes, where they finish setting, then move them to a rack to cool completely. Baked until the middles look dry, they cool into hard, cakey disks.
Use a light colored baking sheet if you have one. I have tested both, and dark metal pans brown the bottoms before the tops have time to crack.
Brownie Mix Cookies vs Box Brownies and Cake Mix Cookies
The same box baked as brownies in an 8×8 pan often comes out either cakey in the middle or dry at the edges. As cookies, every piece gets a crisp rim, a soft center, and its own crackled top.
Cake mix cookies use a similar method, but the flavor lands softer, closer to a whoopie pie than a brownie. If you like that shortcut, cake mix crinkle cookies rolled in powdered sugar are the brownie cookie’s lighter cousin.
Brownie Mix Cookie Add-Ins Worth Trying
- Chopped walnuts and a pinch of flaky sea salt pressed on top before baking.
- A spoonful of peanut butter swirled through the dough before scooping, the cookie version of chocolate peanut butter brownies.
- White chocolate chunks with the ½ teaspoon espresso powder for a mocha cookie.
- Mini muffin tins instead of a sheet, for brownie bites with better edges.
For a cookie from scratch with the same chewy middle, try brown butter chocolate chip cookies. And if you would rather stay with a pan, fudgy brownies with a crunchy nut twist or espresso brownies use the same flavors.
Storing Brownie Mix Cookies for Christmas Cookie Boxes
Once completely cool, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. I have kept extras that long without losing the chewy center. To freeze, layer the cooled cookies with parchment in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw at room temperature in the closed bag so they do not sweat.
Because they are sturdy and do not smudge, they travel well in Christmas cookie tins next to hot chocolate cookies and Christmas butter cookies. One box gives you about 20, so two boxes fill a cookie exchange tray.
Ghirardelli Brownie Cookie Questions
Can I make cookies from Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownie mix?
Yes. Use the same 2 eggs, ¼ cup oil, and 2 tablespoons water, and skip the extra chocolate chips if you like, since the mix already contains them.
Why did my brownie mix cookies spread flat?
Too much liquid or too warm a dough. Measure the oil and water exactly, avoid mixes with a syrup pouch, and chill soft dough for 15 minutes before scooping.
Do I follow the directions on the brownie box?
No. Use only the brownie mix from the box and the amounts in this recipe. The box directions add more liquid, which makes a batter for a pan rather than a cookie dough.
Brownie Mix Cookies
These Ghirardelli brownie mix cookies are chewy, crinkle top chocolate cookies made with one 18 to 18.5 ounce box of brownie mix, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons water. They mix by hand in one bowl, bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, and make about 20 cookies with glossy cracked tops and soft, fudgy centers. Using less liquid than the box brownie directions gives a thick dough that holds a scoop, and pulling them while the centers still look soft keeps these brownie cookies from a box fudgy, not cakey. Bake them for cookie trays, bake sales, and Christmas cookie boxes. Add chocolate chips or espresso powder, and store airtight for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
- 1 box (18 to 18.5 oz) brownie mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- MIX THE DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and water. Stir until a thick, sticky dough forms. If using, fold in the chocolate chips and espresso powder until evenly distributed.
- SCOOP THE DOUGH: Drop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each at least 2 inches apart. Lightly oil your hands or scoop if the dough is too sticky to handle easily.
- BAKE THE COOKIES: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The tops should look shiny and cracked, and the centers should remain slightly soft. Avoid overbaking to maintain the fudgy texture.
- COOL THE COOKIES: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Use only the dry brownie mix from the box with the amounts in this recipe; the box directions add more liquid and the cookies will spread. Skip mixes with a separate syrup or fudge pouch. Ghirardelli triple chocolate mix already contains chocolate chips, so the extra chips are optional. If the dough is too soft to hold a mound, chill it for 15 minutes before scooping. Pull the cookies when the edges are set and the centers still look glossy; they finish setting on the pan. For a richer cookie, use 1/4 cup melted butter instead of the oil. For a stronger chocolate flavor, add the espresso powder. Bake on a light colored sheet so the bottoms do not overbake. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 52Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 19mgSodium 8mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 0gSugar 2gProtein 1g
