Okay, let’s be honest for a second. Some days you want a brownie. Some days you want cookie dough. And some days you want to eat both, maybe with some cherries and chocolate, standing over the kitchen sink.
This recipe is for those days. I’m going to show you how to make Black Forest Cookie Dough Brownie Bombs. And I promise, it’s way easier than it sounds. You’ll get a fudgy brownie base, a safe-to-eat cookie dough center, and a hard chocolate shell.
It’s the kind of dessert that makes people stop talking and just… eat.
What You’ll Need
I’ve broken this down into three parts so your brain doesn’t get scrambled. It looks like a lot, but you probably have most of this stuff already. Don’t skip the espresso powder in the brownies—it’s my secret weapon.
For the Fudgy Brownie Base
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unsalted Butter | ½ cup |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 cup |
| Large Eggs | 2 |
| Vanilla Extract | 1 tsp |
| All-Purpose Flour | ½ cup |
| Unsweetened Cocoa Powder | ⅓ cup |
| Instant Espresso Powder | 1 tsp |
| Salt | ¼ tsp |
For the Cherry Cookie Dough
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| All-Purpose Flour (heat-treated) | 1 cup |
| Unsalted Butter (softened) | ½ cup |
| Brown Sugar (packed) | ½ cup |
| Granulated Sugar | ¼ cup |
| Milk or Cream | 2 tbsp |
| Vanilla Extract | 1 tsp |
| Mini Chocolate Chips | ½ cup |
| Dried Cherries (chopped) | ½ cup |
For the Chocolate Shell & Topping
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Good Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips | 2 cups |
| Coconut Oil (or vegetable oil) | 2 tsp |
| Flaky Sea Salt (optional) | For sprinkling |
The Tools for the Job
You don’t need a bunch of fancy gadgets for this. Just the basics.
- 8×8 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowls (a couple of them)
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon size)
- Baking sheet
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Forks or dipping tools
How to Make These Little Bombs of Joy
Just follow along, one step at a time. The most important part is letting things cool when I tell you to. Patience is tough, I get it, but it makes all the difference here.
H3: Part 1: Making the Brownie Base
Step 1: First, get your oven going at 350°F (175°C). Take your 8×8 pan and line it with parchment paper, letting some hang over the sides like little handles. It’ll help you lift the brownies out later.
Step 2: Melt your butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Just a minute or so should do it. Don’t let it explode—that’s a mess nobody wants to clean up.
Step 3: Pour the melted butter into a bigger mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar until it’s all combined. It’ll look a little grainy, and that’s totally fine.
Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Whisk it up real good after each egg. You want it to look glossy and smooth.
Step 5: In a separate, smaller bowl, mix together your flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Just give it a quick stir with a fork to break up any clumps.
Step 6: Gently fold the dry stuff into the wet stuff. Use a spatula for this part. Stop mixing as soon as you don’t see any more white streaks. (Over-mixing = cakey brownies, and we want fudgy).
Step 7: Pour that beautiful batter into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
Step 8: This is critical. Let the brownies cool completely. I mean it. On the counter is fine, but if you’re antsy, pop them in the fridge for an hour. Don’t touch them while they’re warm.
H3: Part 2: Whipping Up the Cherry Cookie Dough
Step 1: First, we have to make the flour safe to eat raw. Spread your 1 cup of flour on a baking sheet and bake it at 350°F for about 5 minutes. Let it cool completely before you use it. This kills any pesky bacteria.
Step 2: While the flour cools, grab a mixing bowl. Beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy. A hand mixer makes this easy, but a strong arm and a whisk work too.
Step 3: Add the milk and vanilla and mix again until everything is smooth.
Step 4: Now, stir in your heat-treated (and cooled!) flour. Mix it on low speed or by hand until it’s just combined.
Step 5: Finally, fold in the mini chocolate chips and the chopped dried cherries. Try not to eat it all with a spoon right now. We have a goal, remember?
H3: Part 3: Assembling and Dipping the Bombs
Step 1: Once the brownies are totally cool, use the parchment paper handles to lift them out of the pan. Crumble them up into a large bowl. Yeah, it feels wrong, but trust the process.
Step 2: Use a small cookie scoop (or a tablespoon) to scoop out some of the brownie crumbles. Flatten the brownie into a little pancake in your hand.
