chocolate cookies

Name: Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 15
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips; 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil); 1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional); 2 large eggs, room temp; 3/4 cup sugar (coconut or cane); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder; 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 3 Tbsp plant-based butter, softened; 3 Tbsp natural peanut butter, room temp; 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2-4 tsp plant-based milk

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting (dairy-free)

May 15, 2020 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

These mini Brownie Sandwich Cookies make for a delicious and indulgent cookie treat! A sweet peanut butter frosting is sandwiched between two chewy brownie cookies. Serve them fresh or pack them up in the refrigerator to snack on cold – yes, they’re delicious cold! Whatever you do, you will love these!

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Okay, you guys have been killing it with my Olive Oil Brownie Cookies – they’re hands down my most popular recipe over on Instagram and here on the blog! And I’ve loved seeing so many of your results from baking those cookies. So I decided to take the beloved brownie cookie up a notch by A) making them smaller and B) sandwiching them with an easy peanut butter frosting.

You guys. These cookies are so good. Eat them fresh while the frosting is nice and soft or pop them in your refrigerator to pop out and eat cold (my favorite way to eat them!). These cookies are so soft and chewy that even when cold, you can bite right into what tastes like brownie batter with a hint of sweet peanut butter. I couldn’t ask for a better chocolate snack, could you?

How to make Brownie Sandwich Cookies

These cookies are made just like my original Weeknight Brownies but with more flour to make the batter thick enough for cookies. The key to getting a consistent cookie across all of the batches is to allow the batter to sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes. This dries the batter out a bit, stiffening it up enough to scoop like regular cookie dough.

For the mini cookies, I found it easier to scoop the dough balls onto my parchment-lined baking sheet and then use my fingers to shape them while they’re on the sheet. Once all of the cookies are baked and cooled, you’ll whip up a simple buttercream frosting with plant-based butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and a little “milk”.

You can use a piping bag or ziploc bag fitted with a large, circular piping tip (or a star shape for a fancier look!) to pipe the frosting onto half of the cookies. Sandwich the cookies together and you’ve got a decadent little, peanut butter brownie treat! Yum!

Some of the ingredients + substitutions for this recipe:

Chocolate chips help give these cookies that crinkly, brownie-like top. I like to use a semi-sweet chocolate chip, but you can use dark or milk chocolate.

Vegetable oil adds tons of moisture to these cookies. I used olive oil in my cookies but avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or any kind of melted butter will work, too.

Instant Coffee (or espresso powder!) adds depth to the chocolate flavor. It’s totally optional, so don’t fret if you don’t have any.

Sugar sweetens these cookies, and I’ve successfully used coconut sugar, white granulated sugar, raw sugar, and brown sugar.

Dutch process cocoa powder adds a deeper chocolate flavor and color than regular, natural cocoa powder. You can use regular cocoa powder, but I recommend grabbing a box of the Dutched cocoa – it’s so good in many chocolate desserts!

Natural peanut butter is used to flavor the buttercream frosting. I’ve only used the natural kind (the only ingredient being peanuts) for this specific recipe. If you want to use a no-stir peanut butter with added oil, sugar, etc, you may need more or less milk or powdered sugar.

Yield: 15 Sandwich Cookies

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Mini brownie cookies sandwiched together with an easy peanut butter frosting! These chewy, little cookies are delicious as-is or pop them in the refrigerator for a cold chocolatey snack.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Brownie Cookies

1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar (coconut or cane)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Peanut Butter Frosting

3 Tbsp plant-based butter, softened
3 Tbsp natural peanut butter, room temp
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2-4 tsp plant-based milk

Instructions

Make the cookies:

