Fudgy Cookies-and-Cream Brownies with Espresso and Flaky Salt
- Yield
- 16 servings
This is the pan you bring to a party so people remember you. Melted dark chocolate does the heavy lifting alongside the cocoa, giving a fudgy middle that cocoa alone can't, and a spoonful of espresso powder makes the chocolate taste darker than its sugar without tasting like coffee. On top, real cream whipped with mascarpone replaces the frozen tub, and flaky salt keeps every bite from going flat. Chocolate brings the depth, espresso the bitterness, the cookies the nostalgia, mascarpone the cool richness and salt the snap.
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Ingredients
Batches and reset
16 servings · US measures · 1 batch
Batching
Bake one batch in each 9-inch square pan; for a larger yield, use a second pan. A half batch is not offered because the cookie layer and baking time are set for this pan. Oven temperature and baking time do not multiply with ingredient quantities.
Original recipe: 16 servings.
This recipe has no optional or to-taste ingredients. The dark chocolate, espresso powder, mascarpone, powdered sugar and flaky salt are not yet in the nutrition estimate.
Before you start
- Read through the recipe before heating the oven. Gather the pan, parchment, saucepan, bowls, whisk or hand mixer, spatula, wire rack, zip-top bag, rolling pin and the measured ingredients.
Directions
Measure everything and keep the dairy cold
For the whole recipe
Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, and keep the cream and mascarpone in the refrigerator until you whip them. Everything is prepared and measured before the oven heats.
Heat the oven and line the pan
For each pan of brownies
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the middle. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides for lifting. The oven is fully heated and the pan is lined.
Melt the butter and dark chocolate
For each pan of brownies
Put about 3/4 cup unsalted butter and 4 oz dark chocolate in the medium heatproof bowl and set it over a 2-quart saucepan holding a little barely simmering water over low heat, without letting the bowl touch the water. Stir until the mixture is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes, then lift the bowl off the pan and let it cool until just warm.
Why it works: real chocolate, not just cocoa
Cocoa powder brings flavor; melted chocolate brings flavor plus cocoa butter, and that fat is what makes a brownie fudgy instead of cakey. Using both gives you depth and a dense, glossy middle.
If it goes wrong: the chocolate turns thick and grainy
It got too hot or caught a drop of water. Take it off the heat and whisk hard as it cools; it usually smooths out once the eggs go in.
Whisk the dry mix with espresso
For each pan of brownies
Whisk about 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, about 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, about 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp instant espresso powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt and 1/4 tsp baking powder in the large bowl until no streaks of cocoa remain.
Why it works: espresso you can't taste
A little espresso powder doesn't make the brownies taste like coffee; its bitterness makes the chocolate taste more like itself. Leave it out and you still have a good brownie, just a shade sweeter.
Swap: Dutch-process cocoa
Dutch-process cocoa is treated to tame its acidity, so it bakes darker and tastes rounder and less sharp than natural cocoa. Changes the dish a little: darker and smoother.
Whisk in the eggs, then fold it together
For each pan of brownies
Whisk 3 whole large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract into the warm chocolate butter until glossy, then stir it into the dry mixture until no dry flour remains. Do not taste the batter: it contains raw egg and raw flour. The batter is thick, glossy and evenly dark.
Bury a layer of cookies
For each pan of brownies
Spread half the batter in the lined pan, set 16 whole chocolate sandwich cookies on it in 4 rows of 4, then spread the other half of the batter over the cookies. The cookies are completely covered.
Bake until the center stops wobbling
For each pan of brownies
Bake on the middle rack at 350°F until the center is set and no longer jiggles and the edges are firm, about 30 to 35 minutes.
If it goes wrong: the center still wobbles
Give it more time and check again. Real chocolate keeps the middle looking soft, so judge by the wobble, not the shine, and expect it to firm up more as it cools.
Cool it all the way
For each pan of brownies
Cool the brownies completely in the pan on the wire rack before adding the topping. The bottom of the pan feels cool to the touch.
Why it works: a cold base
Whipped cream melts the moment it touches warm brownie. A fully cooled pan keeps the topping in tall billows instead of a puddle.
