If a brownie and a cheesecake had a baby, it’d be these cream-cheese-stuffed brownie cookies. A combination of melted chocolate and Dutch-process cocoa powder gives the cookie dough a deeply fudgy texture. Bite in to reveal a soft core of sweetened cream cheese filling. Err on the side of underbaking the cookies. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
This recipe makes two lovably large single-serve cookies—one for you and one for a friend (or two just for you). Best of all, they need only two bowls and a rubber spatula to make and are ready in 25 minutes, start to finish. Perfect for a quick weeknight dessert or anytime you want something sweet.
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What you’ll need
Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$28 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
Makes 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Mash and stir together 1 Tbsp. cream cheese and ½ tsp. granulated sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Divide cream cheese mixture in half (eyeballing is fine) and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a small plate and chill while you make the dough.
Step 2
Microwave 1 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (68%–70% cacao) and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until just melted and smooth; be careful not to overheat. (Alternatively, you can melt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often.) Let cool 2 minutes.
Step 3
Add 1 large egg yolk, ½ tsp. vanilla extract, ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt, ⅛ tsp. baking soda, and remaining ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar to chocolate mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until combined and smooth. Add 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and 2 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder and stir just to incorporate (dough may look slightly greasy).
Step 4
Divide dough in half and shape each piece into a thick patty. Working one at a time, place a cream cheese ball in the center of patties, wrap dough around cream cheese to cover, and seal edges closed. Roll between your palms to smooth into balls.
Step 5
Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2" apart, and bake until set around the edges and surface is mostly matte, 7–9 minutes. If cookies look very puffy, rap baking sheet sharply on counter. Let cookies cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before serving.
