Cosmic cookies are the cookie version of everyone’s favorite lunchbox treat! These chewy chocolate cookies are topped with a fudge frosting and colorful candies. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Cosmic Brownie Cookies
Deeply chocolatey with thick, tender bases, indulgent fudgy frosting, and the classic, colorful smattering of cosmic sprinkles (of course), cosmic cookies are an obvious adaptation of iconic cosmic brownies. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you which of the two homemade versions I prefer.
The base for this recipe was an easy one to choose. I opted for the same chewy, brownie-style cookie that I’ve used on several of my gourmet cookies (including my buckeye cookies and dirt cookies). It’s a nice, thick cookie base that works well with scores of different toppings, but it neatly fit the bill for the nostalgic chocolate experience I was aiming to recreate.
Why This Recipe Works:
- Taste: Chocolately and rich, but not too decadent. And there’s no chemical taste, unlike the real thing.
- Looks: Nostalgic and fun–just like the cosmic brownies from your childhood!
- Ease: No mixer required, since we are starting with melted butter instead of softened.
- Time: Only 30 minutes of chilling! This will help the dough be thick and sturdy enough to hold the frosting.
I’ve been having a lot of fun with nostalgic treats (like my Lucky Charms Treats) and gourmet cookies lately, and this recipe combines the two. I hope you love them as much as we do!
What You Need
Before we get started there are a few ingredient choices I’d like to go over (like the various types of chocolate we use).
- Cocoa powder. I chose natural cocoa powder for these cosmic cookies, since that’s the same cocoa powder I use in my cosmic brownies. It has the best, most authentic flavor. Dutch process will work too, though you can’t always substitute one for the other.
- Egg + egg yolk. You’ll see an extra egg yolk in quite a few of my cookie recipes, especially my chocolate-based cookies (like my inside out chocolate chip cookies). I do this to make the cookies extra tender and chewy. The extra yolk also helps to counteract the drying effects of the cocoa powder.
- Melted butter. I prefer to start with melted butter (rather than creaming together the butter and sugar) because this gives me an opportunity to bloom the cocoa for a more intense chocolatey flavor, but it also makes for a more buttery-soft and tender cookie. As a bonus, this means there’s no mixer needed to work the dough together.
- Chocolate chips. I use a blend of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips for the frosting. This combination mimics that classic, fudge frosting on real cosmic brownies.
- Candy chips. You simply can’t make cosmic cookies without the colorful candy topping! These can be a bit hard to find, so I usually get mine on Amazon . Chopped up mini M&M’s would even work in a pinch though!
SAM’S TIP: Stick with light brown sugar for this recipe, since dark brown would make these cosmic cookies a bit too rich. If you don’t have either on hand, then hop on over to my post on how to make brown sugar and learn how to make your own!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Cosmic Cookies
Making the Dough
- Whisk the cocoa powder and melted butter together until combined.
- Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then set this aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the wet ingredients until everything is cohesive. Don’t add the dry ingredients all at once, or you will have a very tough time getting the dough together (it’s a pretty stiff dough, while an electric mixer has never been necessary for me you can use one if you prefer!).
- Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Baking
- Roll 2-tablespoon scoops of dough into balls and bake on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Gently flatten the tops of your cookies with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup within a minute of removing from the oven; this will give you a flat surface for decorating (the slightly puffed, domed surfaces just don’t look as good), and it makes the cookies a bit more dense (in a fudgy-good way).
Ganache & Assembly
- Microwave the chocolate chips and cream until the chocolate is melty, then whisk to combine. Stir in the vanilla and salt and let cool for a few minutes. The frosting will thicken up a bit as it cools. You just don’t want it running right off the cookies.
- Spreading the frosting over your cookies. I use roughly a tablespoon-sized scoop for each cookie.
- Add your candy chips while the frosting is still soft. Work quickly, because if you wait too long, they won’t stick!
SAM’S TIP: It’s very important that you heat the chocolate fudge frosting slowly in the microwave. If it is heated too fast, then the ganache can break and become greasy. I provide specific instructions for this below.
Frequently Asked Questions
These cookies mimic Little Debbie cosmic brownies, a classic lunchbox treat for many 90s kids. Cosmic brownies are still around today; they are dense, fudgy, and covered in a fudge frosting and colorful candies, just like my cosmic cookies!
This is not meant to be a copycat recipe, but rather a gourmet cookie version of my cosmic brownie recipe. I have never had the Crumbl version, so I can’t say for sure how similar my recipe is.
Yes! Just wrap them tightly (let the frosting set first) in plastic wrap then place in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze. They will keep this way for up to three months.
I had a lot of fun with these, so if you have an idea for another nostalgic dessert-turned-cookie let me know below in the comments!
Enjoy!
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Cosmic Cookies
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Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 264kcal
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Instructions
Cookies
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Combine melted butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
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Add sugars, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir well.
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
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Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until completely combined. I usually add the flour mixture in 4 parts, adding too much at once can make the dough difficult to stir and absorb the flour, as it is a more dry dough.
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Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Once chilled, scoop dough by 2 Tablespoon sized scoops and roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. Place on baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart.
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Bake in center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. Within a minute of removing from the oven, use a flat surface (I use a 1-cup measuring cup or the bottom of a glass) to gently press down on the cookies, gently flattening the surfaces.
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Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the Frosting
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In a medium-sized, microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream and microwave on high for 25 seconds. Remove from the microwave and whisk chocolate and cream together. If chocolate is not melted, return to microwave for another 10 seconds. Whisk again, If chocolate is still not melted, continue microwaving in 5 second increments until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is combined and smooth.
1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, ⅔ cup (113 g) milk chocolate chips, 6 Tablespoons (88 ml) heavy cream
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Add vanilla extract and salt, whisk to combine. Allow frosting to cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes before proceeding.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
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Once frosting has thickened enough to be spreadable and cookies are completely cooled, scoop 2-3 teaspoons of frosting on top of each cookie and spread evenly. Immediately sprinkle with candy chips.
2 Tablespoons candy coated chips
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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