The most decadent & fudgy Vegan Salted Espresso Brownie Cookies! Also known as vegan brookies, these double chocolate chip cookies feature a brownie-like batter mixed with dark, aromatic espresso & topped with flaky sea salt for the ultimate dairy-free & eggless dessert!
*Recipe shared December 2018 and updated November 2020*
You may *semi* recognize these cookies because they are actually an old SGTO recipe that got a major revamp! While I loved the concept behind the original recipe, it was getting mixed results from you all. So, I took on the challenge of retesting the recipe to make it PERFECT and also added in some new pictures & a video too!
The end result is the best fudgy double chocolate brownie cookies that are chewy, gooey, and have the perfect crackly top!
Ingredients:
While the full recipe with ingredients & quantities is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here's a quick recap of the 10 easy ingredients you need to make these brownie crackle cookies!
- All-purpose flour
- Ground espresso
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Vegan chocolate chips
- Refined coconut oil (refined= no coconut after-taste)
- Cane sugar
- Brown sugar
- Flax egg ( mix of ground flaxseed and water)
- Vanilla extract/ vanilla bean paste
Tips to make vegan brownie cookies
The steps to make these salted brownie cookies are pretty easy- melt the chocolate and coconut oil, mix with the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients & mix until a thick brownie batter forms.
Next,bake at 350F for 8-9 minutes. This recipe requires no chill time and can actually be ready in 3o minutes or less too! So, I wanted to share a few tips to make sure these cookies turn out perfectly chewy with those crispy brownie edges every time!
Make sure chocolate & coconut oil is melted/warm when mixing
Melting the chocolate is an incredibly important step to making these vegan espresso cookies. Otherwise, you might not achieve the right texture for the dough.
It's also really important that the melted chocolate and coconut oil is still warm when adding it to the other wet ingredients. When the chocolate is warm, it melts some of the sugar which is important to get that crackly brookie top.
PLEASE use the double boiler method.
You may think this is an extra annoying step, but I promise you, there's a 90% chance you will burn your chocolate if you just melt it in a single pan on the stove. You don't need a fancy setup either- just a small pot filled with water and a small bowl that can withstand high heat is all you need.
Microwaving also works as long as you're careful about removing and stirring the chocolate every 20 seconds.
Always use high-quality espresso & chocolate
Unfortunately, I don't have a link to the espresso I use, but any dark espresso from a coffee shop or specialty store should do the trick. Finely ground coffee will also work in this recipe, but please avoid using instant coffee.
When it comes to bittersweet chocolate,PASCHA Dark Chocolate Baking Chips or Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips are my favorite. However, if you prefer a sweeter cookie, semi-sweet can also work- just make sure it's vegan!
Bake the vegan brookies when the dough is still warm.
Because you are baking with coconut oil here, you DO NOT want to let the dough sit at room temperature for more than 20 minutes before baking and you DO NOT want to chill this dough.
If you bake with cold dough, it will go from a gooey brownie texture to a more solid batter and will lead to cookies that don't spread properly and they will end up more fluffy. Baking with coconut oil is more finicky in cookies than normal butter as its melting point is unique, so keep this in mind. Plus, I don't think anyone is complaining about no chill time, right?
P.S The picture above should be the texture of the cookie dough before baking! It will resemble a thick brownie batter.
DO NOT over-bake cookies & ALWAYS use parchment paper
The biggest mistake I made in my first version of these brownie cookies? Baking the cookies too long. If you want that gooey fudgy texture, these cookies only need 8-9 minutes of baking time. Also, these cookies need to be baked on parchment paper or a silicone mat (on top of a tray) so they do not spread too much,
They WILL be very soft out of the oven, but that's why it is required to let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes before removing them. They actually continue baking out of the oven and, as they cool, the coconut oil will set and make the cookies more firm.
Always add flay sea salt!
