Chocolate Chip Brownie Tarts are bite-sized desserts with a tender chocolate chip cookie shell and a soft, rich brownie center. This recipe combines two beloved desserts into one beautiful baked treat. No mixer required to make this easy dessert.
We’re headed off on vacation, and I’ll be taking the next two weeks off to catch my breath and unplug. There will still be plenty of new content over on Instagram, so be sure to follow us there! Before we go, I wanted to leave you with one of my all-time favorite dessert recipes. Chocolate Chip Brownie Tarts!
Today’s recipe is an updated version of a recipe that I first shared here on the site in 2015 (when my now six-year-olds were just 9 months old). Over the years, I’ve received so many comments and questions about this fun recipe that I wanted to revisit it. The post below has been completely updated to answer all of the most commonly asked questions. I’ve also added all new photos!
The biggest change to the recipe is that I updated it to create 24 mini tarts. The original version made only 12 mini tarts which I heard over and over, just wasn’t enough! The problem was that the recipe didn’t work as well when doubled, so it needed a complete renovation. This has been re-worked from the ground up to give you a brand new version of Chocolate Chip Brownie Tarts that is even better than the original.
Here’s how to make these sweet desserts.
Step 1: Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust
The base of these tarts is a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. To keep things simple, I wanted to be sure that you could dive right into baking these. No need to wait for butter to soften. The cookie crust starts with melted butter. You can easily mix this all by hand – no need to pull out the mixer.
In order to make the crust easy to work with, refrigerate it while making the brownie filling. There’s no set time required for refrigerating the crust, but cold dough is much easier to work with, making the crust easier to form.
Step 2: Make Brownie Filling
The filling for the tarts is a rich, chocolate brownie. You’ll need a saucepan to melt the butter and can mix all of the other brownie ingredients right inside the saucepan. Just be sure to follow the instructions provided to give the batter some time to cool off before adding the egg. You don’t want the egg to start cooking before these get transferred to the oven!
And don’t sneak any spoonfuls of the brownie batter! This recipe makes exactly enough to fill the tarts.
Step 3: Assemble Tarts
This step is the only one that takes a bit of time, but they’ll come out great with these steps and tips:
- To start, divide the chocolate chip cookie dough between all 24 spaces of the pan, moving dough around as needed until it looks even.
- Next, roll all of the chocolate chip cookie dough into balls (this will set you up to easily form the tart shells).
- Using your fingers press down on the center of the dough balls until they are spread out over the entire inside of the muffin tin spaces. If the dough is too sticky to work with, dip the tips of your fingers in water.
- Fill the tart shells evenly with brownie batter. There is just enough batter to fill the tart shells about ¾ full. It will rise nearly to the top of the shells during baking.
- Look to the center of the brownie filling to tell if these are done baking. The center should look a tiny bit shiny and wobbly but will set up as it cools.
Why Use Unsalted Butter
It’s important to use unsalted butter in these desserts so that you have control over how much salt they contain. If all you have is salted butter, you can definitely still make these, but skip the pinch of salt in the cookie crust and be aware that the finished Chocolate Chip Brownie Tarts may not be as sweet.
Can these be baked in a regular muffin tin?
Yes! One of the most common questions I get about these brownie tarts is if they can be baked in a regular muffin tin. If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, I’ve got you covered! See the notes section in the recipe for alternative baking instructions, but the ingredients and process for shaping the tarts is the same. You’ll need to make a single batch of chocolate chip cookie crust but a double batch of brownie filling.
This makes 12 tarts in a regular muffin tin (below is an image of the recipe in a regular muffin tin).
More of our Favorite Chocolate Desserts
- One-Bowl Chocolate Guinness Cake
- Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
- No Bake Double Chocolate Pie
- Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Cream Bowls
Favorite Tools
- Mixing Bowl
- Small Saucepan
- Mini Muffin Tin (preferably with 24 spaces)
- Maldon Sea Salt Flakes
Chocolate Chip Brownie Tarts
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Small Saucepan
- Mini Muffin Tin
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust:
Brownie Filling:
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (not Dutch process)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- Flaked Sea Salt, for topping (optional; but I like Maldon Sea Salt Flakes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a mini muffin tin (you’ll need one that has 24 spaces or will need to bake these in batches; see note if using a regular muffin tin).