Whip the mascarpone cream
For each pan of brownies
Whip about 1 cup heavy cream, 4 oz mascarpone, 3 tbsp powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in the large bowl with the whisk or a hand mixer until it holds soft, billowy peaks; stop there, because mascarpone stiffens fast. Crush 12 whole chocolate sandwich cookies in the zip-top bag with the rolling pin and fold them in. Taste a spoonful of the topping. Aim for cool, creamy and barely sweet, with crunchy cookie in every bite. If it feels loose or runny, refrigerate it for a few minutes before spreading.
House call: real cream, not the frozen tub
Frozen topping leans on oil and sweeteners. Cream whipped with mascarpone tastes like dairy, holds its shape in the refrigerator and is only barely sweet, so the brownie stays the star.
Technique: soft peaks
Lift the whisk: soft peaks hold their shape, but the tips flop over. Mascarpone thickens cream fast, so check early and stop the moment you get there.
Spread, crumble and salt
For each pan of brownies
Spread it over the cooled brownies, then crush 4 whole chocolate sandwich cookies and sprinkle them over the top with 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt. The topping is spread evenly and dotted with crumbs and salt.
Chill, cut and keep cold
For the whole recipe
Chill the pan in the refrigerator until the topping is firm enough to cut cleanly. Lift out the brownies by the parchment and cut them into 16 servings. Keep them refrigerated and return leftovers to the refrigerator within two hours. The brownies are cut and kept cold.
Make ahead: bake first, top on the day
Bake and cool the brownies ahead, then whip the cream and top them on the day you serve, so the cookies in the cream stay crunchy. Once topped, they live in the refrigerator.
Make it yours: from safe to wild
Safe: mint sandwich cookies for a cookies-and-mint pan. Bolder: fold toasted ground black sesame into the mascarpone cream. Wild: whisk a spoonful of white miso into the warm chocolate butter for a salty, savory depth.
About this recipe
Allergens / Diets
Rebuilt recipe in review. Allergen and diet details are being re-checked.
Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.
Why it works
A one-bowl cocoa batter with a little baking powder bakes up fudgy rather than cakey, and a layer of whole sandwich cookies in the middle stays soft and distinct. Topping only after the brownies are completely cool keeps the whipped layer from melting.
Associated with
American home baking
Chocolate brownies appeared in the United States around the turn of the 20th century and spread through popular cookbooks. Cookies and cream, crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies in a creamy base, became a favorite ice cream flavor and here becomes a topping.
Taste
- Sweet
- Sour
- Salty
- Bitter
- Savory
- Heat
Very sweet, with cocoa bitterness underneath., Cookies-and-cream topping. · fudgy brownie, soft cookie layer, cool, airy cookie-studded topping · cold
Skill level
Easy
No mixer and simple steps; the timing of the bake and cooling fully before topping matter most.
Occasions
Bake sales and potlucks
A make-ahead pan of bars that cuts into 16 pieces; keep it cold.
Serving and keeping
Best served: Chilled, after the topping has set Cut into 16 squares straight from the refrigerator
Make ahead: Cool the brownies completely before topping; the cookies in the topping soften over a day.
Storage: Keep covered in the refrigerator; the whipped topping must stay cold. Do not leave the bars out for more than 2 hours.
Leftovers: Keep refrigerated and eat within 3 to 4 days; the cookies soften as they sit.
Food safety
- Do not taste the raw batter: it contains raw flour and raw eggs.
- Keep the topped bars refrigerated; do not leave them out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 °F (32 °C).
We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. Check the cookie, topping and cocoa labels.
Nutrition notes
A rich dessert: sugar, cookies and topping make it high in added sugar, so a small square is a full treat.
Butter and whipped topping supply most of the saturated fat.
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- Recipe url
- https://isthebestrecipe.com/desserts/chocolate-cookie-brownies
- Name
- Fudgy Cookies-and-Cream Brownies with Espresso and Flaky Salt
- Servings
- 16
- Recipe yield
- 16 servings
- Recipe ingredient
- about 3/4 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces, 4 oz dark chocolate about 70 percent cacao, finely chopped, about 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, about 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, about 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp instant espresso powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 3 whole large eggs, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract divided, 32 whole chocolate sandwich cookies divided, about 1 cup heavy cream cold, 4 oz mascarpone cold, 3 tbsp powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
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Nutrition Values
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