I personally used these absolutely gorgeous Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. This is the exact salt you see in the pictures here. I'm telling you, it's a complete baking & photography game changer. This stuff lasts forever and, in addition to looking pretty, it has such a nice, light flavor that tastes so good too!
FAQ & Expert Tips:
Coconut oil really does work best in this recipe because of its unique melting point.
It's a great ingredient for super chewy cookies like my Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! However, if you have to avoid coconut oil melted vegan butter/margarine may work, and, as a last resort, you could also try olive oil.
These cookies will not work with applesauce as an oil replacement (it will make them super fluffy).
I haven't tried it, but it may work! If you do, please use a GF baking 1:1 mix like Bob's Red Mill. Almond flour, coconut flour, or other flour alternatives would not work 1:1 in this recipe.
Cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 5-7 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I prefer storing in the freezer as it helps maintain the chewy texture!
Vegan Brownie Cookie troubleshooting:
My cookies didn't spread enough: This is likely due to two things. The first is using too much flour. That's why I always recommend baking in grams! If you can't bake in grams, make sure to use the scoop and level method with flour. The second reason is baking cookies when the dough has cooled too much. As mentioned, these cookies need a warm dough for proper spreading!
My cookies spread too much: Did you bake the cookies on parchment paper? If not, your cookies will likely spread TOO much and lead to sad thin cookies. Please don't bake these cookies without parchment paper or a silicone baking mat! The other reason may be using too much coconut oil or chocolate which will lead to a dough that is too soft. Again, grams is best here!
Espresso brings out the rich flavors of the dark chocolate in these Vegan Salted Espresso Brownie Cookies while the salt helps bring out the sweetness of the sugar and vanilla in the batter. After cooling, these chocolate cookies go from soft and fudgy to the absolute perfect chewy brownie texture. SO MUCH YUM!
-TSG
More vegan cookie recipes with CHOCOLATE you will love:
If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star review on the recipe card. I always appreciate your feedback and support! You can also follow along on my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest, or sign up for our newsletter!
Vegan Salted Espresso Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon finely ground espresso
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips melted
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup organic white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 flax egg *1 Tablespoon (8 grams) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water, left to sit 5-10 minutes until thick*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chocolate chips optional, to add into mix
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt optional, to top cookies
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and place a sheet of parchment paper a large baking pan.
- First, sift together the all-purpose flour, espresso, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.
- Then, melt the chocolate and coconut oil. Add a few inches of water to a small pan and bring to a simmer. In a separate heatproof bowl, add your chocolate chips and coconut oil. Set the bowl over the pan with simmering water and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and let sit. It's also fine to microwave together in microwave safe bowl, stopping every 20-30 seconds to stir until completely melted.
- Pour the melted chocolate and coconut oil into a large mixing bowl right after melting. Then, add the white sugar, brown sugar, flax egg, and vanilla bean paste to the bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Gradually add the bowl of sifted dry ingredients to the larger mixing bowl with wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter has formed. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix one last time to make sure all the dry ingredients are evenly mixed. The batter will be soft and like a brownie batter at this point.
- If you are adding chocolate chips to the cookies (highly recommended!), add the additional ¼ cup of chocolate chips and fold into the batter with a spatula.
- Use a cookie/ice cream scooper to form cookie dough balls about 1 Tbsp in size and drop them onto the parchment paper. Make sure to leave enough space between each cookie as they will spread.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes until cookies are crinkled on the outside, but still soft on the inside. Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes to cool and firm u[ as they will be very soft. After that 10 minute mark, use a spatula to gently remove each cookie and place onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, top with extra flaky sea salt and enjoy!
Notes
- Because these cookies are made using coconut oil, it is NOT recommended to chill the dough before baking as this affects the spread of the cookies. If you chill the dough, the cookies will not spread as much and will be thick.
- Chips or Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips are my favorite. However, if you prefer a sweeter cookie, semi sweet can also work- just make sure it's vegan!
- Cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Since we are using coconut oil, they do not store as well in the fridge.
