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Cosmic brownie cookies are everything you loved about the Little Debbie cosmic brownie of your childhood, turned into a giant, fudgy Crumbl style cookie. This copycat recipe starts with a real brownie batter (not a regular cookie dough), bakes up with that shiny crackly top, then gets crowned with silky chocolate ganache and those iconic rainbow candy chips. If you have been searching for a cosmic brownie cookie recipe that actually tastes like a brownie, this is the one. To all the chocolate lovers, this one is for you!
If you love Crumbl cookies, you need to try these Chilled CRUMBL Twix Cookies, The best CRUMBL Hazelnut Mudslide Cookies, Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies as well as this Chilled Crumbl Sugar Cookies Copycat Recipe.
Brownie cookies are pure magic! Make those CRUMBL inspired brownie cookies and you’ll make a whole lot of people as happy as can be!
After making the Chilled CRUMBL Twix Cookies and the Chilled Crumbl Sugar Cookies, I received so many requests to try and make the Cosmic brownie cookie too, of course, I had to!
Table of Contents
- This is the best Cosmic brownie cookie recipe ever!
- Why you need to make this recipe!
- What are cosmic brownie cookies?
- Ingredients for Crumbl cosmic brownie cookies
- How to make CRUMBL cosmic brownie cookies
- Make the chocolate ganache
- Tips for thick, fudgy brownie batter cookies
- Cosmic brownie cookie variations
- How to store CRUMBL cosmic brownie cookies?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Better than CRUMBL Cosmic Brownie Cookies Recipe
This is the best Cosmic brownie cookie recipe ever!
When I made this recipe, I was inspired by my Small Batch Brownie Cookie Recipe because I have never had a better chocolate brownie cookie in my life! It is really that good, and that is exactly why I am calling it better than the Crumbl cosmic brownie cookie (the one Crumbl officially calls the Galaxy Brownie cookie on their rotating menu).
Here is my honest hot take after testing batch after batch: the actual Crumbl cosmic brownie cookie does not taste much like a brownie to me. It bakes up more like a thick chocolate cookie. So I did something about it. I rebuilt the whole thing around a real brownie batter, with whipped eggs and sugar for that glossy, crackly top and melted chocolate folded right in for a gooey, fudgy middle. No corn syrup, no cornstarch, no cakey crumb. Just a true galaxy brownie cookie that happens to be shaped like a cookie.
Why you need to make this recipe!
- It is a childhood favorite made into a cookie.
- You get a much larger batch for a whole lot less money than a bakery box.
- Each cookie tastes just like a brownie and is topped with the best ganache ever.
- They are literally so pretty to look at.
- This Crumbl brownie cookie recipe is easy and quick to make.
What are cosmic brownie cookies?
If you grew up raiding the pantry for Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies, you already know the vibe: a dense chocolate brownie, a layer of fudgy chocolate frosting, and those little rainbow candy coated chips on top. Crumbl turned that nostalgic snack cake into a giant cookie (the one on their menu called the Galaxy Brownie cookie), and this copycat brings it home so you can bake a whole batch any day of the week, no bakery trip required.
The candy topping, by the way, is simply rainbow candy coated chocolate chips. You can usually find them near the ice cream toppings or the sprinkles at the grocery store, and mini M&Ms or rainbow sprinkles work in a pinch.
Ingredients for Crumbl cosmic brownie cookies
Here are the ingredients you will need to make these brownie cookies. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.
- Flour– All-purpose flour is what you need for this recipe.
- Cocoa powder– The chocolate brownie cookies have 2 types of chocolate in them, of those being cocoa powder.
- Baking powder– The baking powder will give these cookies a little height.
- Salt– A little salt helps balance out the sweetness flavor.
- Butter– Use salted or unsalted butter for these cookies. It will give them richness.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips– Make sure to use good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips for the best-flavored brownie cookie of your life! The chocolate chips are used for both the chocolate ganache and the brownie cookie.
- Egg– The eggs will hold the cookies together.
- Brown sugar & granulated sugar– both the brown and granulated sugar will sweeten the cookie and keep it moist.
- Vanilla– Vanilla brings out the chocolate flavor more.
- Heavy cream– The heavy cream will be used to make the chocolate ganache topping.
