I shared this recipe for One Bowl Chocolate Brownie Cookies years ago before heading off to San Francisco where I was excited to visit Ghirardelli -- birthplace of one of my favorite brands of bittersweet chocolate chips. As it happened, I did not get to visit Ghirardelli, but had a good time seeing the city and meeting some people who are still friends to this day.
The cookies were San Francisco inspired and called for one bowl so that there'd be less time needed for cleanup and more time for packing. Since I have more time for cleanup these days and am more inclined to use a stand mixer, I reworked the recipe with just one kind of chocolate (still Ghirardelli) and whipped the eggs for extra lightness. So the new version is not "one bowl" but it's worth the extra cleanup.
I left the old version (along with my old photo) with the two kinds of chocolate below. The new recipe is in the recipe card.
One Bowl Chocolate Brownie Cookies
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (128 grams)
1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, toasted chopped
¾ cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine both chocolates and butter in a microwave safe bowl; microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until melted. Alternatively, if you are using newer model more power microwave, use the 50% power setting. Or skip the microwave and use a double boiler.
With a mixing spoon, beat sugar into chocolate. When well mixed, beat in eggs and vanilla. When eggs and vanilla are thoroughly incorporated, beat in baking powder and salt, scraping sides of bowl and making sure baking powder is well distributed. Add flour and stir just until mixed, then stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoons, 1 ½" apart onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 12 min. or until set. Do Not Overbake. Cool 5 min.; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in airtight container.
Makes 36
Recipe
Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips or 8 oz OR you can use Guittard Akoma extra semisweet or semisweet chips. (230 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks (56 grams)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (sunflower or neutral flavored)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch** (40 grams)
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (250 grams)
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons (110 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine chocolate, butter and oil in a small saucepan or in the top of a double boiler and heat gently, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Add cocoa powder (and espresso, if using) to melted chocolate and stir until fully blended.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attached, beat the eggs until yellow, then add the sugar and beat on medium high speed for about 5 minutes or until thick and yellow. Beat in the vanilla, then use a heavy duty scraper to stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
- Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder and stir into the batter.
- This batter will be fairly loose at first and will need to thicken. Let it stand for about 8 to 10 minutes to thicken. If for whatever reason it still seems to fluid you can chill it, but the cookies might not be as shiny.
- Once your batter is stiff enough, spoon out generous tablespoons of dough onto one of the parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes or just until set. Transfer parchment with cookies to the counter and let cool, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Mindy says
Oh, Anna. Have fun in SF!!! I was there last July, and I must say July is a great month to visit. If you want a great Italian meal, we had a great one (and a fantastic bottle of red wine) at Trattoria Contadina on Mason Street. It's kind of in the middle of a residential area, but you can walk to the waterfront afterwards which is lovely to do as the sun is setting. The food, the walking and the views in SF are fantastic...and so is the produce. I can still envision the huge strawberries I saw out there. Try to take a ride on a cable car if you have time, too. We waited in line a long time to ride one, but I would do it all again in a minute (there's a hop-on point near Ghirardelli Square that takes you back to the city center). HAVE A GREAT TIME!!! (The Ferry Building and Pier 39...albeit a touristy place...are a must.)
Laura C says
I'm so jealous, I'd love to get to SF. The Tartine cookbook is beautiful, definitely worth buying. Although I still haven't made anything, the croissant recipe looks really good. Also, the Recchiuti cookbook is a good one. Now that I have my mac book, I love to travel with it. We take it to NY every time we go. It comes in so handy when you need directions, or, need to make a reservation. You should take one with you if you can. Have a safe trip and eat lots of treats!
Rina says
Anna!
I am so excited that you are coming to SF! I have lived here in SF for the last 6 years or so and grew up in the Bay Area.
I have so many tips and recommendations for you given that I routinely search out new places for goodies and unique baking ideas. I will compile a list of places/recommendations and post it sometime before Thursday. Feel free to email or call me with questions when you are in SF. I'd be more than happy to help with restaurant suggestions, sightseeing tips, or just general how-to-get-around questions.
Best,
Rina
510.908.0096 (cell)
Katy says
Anna,
Wear layers. Don't miss the Ferry Building. Preferably Saturday 8-2 for the farmers market. Acme Bread Bakery is open every day there. Chinatown. Fortune Cookie Factory on Ross Alley. Watch them made fresh and free samples. $2 for a huge bag of "flats", the cookies that crisp up on the griddles before the workers can get them folded. MOMA is fantastic and has a great little cafe for breakfast or lunch. Crazy gorgeous views from a nice hike up to Coit Tower. It's endless.
I swear by my Blackberry. Syncs perfectly with my Mac.
Clumbsy Cookie says
You're gonna love SF! I was there a while ago and liked it so much I actually wanted to move there at some point!
Don't worry about updating, we can allways come back here and stare at this brownie-cookies over and over! No problem!
Michelle says
My favorite place to go in SF is definitely Ghirardelli Square! Getting an ice cream treat there is just perfect.