Step 3: Scoop a small amount of the cherry cookie dough (about a teaspoon) and place it in the center of the brownie pancake.
Step 4: Carefully wrap the brownie around the cookie dough, rolling it into a nice, neat ball. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve used up all your ingredients.
Step 5: Pop that baking sheet of brownie bombs into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This is super important. A frozen bomb is way easier to dip in hot chocolate.
Step 6: When you’re ready to dip, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave. Do it in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, so you don’t burn the chocolate.
Step 7: Take the bombs out of the freezer. Working one at a time, drop a bomb into the melted chocolate. Use two forks to roll it around and lift it out, letting the extra chocolate drip off.
Step 8: Place the dipped bomb back on the parchment-lined sheet. If you’re using flaky sea salt, sprinkle a little on top right away before the chocolate sets.
Step 9: Let the bombs sit at room temperature or in the fridge until the chocolate shell is completely hard. Then, you can finally eat one. Or five.
Pro Tips from My Kitchen
I’ve made these a bazillion times, and I’ve messed them up in every way possible. Here’s how you can avoid my mistakes.
- Don’t Rush the Cooling. I know I’ve said this a bunch, but it’s the number one mistake people make. If your brownies are even a little bit warm, they’ll turn into a greasy mush when you try to crumble them. Cool, cool, cool.
- Use a Cookie Scoop. Using a scoop for the brownie and the cookie dough keeps everything uniform. It’s not just about them looking pretty; it means they’ll all have the perfect brownie-to-dough ratio.
- The Double Freeze. If you’re having trouble with the bombs falling apart, freeze them for 15 minutes after you form them, then roll them again to make them smoother, then freeze for another 15-30 minutes before dipping. This makes them super solid and easy to handle.
- Thin Your Chocolate. The coconut oil in the melted chocolate is not optional. It thins the chocolate just enough to create a perfect, crisp shell that isn’t too thick or clumpy. If your chocolate still seems too thick, add another half teaspoon of oil.
Swaps and Fun Variations
Once you get the hang of this, you can go wild. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe.
- Different Chips: Instead of semi-sweet, try peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips in the cookie dough.
- Add Nuts: A few chopped walnuts or pecans in the brownie base adds a nice crunch.
- No Cherries? No Problem: You can use dried cranberries, chopped dates, or just leave the fruit out entirely for a classic cookie dough filling.
- Minty Twist: Swap the vanilla in the cookie dough for a little peppermint extract and use Andes mints instead of chocolate chips.
Making Them Ahead of Time
This is a great dessert to make in stages. You can bake the brownies one day and leave them (covered) on the counter. The next day, you can make the cookie dough and assemble the bombs.
The fully assembled, undipped bombs can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. Then you can just dip them in chocolate whenever you need a quick, amazing dessert.
Leftovers & Storage
If you somehow have leftovers, store them in an airtight container.
They’ll be fine on the counter for a day or two, but I like to keep them in the fridge. It keeps the chocolate shell snappy and the inside fudgy. They’ll last in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze the finished bombs for up to three months. Just let them sit out for about 15-20 minutes before eating so you don’t break a tooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Do I really have to heat-treat the flour?
Ans: Yep, you really should. Raw flour can contain bacteria like E. coli, and a quick bake in the oven makes it totally safe to eat in no-bake recipes like this one.
Q2. My chocolate is too thick for dipping. What did I do wrong?
Ans: You probably didn’t do anything wrong! Sometimes chocolate is just thick. Just add another ½ teaspoon of coconut or vegetable oil and stir until it’s a nice, smooth consistency.
Q3. Can I use a brownie mix from a box?
Ans: Absolutely. If you want to save a step, a box mix works just fine. Just bake it according to the package directions in an 8×8 pan and let it cool completely before crumbling.
Q4. Why did my bombs fall apart when I dipped them?
Ans: They weren’t cold enough. They need to be frozen solid before they take a bath in warm chocolate. If they start to soften, just pop the whole tray back in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Wrapping Up
See? You can totally do this. It’s a few steps, sure, but none of them are hard. It’s just mixing and waiting and rolling.
The end result is something truly special. It’s a project, but a fun one. Put on some music, get your hands a little dirty, and make something that will make everyone who tries it incredibly happy.
When you make these, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment below and tell me how they turned out, or if you tried any fun variations