- Colored chocolate candies– Can’t have cosmic brownies without the OG-colored chocolate candies.
A quick note on the topping: those rainbow candy coated chocolate chips are the same ones on Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies. Look for them by the ice cream toppings or sprinkles, or swap in mini M&Ms or rainbow sprinkles if your store does not carry them. I like to get them online.
How to make CRUMBL cosmic brownie cookies
This is how you can make these cookies. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
- Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Then set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until light in color and fluffy. They should double in volume.
- While the mixer is still running, slowly add in the melted chocolate mixture and mix until fully combined.
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, and gently fold with a spatula until the flour disappears.
- Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop out 10 equally sized cookie dough balls and place them on a lined baking sheet then bake.
- Using a large cookie cutter, something wider than your cookies, swoosh around your cookies to form the perfect round thick cookie.
Make the chocolate ganache
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and the heavy cream and microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir in between and repeat the process until the mixture is fully melted and smooth.
- scoop out 2-3 teaspoons of chocolate ganache on each cooled down brownie cookie, spread it on top, and sprinkle some rainbow chocolate candied over that and enjoy!
Tips for thick, fudgy brownie batter cookies
- Your batter should look like brownie batter, not cookie dough. It will be loose and glossy when you scoop it, and that is exactly what gives you the fudgy, gooey center.
- Whip the eggs and sugar until pale and doubled in volume. This builds that shiny, crackly brownie top, so do not rush it. Give it a full 3 to 5 minutes.
- Scoop big for that Crumbl look. A large cookie or ice cream scoop gives you bakery size cookies. Pile the dough tall instead of flattening it if you want them extra thick like Crumbl.
- Do the cookie cutter swoosh. The second the cookies come out of the oven, circle a wide cookie cutter or glass around each one to nudge it into a perfect round, thick cookie.
- Slightly underbake on purpose. Crumbl cookies are famously soft because they are pulled a touch early. Take these out when the edges are set but the centers still look soft, then let them finish on the hot pan.
Cosmic brownie cookie variations
- Smaller, catering size cookies: Divide the dough into 18 to 24 portions instead of 10 and shave a couple of minutes off the bake time. Great for parties and lunchboxes.
- Cosmic brownie cookies with brownie mix: People always ask if you can shortcut this with a boxed brownie mix. You can stir a couple of tablespoons of flour into prepared brownie mix until it is thick enough to scoop, but it will spread more and lose that tall, bakery style structure. The from scratch brownie batter here is just as fast and so much better.
- Make it your own: Swap the rainbow candy chips for crushed Oreos, mini chocolate chips, or a flaky sprinkle of sea salt over the ganache.
How to store CRUMBL cosmic brownie cookies?
These cosmic brownie cookies keep beautifully. Here is how to store them:
- Room temperature: Up to 2 days in an airtight container if you want them soft and gooey for snacking.
- Fridge: Up to 6 days in an airtight container. Because the ganache is made with heavy cream, the fridge keeps everything fresh and lets the topping set so the cookies stack without smudging.
- Freezer, baked: Flash freeze the finished cookies on a tray until the ganache is firm, then stack them in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm one for about 8 seconds in the microwave for that fresh baked gooeyness.
- Freezer, dough: You can also freeze the scooped dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crumbl bakes their cookies fresh in store, but the recipe is a closely guarded secret, so you cannot buy the exact one. This copycat is 100 percent from scratch with simple pantry ingredients, and plenty of my readers tell me they like it better than the original. You control the freshness, the size, and exactly how fudgy the centers get.
It is rainbow candy coated chocolate chips, the same kind that sit on top of Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies. Look for them near the ice cream toppings or sprinkles. Mini M&Ms or rainbow sprinkles are easy swaps if you cannot find them.
You definitely can! Use my brownie mix cookie recipe as the base and decorate as I did here.
These are big, bakery style cookies, so each one comes in around 498 calories. The full nutrition breakdown is in the recipe card below. If you divide the dough into smaller cookies, the per cookie number drops right down.
They are close cousins. Both start from a fudgy, brownie like base. The cosmic (or galaxy) brownie cookie is specifically finished with chocolate ganache and rainbow candy chips on top, while a plain brownie batter cookie usually skips the colorful topping. This recipe gives you the full cosmic treatment.
