Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies (paleo & nut free)

The Type A person in me needs things to be even – balanced, equal, and fair. Otherwise a little itch develops in my brain that I just cannot help but try to scratch obsessively until all things are in order and thereby relieving said itch. So, when I created the recipe for my Cookie Dough Stuffed Brownies, I knew I had to create the inverse treat so as not to show dessert favoritism and avoid the forthcoming insatiable baking itch. So here they are! The counterpart, soul mate, complement to my last dessert mash up – healthified Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies! Yep, a brownie. Stuffed. IN. A. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!

What Do These Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies Taste Like?

These stuffed cookies are just as the name implies – a soft and chewy chocolate chip studded cookie stuffed with a fudgy and deeply chocolatey brownie batter. The combination of the chewy cookie edges and melty chocolate chips with the intense brownie center is truly something to behold. And while both brownies and chocolate chip cookies are wonderful on their own, there’s something incredibly satisfying about enjoying them together in one delicious mouthful. Like a good couple, each part helps the other shine brighter than it would on it’s own making you think that, maybe, they should be together forever. And this CCC + Brownie match is like a celebrity coupling I hope never breaks up.

How Do you Make Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies?

These Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are incredibly easy to make, but do take a bit of planning as the chocolate chip cookie dough needs to chill for, ideally, a few hours. So be sure to plan ahead. The chocolate chip cookie dough whips up in just one bowl, then the brownie batter is made in a separate bowl and both set aside to chill. When ready to bake, balls of cookie dough and brownie batter are made, then stuffed together! Check out the set-by-step photos below. Here’s a quick overview of the steps:

1. Make the cookie dough: By first creaming together the wet ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Then add in the dry ingredients, stir until a sticky batter forms. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Make the brownie batter: This is a small batch brownie batter so it is easily stirred together by hand. Similar to the cookie dough, beat the wet ingredients together, add the dry ingredients, and stir until just fully incorporated. I added mini chocolate chips to the brownie batter. This is optional, but highly recommended.
3. Let doughs chill. The brownie batter just needs to chill in the fridge. The cookie dough needs a more intense chilling as the dough is fairly sticky. Ideally, the dough should be chilled in the freezer for 2 hours, but you can get away with a minimum of about 40 minutes. Chilling for longer however, will make the stuffing process much easier. If you plan ahead, you can chill the dough in the fridge overnight.
4. Heat oven to 360 (yes 360 degrees) when ready to bake and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
5. Stuff the cookies. Scoop out 10 balls of chocolate chip cookie dough and 10 small 1/2 inch brownie batter balls. I used a 50 mm scoop for the cookie dough and a 25 mm scoop for the brownie batter. There may be some extra brownie batter, don’t worry, we’ll get to that.
6. Flatten the cookie dough in the palm of your hand.
7. Add a brownie batter ball to the center.
8. Enclose the brownie with the edges of the cookie until completely covered. Roll the ball in your hand to create an even sphere. Place back on the baking sheet and press down slightly to create a short and fat cookie disc.
9. Repeat with all cookie dough balls.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes! Let cool on baking sheet, then transfer to baking rack to cool further.
11. Enjoy! These are incredible slightly warm when the chocolate is still melty. Unsurprisingly, they are also delicious at room temperature or even straight out of the freezer.

Some Tips:

1. Wet hands help! The cookie dough is sticky, and the length of time you chill the dough and the temperature of your hands and kitchen will determine how easy the dough is to work with. If you find the dough to be too sticky, you can use very slightly damp hands to reduce the stickiness while stuffing the cookies.
2. Extra Brownie Batter? If you have some extra brownie batter form it into a cookie shape and bake with the stuffed cookies for a bonus, super fudgy brownie cookie!

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make These Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie?

These epic cookies are incredibly delicious while being better-for-you. They contain no refined sugars, flours, or oils. They are paleo-friendly, meaning they are gluten, grain, and dairy free. And they are nut-free! Don’t let the seemingly long ingredient list in the recipe below dissuade you from making these, the ingredients repeat in both doughs. There are only 12 total ingredients in the recipe (including the salt!).

Here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients used and some recommended substitutes.

• Sunbutter: The base for the doughs and what gives them the moist, chewy, fudginess. Sub for another thick and creamy nut/seed butter like cashew, almond, or peanut butter. Choose one that contains only ingredient and has no added oils or sweeteners.
• Coconut Oil: To help give the cookies more moisture without making the dough too sticky. Choose refined coconut oil for a more neutral tasting oil.
• Eggs: To help puff up the doughs.
• Coconut Sugar: The best refined sugar free granular sweetener. Coconut sugar gives them the perfect amount of sweetness without being overbearing.
• Vanilla: Flavor!
• Cassava Flour: A gluten and grain free flour very similar to white flour but is not bleached, refined, or overly processed. It’s nut free and paleo!
• Tapioca Flour: Tapioca flour helps thicken the dough without making them too floury.
• Cocoa Powder: What gives the brownie batter the super chocolatey flavor. Use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cacao powder or cocoa mix.
• Cinnamon: More flavor!
• Salt: To balance the sweet.
• Chocolate Chips: Can’t have a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips! I used regular sized semi-sweet chocolate chips for the cookie dough. I also added mini chocolate chips to the brownie batter for extra ooey gooey-ness, but this is totally optional. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate bar chopped into chunks instead of regular chocolate chips!