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a small, microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips along with the oil and instant coffee. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until chips are melted and smooth; set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick, fluffy, and light in color, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined and uniform in color; set aside.
Once the egg/sugar mixture has fluffed up and thickened, whisk in the vanilla. Then add the melted chocolate mixture and gently fold it into the egg/sugar mixture until totally combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
The dough will be like a very sticky, thick brownie batter. Allow it to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to stiffen up a bit so you can scoop the dough balls.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookies, eight at a time, 1 Tbsp in size onto one baking sheet. Gently shape and smooth each dough ball (optional). The dough balls should spread/flatten a bit once they're scooped. If not, go ahead and use your fingers to gently flatten the tops of the dough balls.
Bake the cookies at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or until the centers no longer look wet. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.
Meanwhile (or while the cookies are baking), use the room temperature baking sheet to prepare another batch of dough for the oven. Continue until all cookies are baked. Allow your cookies to cool completely before making the frosting.

Make the frosting + assemble:

In a medium bowl beat together the butter and peanut butter. Beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar. Finally, beat in the milk 1 tsp at a time until the frosting comes together and his thin enough to pipe but thick enough to hold its shape.
Add the frosting to a piping bag or large ziploc bag fitted with a large, circular piping tip. Pipe the frosting onto half of the cookies, holding the bag upright in the middle of the cookie and applying a steady pressure until the frosting nearly reaches the edge.
Sandwich the frosted cookies and plain cookies together, pressing gently until the frosting reaches the cookies' edges.
Enjoy right away or store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat them chilled like I do!

Olive Oil Brownie Cookies (DF)

March 17, 2020 by Rachael Ng 28 Comments

These cookies are literal brownies in cookie form. They taste like brownies, look kinda like brownies, and come together just like brownies! The batter is basically brownie batter but with a little more flour and a bit of baking powder.

For these cookies, you’ll whisk the eggs and sugar together until they’re nice and thick – this helps add lift to the cookies. You’ll want to make sure your eggs are room temperature for maximum thickness. Then you’ll add in the melted chocolate and oil and then the dry ingredients. Allowing the sticky batter to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes allows it to thicken just enough that you can scoop the cookie dough without trouble. If you prefer extra round cookies, like me, you can even roll and shape the scooped dough balls on the cookie sheet. The batter will be very soft, but it’s still roll-able. You’ll bake the cookies until they’re cracked and puffy and the centers no longer look wet.

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Chocolate chips bring tons of moisture and chocolate flavor to these cookies! I recommend using semi-sweet chips and steering clear of any chocolate bars – I’ve found the chips help with the crackly textured top.

Olive oil is a delicious, dairy-free alternative to butter. It’s better for you and, of course, lends a hand to the chewy texture of these cookies.

Instant coffee deepens the chocolate flavor of these cookies. Instant espresso powder works, too. If you don’t have any on hand, don’t fret, the cookies will still be delicious.

Eggs are necessary for traditional brownies, and I don’t recommend using any egg substitutes – the batter may spread in the oven and never set up into cookies.

Dutch process cocoa powder is a richer cocoa powder with more chocolate flavor. These cookies are best with Dutched cocoa! I’ve made them with regular, natural cocoa powder and though the cookies will turn out, they’re not as chocolate-y.

Yield: 11 Cookies

Olive Oil Brownie Cookies

Big, chewy chocolate cookies made from the most delicious homemade brownie batter!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar (coconut or white cane)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a small, microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips along with the olive oil and instant coffee. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until chips are melted and smooth; set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick, fluffy, and light in color, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined and uniform in color; set aside.
Once the egg/sugar mixture has fluffed up and thickened, whisk in the vanilla. Then add the melted chocolate mixture and gently fold it into the egg/sugar mixture until totally combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
The dough will be like a very sticky, thick brownie batter. Allow it to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to stiffen up a bit so you can roll the dough balls.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookies, six at a time, 3 Tbsp in size onto one baking sheet. Gently roll and smooth each dough ball (optional). Flatten the tops of the dough balls so they look like thick discs or hockey pucks.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies look a bit crackly all over and the centers no longer look wet. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, use the room temperature baking sheet to bake the rest of the cookies.
Enjoy these cookies warm - my favorite way! Then store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