- Recipe very slightly adapted from The Boy Who Bakes Brownie Crinkle Cookies
Grace says
Can i use any other oil instead of coconut as im allergic to it, thanks!
Megan says
I haven't tested it for this recipe but you could try melted butter or olive oil and see how it goes!
Cari says
Omg! Soooo yummy! The coffee chocolate salt combination is amazing! We love them and so easy recipe!!!
Megan says
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Peter says
This recipe was an absolute car crash. Probably the worst cookies I've ever made.
I've given it 2 stars because I think this is down to the recipe conversion breaking when going from imperial to metric, as I followed the recipe using the metric measurements and they were all over the place. Despite the notes saying you should follow this recipe using metric, I would instead use the imperial measurements.
The other reason is because the oven temperature this recipe works around is likely for a normal oven, whereas I used a fan oven. If you're using a fan oven, I'd set it to 160°C (I set it to 180°C).
Megan says
Sorry to hear that- however, the metric measurements are exactly what I used to make the cookies- so they should work. Also, just a note- a fan oven will bake these cookies completely differently so that's going to lead to really different results and is likely one of the main reasons they didn't work out. Always happy to help troubleshoot in the future if you want to email!
Phong says
I try to do many cookie recipe, but this is the best one. I really love it!!
Megan says
So glad to hear it, one of my favorites too! 🙂
DARCY says
Hi! These are great! Can they be adapted to make vegan brownies somehow? I have yet to find a vegan brownie with the right flavor and texture, and those cookies are so good, I thought maybe? Thanks foe the recipe! They are great and even my non-vegan family members love them.
Megan says
So glad you liked them! They wouldn't work as a brownie recipe, but I'm currently trying to get a brownie recipe with a similar texture- so hopefully I will have one I can share soon :).
Cassidy says
These were just what I was looking for! The flavors are the perfect balance of sweet and salty. I will definitely be making them again.
Elisabeth says
Hello,
My cookies unfortunately didn’t spread much and stayed like a dome shape. The texture is between a brownie and a fluffy cake. We weighted the ingredients by grams, the oven was the right temperature and we used parchment. Should we have pushed down on the dough with a fork after forming the small ball to help the spreading? It doesn’t say in the instructions.
Also, it says to add the espresso grind with the flour at the beginning, but then later on you write to add ‘1 tbps espresso’. It isn’t written anywhere in the ingredient list. Do we have to brew it and reserve 1tbps of espresso liquid?
I would like to make again, but hope for the thinner cookies.
Thank you in advance
Megan Horowitch says
Hi! The cookies should definitely spread, so maybe try pushing the dough down next time. I usually just use a cookie scoop so it naturally spreads a bit once added to the tray. The key is that the dough should be warm when baking (so that the chocolate/coconut oil is still melted) as this helps it to spread. Did you change out anything for the coconut oil? If your dough is still turning out too thick, you can try reducing the flour by 1-2 Tbsp (8-16 grams). I hope this helps! Also feel free to email me troubleshoot any time or DM me on Instagram if you keep having issues :).
Garisha says
Loved your recipe😍😍😍. I jave been to sooo many pins but only u care enough to add grams as well🤩🤩🤩. The metric system always had me do the math. Anyways loved the recipe, thankyou 🥰🥰🥰
Megan Horowitch says
You're so welcome! 🙂
Marilyn says
I want to make a double bath. Do you think it would be okay if I double the ingredients and make at once? Or should I stick to how it’s listed and make twice? Hope that makes sense!
Megan Horowitch says
You should be okay making a double batch, but you'll likely have to bake on two separate baking trays. Make sure to just bake one tray at a time for the best results!
Katharina says
These have become my go-to cookie recipe! They are divine: gooey, chocolatey and rich. The only problem is my lack of self-control 😉
Debbie says
Decadent rich chocolate espresso moist cookies.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
So glad you liked them!