This twofer of a cookie is incredibly delicious and made better-for-you. They are so good in fact, that I may just be starting to believe that the best chocolate chip cookie is actually one that is stuffed with brownie! But I’ll let you be the judge of that.

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free, nut free

If you make this recipe, share your experience with others by leaving a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

5 from 2 votes

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Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

It turns out the best cookie is actually one that is stuffed with brownie. These Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are incredibly delicious, easy to make, and made better-for-you! Cookie cheers to that!

paleo (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free, nut free

Servings 10 cookies

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (114 grams)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (61 grams)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (49 grams) melted and cooled
• 2 eggs ideally room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla (4 grams)
• 1/2 cup cassava flour (78 grams)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp tapioca flour (37 grams)
• 1 tsp baking powder (4 grams)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (1 gram)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips/chunks (83 grams)

Brownie Batter

• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (61 grams)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (36 grams)
• 1 egg ideally room temp
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (29 grams) not cacao powder or cocoa mix
• 2 tbsp cassava flour (19 grams)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (20 grams) optional

Instructions

1. Prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough by creaming together the coconut sugar, sunflower seed butter, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl if mixing by hand, or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until thick and bubbly.

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cassava flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir until just fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl once more during mixing.

3. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Let dough chill in the freezer, ideally for 2 hours or at least 40 minutes. If chilling overnight, store in the fridge.

5. Make the brownie batter by mixing together the sunflower seed butter, coconut sugar, and egg together in a medium bowl until thick and creamy.

6. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir until no streaks remain and a thick batter forms. Stir in the chocolate chips if using. Store in the fridge.

7. Once the dough has chilled, heat oven to 360 degrees (yes, 360) and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

8. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out 10 balls of chocolate chip cookie dough. Make 10 1/2 inch balls of brownie batter. There may be some brownie batter left over, we will use it.

9. Fill the cookie dough (see original post for step-by-step photos). Press down a cookie dough ball in the palm of your hand to create a flat circle. Place 1 ball of brownie batter in the center of the cookie dough and fold the cookie edges over the brownie until fully encased.

10. Roll the dough in your hand to create an even sphere, place back on the baking sheet and press down slightly with the palm of your hand to create a short round disc.

11. Repeat until all cookie dough is used and place stuffed cookie dough on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart.

12. If you have leftover brownie batter, form into a cookie shape and bake with the stuffed cookies for a super fudgy bonus cookie!

13. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just starting to brown and the tops of the cookies have puffed.

14. Let cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool further. These are incredible just warm while the chocolate is still melty. Unsurprisingly, they are also delicious at room temperature or even straight out of the freezer.

Recipe Notes

Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): ice cream scoops (large 50mm & small 25mm), silicon spatula, kitchen scale

Storage: Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or so. Afterwards move to the freezer for longer storage. 

Cookie Stuffing Tips: The colder the dough the easier the stuffing process will be. I found it easiest to scoop the chocolate chip cookie dough into balls directly on the baking sheet after about an hour of chill time in the freezer, then placing the whole baking sheet in the freezer for the remaining hour. If you find the dough to be a little sticky it helps to lightly dampen your hands with a little water. Likewise, if the stuffed cookie dough balls are looking a little rough around the edges, use slightly moist hands to smooth out the surface before baking.

Ingredient Subs/Variations:
Sunflower Seed Butter: Use cashew butter, almond butter, or peanut butter instead of sunflower seed butter. Ideally use one that contains one ingredient (no added sugars or oil). Thoroughly mix the nut/seed butter in the container before measuring and do not use the compacted paste at the bottom. 
Coconut Oil: Use refined coconut oil for a no-coconut flavor. 
Cocoa Powder: Be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder, not cocoa mix or cacao powder. Some good brands are Organic Cocoa Powder from Whole Food's 365 brand,  Equal Exchange's Baking Cocoa, or Guittard's Cocoa Powder (what I used in this recipe).
Strictly Refined Sugar Free/Paleo: Use your favorite paleo-friendly bar chopped into small chunks to make this strictly paleo and refined sugar free.
Chocolate Chips: Make this extra chocolatey by adding chocolate chips/chunks to both cookie dough and brownie batter. I used regular semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate chip cookie dough and mini chocolate chips in the brownie batter.

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