- Prepare Crust: In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter (just the portion for the cookie crust) and both sugars until smooth. (Note: you can do this by hand or using a mixer.) Add egg and vanilla and stir to combine. Add flour and salt and mix well. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
- Put the chocolate chip cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill while making the brownie filling (chilling the dough briefly will make it easier to work with).
- Prepare Brownie Filling: In a small saucepan, heat butter (portion for the filling) just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar and cocoa powder until smooth. Whisk in egg and 1 Tbsp flour. Set mixture aside until cool enough to touch (this should take about 10 minutes; you can transfer the batter to a mixing bowl and put it in the refrigerator if you want to cool it more quickly.)
- Assemble Tarts: Divide the cookie dough evenly between the spaces of a muffin tin. (Just drop the dough into the spaces to start, and rearrange as needed utnil each space contains about the same amount.) Roll each ball of dough into an even round. Use your fingers to press the dough out into the sides of the muffin tin, creating a thin tart shell. (Note: if the dough sticks, dip your fingertips in water first.)
- Divide brownie batter evenly between tart shells.
- Bake until the brownie filling is puffed and just barely set in the middle, 9 to 11 minutes.
- If you'd like, add a tiny pinch of flaked sea salt (like Maldon) to the top of each tart as soon as they come out of the oven. (This is optional, but I always love the balance and texture that comes from a tiny pinch of salt on sweet baked goods.)
- Let tarts cool in the muffin pan.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you Jessie for the nice recipe. Have a wonderful weekend and hugs to Molly and Clara.
These looked so delicious I had to try. So I did and Mmmmm they tasted looked smelt soooo good!! Mouth watering🤤
I love sweet little nibbles like these choc chip brownie tarts. They look so incredibly – and I am just loving the perfect layered contrast between cookie crust and brownie filling!
I agree Thalia – something about nibble little desserts is so much fun!
Great idea can’t wait to try it out. I will let you know the outcome. Thanks again. Janice Donovan my email address is jnd64@icloud.com.
Genius idea, Jess. Glad you perfected this and shared!
Thanks Debra!
I love and want to try but difficult to abtain suck materials because where i live there are no mall that sell these materials.(I’m Indonesia Fakfak a stay in west papua)
That’s so challenging, Vien. Even when we lived in Bangkok there were products and tools we couldn’t make. Hope you can find some good substitutions to bake treats that you will love!
oh yea, Jess! I am totally feeling your Friday night 🙂
Me too – I’m ready for another one, Francesca! 😉
Dommage que l’on ne puisse pas avoir la traduction en Français car cela a l’air absolument délicieux !!!
Well, don’t these look delightfully tasty and cute! I’m new here and this post has been a fabulous introduction to your blog. I’ll be staying a while. Thanks for the sweet treats!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Amanda!!
Love the new logo Jess. These look amazing and I think it’s a good thing the recipe is little because they wouldn’t last long.
Thanks Claire – a super talented friend of mine did the logo. I was in desperate need of something other than “Inquiring Chef” in Helvetica font – ha!
Nyam Nyaammm 😀
Really looking forward to making these–I’m just wondering how you would adjust the recipe to fit a “normal” sized muffin tin. Do you suggest doubling it?
I haven’t tried it in a normal sized muffin tin, but I would recommend trying to double the recipe. It will probably need a few more minutes in the oven to finish too!
Just wondering if anyone has tried this in a standard tin since I don’t have a mini tin 🙂
Thanks!
I just made them in a standard tin and doubled the recipe. The cookie crust made 9 instead of 12, but there was plenty of the brownie filling. I would suggest increasing the recipe by 2.5 or even 3 depending on how thick you want the crust to be in order to make 12 standard sized tarts. I also increased the cooking time to 18 minutes instead of 10-12. I haven’t tried them yet, but they look and smell delicious!
Hello, I tried the recipe in a normal sized muffin tin two times. I didn’t double it, due to I didn’t recognize that it’s made for a mini muffin tin.
And I always wondered why the crust was just so thin ^^.
They are also really delicious with a thin crust, but i look forward to a new try and hope they will look the same as Jess’ 🙂
Such a cute recipe! Do you think a boxed brownie mix would do the job?
