Small-batch Buckeye Brownie Cookies

These rich and amazing Buckeye Brownie Cookies have a fudgy chocolate cookie base, sweet peanut butter center, and are topped with melted chocolate.

Looking for a truly decadent and ridiculously good cookie recipe to try out this weekend? You should definitely make these Buckeye Brownie Cookies. 

The cookie base might look familiar. It’s the same one I use for my Miniature Hot Chocolate Cookies. It’s made with pure melted chocolate and just a tiny bit of cocoa powder. So about 90% of the chocolate flavor comes from actual chocolate, making the cookies incredibly rich and soft, to the point that they are more of a brownie in cookie form than anything.

On top is a layer of sweet peanut butter, and then they get slathered in melted chocolate so you end up with a cookie that is sheer indulgence. And since this is a small-batch recipe and makes just 6 cookies, feel free to indulge away.  

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: Unsalted or salted butter will work in this recipe. If using salted butter, cut the salt in the recipe to a pinch. 
• Chopped semi-sweet chocolate: Most of the chocolate flavor in these cookies comes from melted chocolate in the dough, so be sure to use good-quality chocolate. Good-quality chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard will work just fine.
• Peanut butter: Natural-style peanut butter will work okay for these cookies, but you’ll get a smoother peanut butter layer if you use a processed brand like Jif or Skippy.  

How to Make Buckeye Brownie Cookies

1. Melt chocolate and butter together and stir until smooth.
2. Combine brown sugar, egg, and vanilla, and then stir in the melted chocolate. 
3. Add remaining cookie ingredients and stir until a sticky dough forms. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle. Form dough into 6 large balls and bake.
4. Stir together peanut butter and powdered sugar, form into disks, and press into the baked cookies. 
5. Top the cookies with melted chocolate and chill until chocolate is set.
6. Eat and enjoy!!

FAQ

Can I freeze buckeye brownie cookies?

Yes. Buckeye cookies freeze very well. Even though this is a small-batch recipe, I still often freeze most of them because they are just so rich and filling.

To freeze, store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Defrost on the counter for 15-20 minutes to give the peanut butter and chocolate time to come back to room temperature or enjoy frozen on a hot summer day. 

Can I double this recipe?

Yes! The recipe doubles with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.

I’m in a hurry. Do I have to chill the dough?

Sorry but YES! Because this recipe uses melted chocolate, you absolutely must chill the dough otherwise it will be much too soft to work with and will spread far too much in the oven while baking. 

Why are these called buckeye cookies?

These cookies are called buckeye cookies because they are a cookie-fied version of buckeye candy, which if you’ve never had them, are sweet peanut butter balls that have been dipped in chocolate.

Buckeye candy gets its name because it looks like the nuts from the buckeye tree. And the buckeye tree gets its name because its nuts resemble the eye of a deer.

Aren’t you glad you asked? 😉 

More Small-batch Cookie Recipes

• Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
• Small-batch Oatmeal Cookies
• Perfect Small-batch Sugar Cookies
• Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies

Or check out my entire Small-batch Cookie Recipe Archive.

Small-batch Buckeye Brownie Cookies

These rich and amazing Buckeye Brownie Cookies have a fudgy chocolate cookie base, sweet peanut butter center, and are topped with melted chocolate.

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Pin

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 6 cookies

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookies

• ▢ 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter *
• ▢ 2/3 cup (4oz) chopped semi-sweet chocolate high-quality chips are fine
• ▢ 1/3 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon (85g) brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (70g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (10g) natural cocoa powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt

Sweet Peanut Butter Layer

• ▢ 1/4 cup (65g) creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar

Chocolate Topping

• ▢ 1/3 cup (2oz) semi-sweet chocolate chopped

Instructions

Chocolate Cookies

• In a small bowl, melt butter and 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Then continue in 15-second bursts, stirring in between until smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until just combined. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.
• Mix in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, until just combined. Dough will be very soft and sticky.
• Cover and chill dough for 45 minutes until the dough is firm enough to handle.*
• Preheat oven to 325°Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• Scoop and roll dough into 6 large balls and place on prepared cookie sheet spaced evenly apart. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until the edges of the cookies are crinkled and look set.

Sweet Peanut Butter Layer

• In a small bowl, use a fork to mix peanut butter and powdered sugar until well-combined. Divide mixture into 6 even balls. Squish peanut butter into 1/4-inch disks between the palms of your hands and place in the centers of the warm cookies, pressing them down just slightly.

Chocolate Topping

• In a small bowl, melt chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and then microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is melted. Spoon over the cookies and chill until chocolate is set. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to a pinch. 

*If your dough becomes too firm to easily scoop and roll into balls, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly. 

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

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