More chocolate recipes:

Triple Chocolate Inside Out Cookies (dairy-free)

Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (vegan option)

Classic Weeknight Brownies (dairy-free)

Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Cookies (dairy-free)

Triple Chocolate Inside Out Cookies (DF)

December 2, 2019 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

Since giving up dairy (and subsequently chocolate with milk in it!) a couple of years ago, I’ve become really good at searching out milk-free chocolates. This means that I’ve grown accustom to the taste of some very dark chocolate since those are the ones least likely to contain milk. I remember going on the hunt for a vegan white chocolate around the holidays last year, and the only thing I could find was a bag of super expensive (for me, this is anything over $5) white chocolate chips. Nope. Not worth the money. After all, white chocolate isn’t even really chocolate. It’s made with cocoa butter and contains no chocolate solids!

I’d recently been thinking of doing an “inside out” type of cookie – chocolate cookie dough with white chocolate chips – and totally lucked out when I found a bag of Nestle white chocolate chips without milk! Yes! This is in no way sponsored, but Nestle now has a line of allergen-friendly chocolate chips, including white chocolate morsels! A huge win for those of us avoiding dairy products! And I found them at my local Wal-Mart. A bit pricey, but totally exciting and worth it for a white chocolate splurge!

These cookies are basically a chocolate version of my favorite Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I simply added cocoa powder and tons of white chocolate chips to get that traditional “inside out” cookie. You’ll use melted butter and a bit of starch to up the chew factor of these cookies – I actually found them to be softer the day after baking them! Just be sure you don’t over bake these babies, which is easy to do. They will look under baked, but that’s when you want to take them out of the oven! Your white chocolate chips may even begin to brown a bit (as mine did) and then you’ll know it’s definitely time to take the cookies out!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Melted vegan butter gives these cookies ultimate chewiness! We’re talking soft-the-next-day chewy, so don’t skip the melting step!

Coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener for most of my baked goods. It’s low GI, unrefined, and makes for a great replacement for regular granulated sugar. Don’t let the name fool you – it tastes nothing like coconut.

Brown sugar brings moisture to these cookies by adding that little bit of molasses that’s mixed into all brown sugars. Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar (dark has more molasses).

Arrowroot starch also helps to make these cookies chewy. If you have corn starch on hand, that will work, too!

Yield: 16 Cookies

Triple Chocolate Inside Out Cookies

Sweet and chewy "inside out" chocolate cookies filled with both semisweet and white chocolate chips!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp arrowroot (or corn) starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dairy-free semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dairy-free white chocolate chips

Instructions

Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Then whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, arrowroot starch, and salt until flour and cocoa are well combined.
Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix using a large spatula or wooden spoon until a few flour streaks remaining. Combine the semisweet and white chocolate chips, and then stir 3/4 cup of the mixed chips into the dough. Set extra chips aside and cover and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough balls 2 Tbsp in size and then roll them smooth, making them a little taller than they are wide (see photos in this post) and placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the remaining 1/4 cup of mixed chocolate chips, press extra chips into the tops and sides of the dough "balls", reshaping as necessary. Refrigerate dough balls for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 325°F and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 6 dough balls to your prepared baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 6-8 minutes or until cookies have spread and look a bit puffy - take them out when they still look a bit under baked.
Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, you can gently (and carefully - they'll be hot!) use your fingers or a small spoon to press the edges in to make the cookies more round.
Continue baking the rest of the cookies, making sure you let your baking sheet(s) cool down to room temperature before adding the dough balls.
Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Chilling the dough is super important for the right cookie shape and texture.
I haven't tried these cookies with any alternative ingredients (GF flour, regular butter, etc), so I can't vouch for how they would turn out
Feel free to mix up your chocolate chips, adding dark chocolate chips, chunks, or simply adding only white chocolate!

Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Cookies (DF)

December 28, 2018 by Rachael Ng 9 Comments

Marshmallow. Stuffed. Cookies. Does it get any better?! If you like chocolate, and you like marshmallows, then you have to make these cookies. They’re crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside, and filled with a delicious, melty mallow. And they’re even better when they’re warm! These cookies will stay chewy for a few days thanks to the marshmallow that melts while baking, but I highly recommend eating them once they’ve been warmed up a bit.

These cookies are a pretty standard chocolate cookie – one you can customize by adding peppermint extract or a little cayenne pepper! – stuffed with a marshmallow pre-bake. I took large marshmallows and sliced them into halves. You’ll flatten your dough balls, place the marshmallow in the center, and then wrap the dough up and over the mallow. Then you’ll shape and smooth each cookie, gently dip/roll them in granulated sugar, and bake!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my go-to low GI sweetener. It makes for a perfect better-for-you alternative to regular white sugar. I haven’t tested this recipe with any other sugar type.

Chopped chocolate adds a rich chocolate flavor and lots of moisture to these cookies. Feel free to use 6oz of your favorite milk chocolate, semisweet, or dark chocolate bar.

Marshmallows are key for that hot cocoa look and taste – at least I think so, because what’s hot cocoa without marshmallows?!

Granulated sugar (for rolling) gives these cookies an extra touch of sparkle, which I think makes them even more festive and exciting!

Yield: 15 Cookies

Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Cookies

A perfectly chewy chocolate cookie filled with melty marshmallow and then topped with sprinkles - hot cocoa in cookie form! These seriously delicious cookies will have any chocolate lover swooning.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

6oz semisweet dairy-free chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup coconut oil, measured as a solid
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 large marshmallows, cut in half
1/4 cup white granulated sugar for rolling (optional)
1-2 tbsp chocolate jimmies sprinkles for topping (optional)

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place a medium pot with an inch of water over medium heat. In a heatproof bowl - big enough to sit on top of your pot and not touch the water - add the chopped chocolate and coconut oil. Place your bowl on the pot, stirring frequently until chocolate is totally melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
Allow the chocolate mixture to cool for 10 minutes. Then whisk in the coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs until totally combined.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough balls 2 Tbsp in size. Then take each dough ball, flatten to a circle, and place half of a large marshmallow in the middle, wrapping the dough up and over the marshmallow. Smooth out the stuffed dough ball, making a disc shape instead of a ball - think hockey puck. Fill a shallow bowl with white granulated sugar, and then gently turn each dough "puck" in the sugar, avoiding the bottoms.
Place cookies six at a time on your baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 6-8 minutes, or until cookies have spread. If you've used marshmallows without corn syrup, your cookies will not spread as much, and you may have to flatten them a bit as soon as they come out of the oven. If you used regular marshmallows (with corn syrup) then your cookies will spread and the marshmallow will melt into the cookies and puff out of the cookie cracks. I used marshmallows with corn syrup and baked my cookies until I saw the marshmallow puff up and seep out a bit, about 7 minutes.
Allow your cookies to cool on the baking sheet for around 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Top with chocolate sprinkles for a more festive hot cocoa look!
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Different marshmallows will yield different end results. "All-natural" marshmallows without corn syrup don't tend to spread, so your cookies will be thick and the marshmallow will remain in tact inside of your cookies. Regular marshmallows made with corn syrup will spread, melt into the cookies, and leak out of the cookie cracks.
I haven't made these cookies with any alternative ingredients (i.e. GF flours, egg replaces, or other sugars), so I cannot vouch for how they would turn out.
Chilling the dough is key for the perfect cookie texture and shape! The dough must firm up before it can be handled enough to roll and shape.

