A brownie mix, chocolate pudding, and hot fudge sauce all come together to make the most epic Fudge Brownie Cookies. These easy shortcut cookies are ultra gooey, fudgy, and loaded with chocolate!
These cookies are epic — soft, chewy, super fudgy, and loaded with chocolate! The best part about them is they only take minutes to whip together since we’re using brownie and pudding mixes. I’m a huge fan of making cookies from scratch, (this is our favorite homemade Chocolate Cookie Recipe, but when you’re in a pinch or looking for something different, this is just the recipe to use.
Fudge Brownie Cookies are insanely good and we’re totally obsessed with them. Below you’ll find a quick overview of the ingredients in these cookies, then a summary of the process, and finally some quick tips and methods for storing. Let’s get started!
Fudge Brownie Cookie ingredients
- Brownie mix: I have tested these cookies with many different brownie mixes and taste testers agreed the Supreme Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix® (made by Betty Crocker) was the absolute best (Not sponsored, just sharing taste test results).
- Hot fudge: Smucker’s® or Hershey’s® are both great in these cookies; we liked Smucker’s best (Again, not sponsored). Make sure to get the thick chocolate fudge, not chocolate sauce or syrup, or the cookies will be too runny.
- Chocolate pudding mix: Make sure to get regular instant chocolate pudding mix and filling — not sugar-free and not cook-and-serve pudding. We’ll use the dry mix in these fudge brownie cookies.
- Flour: These cookies need a little flour for thickness; otherwise they spread too much.
- Large egg
- Butter: I recommend unsalted butter since brownie mix and pudding mix both have salt in them, and you don’t want salty cookies. Room temperature or slightly softened butter is best for Fudge Brownie Cookies.
- Vanilla: Optional ingredient.
- Chocolate chips: We like milk chocolate best, but semi-sweet or dark will work just as great; use whatever you prefer in these amazingly chocolatey cookies!
How to make Fudge Brownie Cookies
Thanks to the brownie and pudding mixes, Fudge Brownie Cookies are ridiculously fast and easy to make.
- Add all the ingredients (except chocolate chips) to a large bowl and mix together until a thick dough forms.
- Create the dough. It will seem like it’s not coming together at first, but be patient; it will eventually form a thick dough. A stand mixer or hand mixer makes this process the easiest. Stand mixers may be a significant investment, but at times like this, they’re such a help. KitchenAid is the gold standard in mixers and I use mine all the time.
- Once you’ve got a thick dough, stir in chocolate chips, and then it’s time to roll dough balls!
- Measure cookie dough balls using a tablespoon measuring spoon. This will yield about 48-50 total (small) cookies. And of course, there’s nothing stopping you from making larger cookies. Just remember to adjust the baking time.
- Chill the cookie dough balls in the freezer for 10 minutes. You want the dough cold and firm before going into the oven.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until no longer glossy on top. The “secret” to super fudgy rich cookies? Ever so slightly under-baking them!
Cookie tips:
- The most important tip: Make sure you are using the right size packages of brownie mix and pudding mix for the best results.
- Err on the side of under-baking rather than over-baking. When under-baked, they will be chewy and delicious, but when over-baked, they are more tough and hard.
- Don’t over-mix: As soon as the dough has come together, stop mixing. If you over-mix the dough, these Fudge Brownie Cookies won’t be nearly as soft and chewy.
Quick Tip
What are the correct package sizes to use? For brownies, look for the 18-ounce size box. This represents a change from the past; I always have recommended 18.4-ounce packages, but they’re being phased out. Now, 18 ounces is the industry standard, so I’ve modified the recipe to reflect that. For the instant pudding mix, look for the 4-serving (small) sized box. It should contain 3.9 ounces. You won’t need the whole thing–just 1/3 cup.
How to store these cookies
- Fudge Brownie Cookies will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container like these.
- If you love these cookies warm as much as I do, you can put a cooled cookie in the microwave for 8-10 seconds. Just saying.
- And if you want to freeze these fudgy cookie wonders, here are some great tips. I recommend freezing cookie dough balls as opposed to freezing baked cookies.
More cookie recipes:
- M&M Cookies with a “secret” ingredient that makes them ultra soft and chewy!
- Pistachio Cookies with a hint of honey
- Oatmeal Cookies reader favorite recipe!
- Snickerdoodles soft, thick, and chewy
- Thumbprint Cookies raspberry-almond flavored
Fudge Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 package (18 ounces) Betty Crocker Delights Brownie Mix, Supreme Chocolate Chunk See Note 1
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup instant chocolate pudding mix, dry (NOT the whole box; do not prepare)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 1/4 cup hot fudge topping Hershey's or Smuckers (not chocolate syrup)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white flour
- 3/4 cups chocolate chips milk chocolate, semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a very large bowl, add in the brownie mix, butter, egg, pudding mix, vanilla, hot fudge topping, and flour.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat until well combined. Add in the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, measure dough balls. Roll into balls that are higher rather than wider. Place onto a parchment-lined baking tray without flattening the dough. Place the tray of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes and then allow the cookies to stand on the tray for another 5-7 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack (Be careful not to over-bake; slightly underbaking will yield chewier cookies). If desired, press a few additional chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies; this helps make sure there is chocolate in every bite and makes them look prettier.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the 9-12 mins of cooking time less cooking time you use or you use less then that?
I cook these for about 9 or 10 minutes, but give a range for differing ovens. ๐
Amazing! My father who is a chocolate fanatic loved these! I actually like that it doesn’t make a ton of cookies as he’s the only real chocolate lover in the family so a big batch is too much. This made the perfect amount and he loved them. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh awesome!!! So glad to hear it! Thank you Marcy for your kind comment and review and for trying out this recipe! ๐
Can these brownie/cookies be frozen?
I haven’t ever tried freezing them so I’m not sure how they would do. I imagine they won’t be quite as fudgy if frozen once cooked but I bet the dough would freeze well. Sorry to not be of more help!