Carly – I can almost guarantee that boxed mix would work great here!
I have just made these and they are lovely. It took a lot longer than the 32 minutes that is suggested it takes to make. I will have to make them again and this time remember to put in the chocolate chips into the dough.
Thanks for the recipe….the cute brownie ????
should be try this recipe
I just made these cute treats, but although the cookie dough turned golden the underside, once cooled, is soft and crumbly. Any tips to get the whole thing firm and more cookie like on the outside. Thanks.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Kim! I’ve never had that issue, but these do need to be pulled from the oven before the brownie center is completely set (it should still look a bit wobbly in the middle). It might be worth baking them for a minute or two less next time. These are best when they’re a bit under-baked. Hope that helps!
I thought the brownie part was incredible while I was making it. After I baked these treats though, my fingers were just covered in oil and I was really disappointed. I did use european butter so maybe that was the mistake, but I’m feeling pretty gross after eating one.
Hi Olivia – I’m so sorry to hear that you had this result. I do wonder if the type of butter had something to do with it – I’ve never had these turn out oily, but I’ve never tested them with European butter.
This is my first visit to your site, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last! Very impressed with how your mind works (I love this idea!) I can not wait to try these – once it’s cooled off enough to turn the oven on again. Thank you for posting this yummy (looking/sounding) recipe!
Thanks so much Jacki! So glad you found us! It’s too hot to do much baking here at the moment as well, but I’ve got my sights set on fall!
Just came across these via pinterest. They are adorable and delicious!! Thanks for sharing this cool recipe.
These were perfect until I put them into the
Cool oven so my dog wouldn’t eat them while
I was gone. I guess they weren’t totally cool and
The steam made the cookie part soggy. Any suggestions how to crisp them up before serving tomorrow?
Hi Paige – I hope you were able to save these! I would guess that popping them in the fridge would help to pull some of that moisture out and firm them up. Hopefully you found a solution!
I would love to have the lemon filling recipe as well
Hi Judy! Here is the recipe with the lemon filling – https://inquiringchef.com/sugar-cookie-lemon-tarts/. Enjoy!
Hi I loved the idea and I made them I added a little salted caramel before pouring in the the brownie mixture but when I tried to take them out they just would not come out whole any idea what I can do next next time
Oh no Erum! I’m not sure what could have happened. Was the muffin tin well-greased with butter or cooking spray? The salted caramel addition sounds AMAZING!
I did greased it well I think it was the salted caramel tht made the base too gooey and it didn’t set well, but I placed it in the fridge and got them a little harden but they still broke. I think next time I will just drizzel it or put the topping on it after it is cooked, but still it tasted amazing lol
Hello Jess!
Thankyou soooo much for the awesome recipe! Am really excited to try it! I thought the outer shell will become crispy and the brownies will be chewy gooey as always. But after I baked it, I found that the shell looked like soft cookies. May I know how to make the shell crispy? Thankyou so much for ur response!
Love from Malaysia!
Hi Najwa! Thanks so much for your note. You’re right that typically the outer shell is a bit more firm than the brownies (though not super crisp, if that’s what you’re looking for.) Do you think it just needed to bake for another minute or two? If you want it to be more firm, I’d try adding an extra tablespoon of flour to the cookie batter. Thanks so much from reading all the way from Malaysia!
hi, can you recommend something I can do with the extra fudge? I doubled the recipe and have a lot left over.
I’ve made this a few times, yummy. (I make it non-dairy)
Hi Rachel! I’d just bake them on their own – the fudge part makes great little brownie bites!
Hi well i love baking and its something totally so new to try it out..thanks for new ideas, I’ll sure bake them soonand let my friends know about it too
These look so yummy! I’d like to make them for company this weekend. Can I double or triple the recipe?
Hi Lital! I apologize – I just saw your question, but yes I have made a double batch of these and it turned out great. I’m sure you should be fine if you double or triple them!
They lokk great, I will try them today. Thanks for charing the recipe
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! These look so indulgent + delicious! Can’t wait to try them! Thank you! 🙂
Hi. These are quite decadent, but I’m having a hard time getting these out of the tin without coming apart. What type of utensil did you use to scoop out the tarts in one piece? Your pictures posted are beyond perfect!!
