• Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
    • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Blog

The Domestic Rebel

Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Desserts

  • Recipe Index
    • Browse by Flavor
      • Cake Batter
      • Caramel
      • Cheesecake
      • Coconut
      • Coffee
      • Cookie Dough
      • Lemon
      • Mint
      • Peanut Butter
      • Pumpkin
      • S’mores
      • Snickerdoodle
      • Sweet and Salty
    • Brownies, Blondies & Bars
    • Brownie Bombs
    • Candy, Bark, and Candy Toppers
    • Chocolate
    • Cookies
    • Cupcakes & Cake
    • Donuts & Other Breakfast Fare
    • Drinks
    • Fudge
    • Guilt-Free Treats
    • Holiday Goodies
    • Ice Cream & Frozen Confections
    • No-Bake Treats
    • Pie
    • Miscellaneous Truffles & Treats
  • Cookbooks
  • Work With Me

Brownie Crackles

November 10, 2020 by thedomesticrebel | 13 Comments

312 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Stack of brownie crackle cookies on white wood

These Brownie Crackles are a fun twist on a classic holiday cookie! They taste like the chewy and slightly crisp outer edge pieces of brownies!

We used to have a little family-owned bakery nearby called Cookie Connection and I was obsessed with them.

As the name suggests, they only sold cookies and man, they were incredible! My favorite was the old-fashioned sugar cookie – crisp outer edges with a softer middle. I am drooling thinking about it!

One day, a friend and I grabbed dinner at a restaurant by one of their bakeries and afterward she suggested we stop in for cookies. Twist my arm, am I right? I got my usual, but she insisted I try their crackle cookie. I am not the biggest chocolate fan (I know, I know!) but I decided to get it and oh my god, my world changed from that moment forward.

Cookie Connection has since closed down *cries* but now I know I can recreate their crackle cookie at home with these Brownie Crackles! These taste just like the original bakery version but are super simple to make, more cost-affordable to make at home and taste AMAZING. Instead of spending $4 on a cookie at a bakery, you can get an entire batch out of these for a fraction of the cost.

These start with a box of fudge brownie mix – my favorite is always going to be Pillsbury’s Chocolate Fudge brownie mix!! – and the typical ingredients to prepare it, just in different quantities (after all, we are making cookies, not brownies, so the measurements differ!). I stirred in some chocolate chips to really drive home that yummy chocolate flavor! Prepare the cookies and let the dough set for about 30 minutes – this helps firm up the dough a little bit so they are easier to roll. But be aware, this is an extremely sticky and soft dough, so for ease, I recommend just dropping the cookie dough into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar and rolling to coat it before placing on a wire rack rather than using your hands to physically roll the dough balls.

Arrangement of brownie crackle cookies on a white wood boardBake them up and let them cool before giving them a final dusting of confectioners’ sugar, then dig in!! They are super delicious when warm but equally as fabulous when cooled. They have crisp outer edges and a chewy interior, very much like the outer piece of a brownie.

Brownie Crackle cookies arranged on a black wire rack with blue towel in backgroundYou’re going to love these!

Stack of brownie crackle cookies on white wood with black wire rack in background

brownie crackles stacked on white wood
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Brownie Crackles

These Brownie Crackles taste like the traditional holiday crackle cookie but with a fudge brownie twist! Crisp outer edges surround a soft and chewy center studded with extra chocolate!
Prep Time40 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time50 mins
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert

Ingredients

  • One box chocolate fudge brownie mix (13x9" pan size)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
  • In a large bowl, combine the fudge brownie mix (do not prepare the brownies!), flour, egg, oil, and water together with a rubber spatula or spoon until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Let the cookie dough stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Place the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, scoop cookie dough balls and drop directly into the confectioners' sugar. I recommend dropping the dough directly into the sugar because the dough is super sticky and soft. Immediately roll the dough ball in the confectioners' sugar to coat, then place 1-2" apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. Cool on the baking sheets for about 15 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Just before serving, dust with any additional confectioners' sugar.

Notes

I like using Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix! 

Closeup of Brownie Crackles split open on white wood boardSoft, chewy, crisp and fudgy, these Brownie Crackles will soon become a family fave!

Brownie Crackles photo collage

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Comments

  1. Ellie says

    November 11, 2020 at 1:15 pm

    Hi Hayley,

    What size brownie mix do we use?

    Thank you,
    EM

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 11, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      Hi Ellie, I believe the box is around 18 oz – big enough to bake brownies in a 13×9 pan according to package directions (though of course we are not doing that).

      Reply
      • Ellie says

        November 14, 2020 at 7:56 am

        Thank you.

        I will review after I make them. They look delicious.

        Reply
  2. Melissa says

    December 8, 2020 at 2:03 am

    5 stars
    These were so good – I made them for my boyfriend and he loved them! They have a crackle/crunch to the outside, but are smooth/gooey on the inside with the melty chips! He loved them and they disappeared so fast! Thanks for another easy and delicious recipe!

    Reply
  3. Amanda says

    December 15, 2020 at 6:56 am

    Hello just wanted to see how many cookies this recipe makes ?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      December 15, 2020 at 9:26 am

      Hi Amanda, oops – forgot to include that and will update soon. It makes about 2 dozen.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        December 20, 2020 at 8:54 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you so much, they came out delicious! Love your recipes!!

        Reply
  4. Angela Milano Morrissey says

    December 22, 2020 at 7:50 am

    5 stars
    I’ve tried several versions of a crackle cookie over the years and this is my favorite. I wouldn’t make them too big, they are very rich.
    Great recipe, Haley. Thank you.

    Reply
  5. Koko says

    December 27, 2020 at 7:05 pm

    5 stars
    Hi,
    I made these cookies and they were a hit! I wanted to make it again, but I could only find pilsberry milk chocolate brownie mix. Aside from the taste, Do you think it will effect the overall texture and fudginess of the original recipe? What about chilling the dough til firm for easier handling?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      December 29, 2020 at 6:13 pm

      Hi Koko, the milk chocolate brownie mix should work just fine! You could definitely try chilling the dough for easier handling. I’d say maybe 30 minutes.

      Reply
  6. Katrina says

    December 12, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Hi. These look delicious!! Was wondering if these cookies freeze well? I’d like to make them for Christmas but never have time right before so I usually make and freeze my cookies ahead of time. Thanks!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      December 13, 2021 at 10:08 am

      Hi Katrina! Yes, these should do fine! One minor issue may be that upon thawing, the powdered sugar coating may get a little wet. You can offset this by baking the dough balls plain (do not roll in powdered sugar coating), then once cool, freeze them. Upon thawing when ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar. They may not have the same crackly appearance but they’ll taste amazing! 🙂 Hope this helps!

      Reply
  7. Dana says

    December 21, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    This is a very forgiving recipe. I used what I thought would be equivalent to a 9×13 box of brownie mix (I used 2 pouches from the giant box of brownie mix you get from Costco or Sam’s that says it makes 9×13 pan). It ended up be way too much dry mix, so I added an extra egg, and a splash more oil and water until it came together in a sticky dough. They turned out perfectly and delicious! Way better and way easier than any other chocolate crinkle cookie I’ve ever made (and I’ve tried A LOT of different recipes).

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 31-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Featured Post

sugar pie squares stacked on a white plate and a green towel

Sugar Pie Squares

More Posts from this Category

Newsletter

Stay up to date with all posts

Order My Cookbooks!

Out of the box Holiday

Archives

Archives

Categories

Search

Visit my Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Designer Blogs

312 shares