That is the goal! Crumbl style cookies are pulled from the oven a little early on purpose so the centers stay soft and gooey. As long as the edges are set, they are good to go. If you prefer a firmer center, just bake an extra minute or two.
Better than CRUMBL Cosmic Brownie Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1 stick butter
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips Good quality
- 2 large egg at room temperature
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache
- 6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips good quality
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Rainbow chocolate candies
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F then line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour , 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt
- In a medium saucepan melt the butter and chocolate chips over medium-low heat. Continuously stir until melted and well incorporated then set aside.1 stick butter, 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
- Whisk the room temperature eggs, vanilla, and both the granulated sugar and brown sugar using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is light, airy and doubled volume.2 large egg, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Slowly add in the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold. Add in the dry ingredients to the wet mixture again and fold using a rubber spatula. Avoid over-mixing, you want to fold in the dry mixture just until it's combined and the flur disappears.
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 4 tablespoons worth), drop the batter in 10 equaly sized cookie dough balls onto the parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each cookie, and bake for 12 minutes
- Using a large cookie cutter, something wider than your cookies, swoosh around your cookies to form the perfect round thick cookie. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Make the chocolate ganache
- In a microwave safe bowl, add in the chocolate chips, and the heavy cream and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between each time. Continue this process until the chocolate ganache is fully melted and smooth.6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips, 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Scoop out about 2-3 teaspoons of the chocolate ganache on top of the brownie cookies and sprinkle with the rainbow chocolate candies and enjoy!Rainbow chocolate candies
Notes
- Room temperature: Up to 2 days in an airtight container if you want them soft and gooey for snacking.
- Fridge: Up to 6 days in an airtight container. Because the ganache is made with heavy cream, the fridge keeps everything fresh and lets the topping set so the cookies stack without smudging.
- Freezer, baked: Flash freeze the finished cookies on a tray until the ganache is firm, then stack them in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm one for about 8 seconds in the microwave for that fresh baked gooeyness.
- Freezer, dough: You can also freeze the scooped dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, will it be okay to make the dough the night before and bake it the next day? This recipe looks so amazing but I am pressed for time so I have to divide the workload over two days.
Yes that would be completely fine 🙂
I have made these more times than I can count, and they are still my favorites! They taste so good chilled, and freeze beautifully.
I just want to thank you so much for sharing your talents with these recipes. I have made several of your cookies for my church and they have gotten wonderful reviews. I now make cookies on a monthly basis for the new members of our church family and I always use your recipes because they never fail, just like God.
God Bless You and thank you again for sharing the love!
Wow this is so sweet to hear! This made my day, thank you so much!
I haven’t tried the recipes before but this website is so innovative that, I’m so greatful and astonished how new and technal this is , Ty so much, Ty.
I hope you’re able to try some of the recipes!
Two quick questions.
1. How much is a cup of butter in terms of sticks or tablespoons?
2. I used Hershey’s dutch process cocoa powder. It seems to be about 10% cocoa fat. Online, I have seen some that is more around 22% fat. Which one do you recommend? Is there a specific brand that you recommend?goo
I made the cookies with 1 stick of butter (1/4 pound) and Hershey cocoa. They came out good. The dough was stiff. I was wondering if they could be even better.
A cup of butter is 2 sticks and I don’t use any specific cocoa powder brand in particular just because I go through so much of it haha but the Hershey cocoa should be fine.
Very rich and chocolatey! I changed it up a bit and cooked them n silecone cocoa bomb molds – came out so good and cute!
Thank you!
These are AMAZING! Making 300 for my husband’s work!!! Ty so much!!
OMG that’s awesome! I hope they come out good!
Your search ends here for the perfect dupe of this cookie. Super easy to make, they keep their shape while baking, and they are intensley chocolatey without being too cloyingly sweet. We made these for my daughter’s birthday yesterday and they were really good. If you’re on the fence about trying this recipe – do it! You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you so much!
Does the chocolate ganache harden enough to stack the cookies?
When chilled yes. I would still separate each cookie layer with wax paper to keep the cookies from sticking.
Hi, I was wondering…can I make these with white chocolate chips? Would that work when you melt them in the pan with the butter??
You sure can! I believe it should be able to work.