Oh, and since I've talked to you about Mrs. Field's cookies before and how I'd love for you to try creating a copy of her semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie, I have to point out that there are a lot of Mrs. Field's cookie stores there in SF (including on Fishermans's Wharf & Pier 39).
Have a great trip!
Cathy - www.wheresmydamnanswer.com says
SF is an amazing city - You will love it and the food OMG - you will be in seafood heaven!!
Have a great trip and I look forward to hearing how the conference goes.,
Thanks for yet another "one dish wonder"
Cheers
Cathy
http://www.whersmamnanswer.com
Jenny says
Hi Anna,
My husband and I just got back from San Francisco, and you must go to Tartine Bakery. We went there as often as we could, and it is just amazing. The lemon meringue pie and buttermilk scones were our favorites. In fact, I just ordered the Tartine cookbook to see if I can recreate some of the magic at home.
I read your blog every day, and always enjoy it. Thanks for all of the helpful tips and recipes. Have a great trip!
Karen says
Quick tip- make sure you go to the Ferry Building on Saturday morning (btw 8-2 I think) because that's when the Farmer's Market is and you want to sample our glorious summer fruit.
email me if you have any questions, especially if you are making a trip to my side of the bay (Berkeley/Oakland). We've got great stuff here!
Priscilla says
Have a great trip. If you are in the Union Square area, don't miss the Bristol Farms food emporium in the basement level of the Westfield Mall. The pastries in the bakery case alone are dazzling, and then there are food stations for everything imaginable (salad bar, soup bar, deli food, Asian snacks, etc.) as well as fresh produce, fish, meat, etc. Then there is the natural foods store across the aisle...
Anna says
Thanks for all the San Francisco tips! I am copying and pasting each and every one of them into my own personal travel guide.
Nick, thanks for letting me know about Best Buy. I almost dropped in yesterday to check for Macs, but didn't want to deal with Best Buy's parking lot on a Sunday.
Jill - GlossyVeneer says
I'll be at BlogHer too, I'll keep an eye out for you!
I have an iPhone (just got it on Saturday), so I've been debating if I just want to take that and leave my computer at home or if I need both. I'm a little crazy like that.
Gayle says
Hi Anna,
Karen is right, dress in layers. It looks like we may have some blue sky for you, after the fog burns off. It's been pretty hazy here for the last month with all the fires. Have a great time in this neck of the woods. Gayle
Susan says
I'm so jealous. I haven't been to San Francisco in a long time. And those cookies look awesome.
Lisa Ernst says
I'm sure you'll be inundated with food recommendations. Here's mine -- if you can get to the Farmer's Market, don't miss it! A foodie's dream come true, the best of the best. My favorite chocolates are there too, Recchuiti Chocolates. Here's a link:
http://www.recchiuti.com/
The prices are very high if ordering online, but buying directly at their shop, I found the prices more reasonabe.
Joe says
I so adore San Fransisco Anna, Jeff and I have been there several times. Enjoy your trip!
Karen says
Anna, I live here in the Bay Area (Berkeley) and work in SF.
Let me know if you have any questions or want any tips or advice for your upcoming trip!
Make sure you pack enough warm stuff, people are always shocked at how cold it is here in the summer.
Karen
sizzle says
Those look fantastic! My boyfriend is going to want me to make those ASAP. He's a fiend for brownies.
I'll be at BlogHer too and I don't have an iPhone or a laptop. I'm rather looking forward to being unplugged.
Katrina says
I love San Francisco. So much to do! The Pier is awesome and just being right there at the water. Of course, you'll have to spend at least a day just at Ghiardelli! 😉 Took a tour around the city in a limo once, that was so fun! (Company I worked for paid for it, otherwise, I'm not sure how fun or worth it it would have been.)
Have a great time.
The brownie cookies look great.
yatesy says
have fun in san fran! take a sweater, it gets cold at night. also, go to bet buy, they sell mac's now. and the hooha over at the apple store should be calming down soon as well!
VeggieGirl says
Ahh, have a FABULOUS time at the BlogHer conference!!
Oatmeal Cookie Guy says
Have an awesome time in SF! It's an awesome city for walking. Just make sure you pack your SNEAKERS. No worse pain that tromping up and down those hills with regular shoes. Trust me.
If you get a chance, check out Citizen Cake. (Elizabeth Faulker--a regular on Food Network Challenge--owns it.) Oddly enough, the food is better than the desserts. The avacado, bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich was really yummy.
And Golden Gate Park is really pretty and nice to wander around. My first trip to SF, Jon and I walked from Union Square all the way east through Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach. (That's how I found out about the necessity of sneakers!)
Michelle W. in Calif. says
Have fun in SF, Anna! It's one of my fave cities, esp. since we only live a couple of hours away. We'll be heading there for a weekend in September, to go to eh Chocolate Festival...
judi0044 says
You should have a great time in SF. I went there many times when we lived on the west coast. Lots to see and places to shop. Have fun!