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies (DF)

December 4, 2018 by Rachael Ng 11 Comments

Okay, friends, we’re a few days into my 12 Days of Dairy-Free Cookies, and I could not be more excited to share these cookies with you!! The whole reason I started posting food to Instagram is because I was in search of good dairy-free recipes that were lower in sugar or utilized a low GI sugar like coconut sugar. These cookies are delicious. I brought my leftovers (after testing and shooting) to Thanksgiving, and they flew off the counter! I’d wished I’d baked more!

These cookies are full of chocolate. No cocoa powder needed here, because you’re going to use a whole 1/2 pound of chocolate for these. These cookies are rich, fudgy, and so satisfying, especially when they’re warmed up or fresh from the oven. I added a little bit of instant coffee to amp up the chocolate flavor – you won’t taste coffee at all! If you have espresso powder on hand, that will work, too.

I used three whole tablespoons of dough per cookie, because I really wanted a thick cookie. If you follow the chilling instructions below, I believe you’ll have no problem with too much spread. I like my cookies fudgy, so I only baked them until the outside was set. You want the middle to look under-baked when you pull them out of the oven. Your cookies should come out thick, ultra fudgy, and seriously irresistible!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Semi-sweet chocolate brings lots of chocolate flavor (duh) and fudgy texture to this cookies. I chose semi-sweet to help balance the richness of these cookies. I don’t recommend any chocolate higher than 54%.

Instant coffee granules add depth to the chocolate flavor. It’s totally optional, so don’t fret if don’t have any on hand.

Eggs are necessary for the brownie-like texture of these brownies. I do not recommend any egg replacements as I have tried them in regular brownies with no luck.

Coconut sugar is my favorite, low GI sugar! It’s a great 1:1 replacement for granulated white sugar, and it tastes nothing like coconut. Plus, it’s unrefined.

Dark rye flour is a 100% whole grain flour complete with all the nutritious brand and germ. It’s rich in dietary fiber and is a source of antioxidants and nutrients.

Yield: 11 Cookies

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

Rich and indulgent brownie-like cookies loaded with semi-sweet chocolate! A thick and fudgy cookie perfect for any chocolate lover!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 pound dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup dark rye flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided
Sea salt flakes to sprinkle

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Using the double boiler method, melt your chocolate: add an inch of water to a saucepan on medium heat. Set a heatproof bowl on the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Add the chopped chocolate, coconut oil, and instant coffee. Stir frequently until chocolate and oil are totally melted. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool down.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and coconut sugar. Whisk on medium speed until mixture becomes thick and light brown in color, about 5-10 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Gently fold the melted chocolate into the egg/sugar mixture until totally incorporated - this will take more than a few seconds. Fold in the flour and baking powder until nearly combined, leaving some flour streaks. Mix in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough for an least an hour.
After chilling for an hour, check to see how firm your dough is. It should be sticky but firm enough to scoop and roll. If you've refrigerated your dough for longer than 1 hour, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping.
Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough balls (six at a time) 3 Tbsp in size and place on your parchment-lined baking sheet. This will be messy - I've found it's easiest to scoop six dough balls then roll each one and place on the parchment paper.
Press extra chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball (using the remaining 1/4 cup of chips). Bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes or until cookies look nearly set in the middle – you want them to look a little under-baked when you take them out. Immediately sprinkle your cookies with flaky sea salt. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Once cookies have cooled, you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

It's normal for the dough to be sticky, even after refrigerating for an hour. This is what you want for proper spreading!
Your eggs must be room temperature in order for them to whip up properly with the sugar.
I like to use the Pound Plus 54% "Dark Chocolate" bar from Trader Joe's in this recipe. For about $5 USD you get a whole pound of chocolate!
Cookies can be refrigerated or frozen ahead of time. If frozen, allow them to thaw in their container. Then, before serving, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up again!
Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

chocolate cookies

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

How to make Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Some of the ingredients + substitutions for this recipe:

Ingredients

Brownie Cookies

Peanut Butter Frosting

Instructions

Make the cookies:

Make the frosting + assemble: