Vegan Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Rich, crispy and chewy chocolatey cookies with a gooey brownie-like centre and a crunchy chocolate sprinkle coating. These vegan and gluten-free cookies are easy and quick to make, and you can sandwich them together with coconut whipping cream!

You know when you just want something chocolatey, and you also want a cookie? I hope that is not just me, because it happens quite a lot. What also happens quite a lot is that I have an afternoon to myself, and I want to make something that won’t take a lot of time, effort or washing up, will bake quickly, cool down quickly and let me have some fun photographing them. These Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies were the answer one sunny afternoon.

These Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies are totally dreamy:

• Rich and chocolate
• Crispy on the outside
• Chewy on the inside
• Packed with chocolate and cacao 
• Coated with fun chocolate sprinkles
• Made in one bowl
• Naturally vegan and easily gluten-free
• Fun to make with friends
• Even tastier sandwiched together with whipped cream!

These cookies come together so effortlessly although my main concern when trying them out was: to press down the cookie dough or to not press down the cookie dough? I tried a few ways but this way one! Press them down a little and the dough does the rest! I also have to point out that this recipe has been inspired by so many non-vegan chocolate sprinkle cookies that I have seen and my love for brownie cookies. These are so rich and fudgy, like a brownie but with the crispy cookie edges and shape.

The ingredients for these Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies are pretty simple:

• Dairy-free chocolate: I always choose dark chocolate but if you want something a little sweeter, use dairy-free milk chocolate.
• Vegan butter: as always, butter works best for the most traditional cookies! You could also try vegan margarine spread, too.
• Caster sugar: although I bake a lot with coconut sugar, I found the taste, texture and colouring much better with a standard white sugar for these cookies.
• Vanilla essence: for the classic cookie flavour.
• Aquafaba: this is an ingredient I am loving right now and means that more often than not, you can swap an egg for an “aquafaba egg” like for like. This is the water from a tin of chickpeas, which you simply open, sieve the chickpeas (saving them for a recipe) and keep the brine to use in baking.
• Plain or GF plain flour: this keeps the cookies really light.
• Cacao or cocoa powder: you can use both here. 
• Bicarbonate of soda: for a little rise in the oven that then puffs up and falls back down to create the best crackles.
• Salt: essential to bring out the chocolate flavours.
• Chocolate sprinkles: not a lot of sprinkles, especially chocolate ones, are vegan but I love these ones which are vegan, gluten-free and free from a lot of other allergens, too! If you can’t find any sprinkles, you can make these cookies without.
• Coconut whipping cream: this is the optional last stage to these cookies but is well worth it. Take your cookies to the next level by piping on some cream and sandwiching 2 together.

With only a handful of ingredients, these Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies are ready to go. As far as method is concerned, this is a cross between a cookie and a brownie:

• Step one: melt the chocolate and butter together like you would for a brownie.
• Step two: add in the sugar, vanilla and aquafaba and stir until glossy, like for a brownie.
• Step three: add in all the dry ingredients (like a brownie) and now chill the mix (like you do for a cookie dough).
• Step four: roll into cookie dough balls.
• Step five: roll around the balls in the sprinkles, press down slightly and bake (like a cookie).

And then these Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies are ready to devour. If you like to eat a warm gooey cookie, go right ahead, or let them cool and firm up slightly. If you are making whoopie pies, or sandwich cookies, make sure the cookies are cooled fully before adding in the cream.

These Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies are such a crowd pleasure and so fun to make with little ones (or big ones, too) plus everyone will go back for seconds. It may be worth baking a second batch if you want to take these to the office!

If you are looking for more chocolate and cookie inspiration, how about my:

• Dark Chocolate Vegan Brownie Cookies
• Vegan Monster Cookies
• Vegan Mini Oreo Cakes
• Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Cups
• Easy Vegan Chocolate Tiffins

Vegan Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies (Gluten-Free)

• Servings: 10-12
• Time: 20 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Rich, crispy and chewy chocolatey cookies with a gooey brownie-like centre and a crunchy chocolate sprinkle coating. These vegan and gluten-free cookies are easy and quick to make, and you can sandwich them together with coconut whipping cream.

Ingredients

For the cookies
• 85g dairy-free chocolate, chopped
• 40g vegan butter
• 80g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 tbsp aquafaba, whipped
• 70g plain or GF plain flour
• 25g cocoa/cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 40g chocolate sprinkles
For the filling and topping:
• Flaky salt
• 125g coconut whipping cream, optional

Directions

1. Melt together the chocolate and vegan butter either in the microwave or on the hob.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the aquafaba with a hand whisk until bubbly.
3. Pour the sugar, vanilla and aquafaba into the chocolate mix and whisk until glossy and smooth.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa/cacao powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl and add the salt. Pour in the chocolatey mix and whisk/stir to a thick brownie batter. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Add the chocolate sprinkles to a shallow bowl.
6. The cookie dough will be very firm, but this is normal. Divide in 10-12 pieces and roll them into balls, washing your hands as needed. Flatten the balls slightly and then dip in the chocolate sprinkles, leaving the bottom free of sprinkles. Place 5 or 6 per baking tray, with 2-cm gap around them as they will spread.
7. For the most even cookies, bake one tray at a time, turning halfway throug,h for 8-10 minutes until slightly spread out and crackled on top and then cook the second tray in the same way. Allow to cool on the trays for 5 minutes to firm up and then cool fully on a wire rack before carefully removing from the parchment
8. Sprinkle with salt, if you like, and enjoy straight away or keep in an airtight container for 5-7 days.
9. If you are making sandwich cookies, whip the coconut cream for 2-3 minutes until really fluffy and place in a piping bag. Once the cookies are cool, pipe the cream onto the base of half the cookies and then sandwich together with the other cookies. Keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

I hope you will love these Chocolate Brownie Sprinkle Cookies so please let me know what you think in the comments below. If you do make them, tag me I our bakes as I love seeing them – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With sprinkle cookie love x