Thank you!
Hi Katie! The only trick you need is to let the tarts cool completely in the muffin tin before trying to take them out. During testing I made this mistake many times and they would fall apart when I tried to take them out if they were still warm. It’s always tempting to eat them a little bit warm, but these need to cool for a good long time before being moved. Hope that helps, and hope you enjoy them!!
Really nice recipe. Can you make this in advance ? Can I prepare them on December
24 and serve them the 25? Thanks. Merry Christmas!
Are these good if I bake them the day before I serve? If they are, what is your recommended method of storing? Love the recipe!!
2 questions, First – is the problem with scaling it up baking them in a 24 cup tin? If you made the double batch and used 2 separate 12 cup tims I wouldn’t think there would be an issue??
Second – I just made these (haven’t tasted yet) – just 12. I took them out with the edges of the brownie just set as instructed (around 11 minutes). I had a small ramekin also in the oven with the extra brownie batter. I left it in a few more minutes and noticed that it puffed. My mini muffins never did that and I was already skeptical that the cookie part was raw so I put them back in for a few minutes until they puffed (still not cooked through but not really wobbly). This also made the cookie crust more set. I cooled them all the way in the pan and just removed them. They look perfect. The cookie still seems a but underdone on the bottom, but the top seems to have a little crisp to it. I am optimistic that they will be delicious and not dry. When you say the edge of the brownies are just set are yours puffed up?
Hi Tracy – hope the final result turned out! Your question about scaling up is a good one, but based on the experience of other readers, baking them in two separate muffin tins doesn’t seem to resolve the problem. I’m working on a recipe for a larger batch, so that will be coming out soon. You are correct that the brownie center always puffs up slightly at the end of baking. Since each oven is a bit different, the point at which both the cookie and brownie are cooked just right varies, but it sounds like you found just the right moment!
thanks for the reply – they turned out great!
Any idea when you will have the updated version of the new savage? Mary
These seem a little bland or something…not sure if it’s because there’s no vanilla in the cookie part?
Did you add the pinch of salt on top Audra??
Look super good, I’m going to make some soon. Thanks for the great help. 🙂
Looks awesome! Have you ever made this in a large tart shell instead of mini muffin tins? Thanks
Hi Rebecca – I haven’t tried that, but I love the idea! I can’t be sure it would cook all the way through, but if it works, it would be delicious.
I made tgem tbey were delicious..just wanted to ask xan we freeze them
Yes – these definitely freeze well. I prefer to underbake them slightly so they don’t dry out in the freezer and then just defrost on the counter at room temp a few hours before serving. Glad you enjoyed them!
I am trying to make these for a party and wanted to know if you can freeze these brownie cookie tarts? I only need to freeze them for a week.
Hi Tracy – you certainly can freeze them. Make sure to slightly underbake them so they don’t dry out. Then just defrost at room temp about 4-6 hours before serving.
Woow Amazing recipe… I love it
Thank you for posting and sharing it.
I wish for you a happy day.
Hi There,
I am wanting to make these super cute treats for my co-workers. However, one of them has a gluten intolerance. Could you tell me how I could tweak this recipe in order to make them gluten free? Thank you much.
Hi Lauren – unfortunately I’ve never tried to make a gluten-free version of these, so I’m not even sure where to begin! There are lots of great resources out there with good GF brownie and cookie recipes, so it might be worth finding those and then forming them in the same way I show in the pictures here.
Made these, had no trouble popping them out of the tray once completely cooled but I did not push the cookie dough hard enough into place. The brownie over filled the cup and flowed over the cookie edge and tray in places.
I made these in chocolate so I would have a better idea how to modify this to a Salted Caramel flavour. Chipits has a new Sea Salted Caramel chip for the cookie then a blondie center.
I am using a new convection oven, where leaving the inside less cooked is easy to do. Must adjust the temp and time.
If in a larger format would par/pre baking the cookie help?
Hi Don. I LOVE the salted caramel idea. I tested these by par baking the cookie, but didn’t love the finished product. The cookie got a bit too dry for my taste, but it certainly might work, especially if the blondie center is more soft or cooks faster. Definitely let me know if your new flavor profile turns out – I’d love to try it!
Is it normal for the brownie part to betas but gooey even after cooled?
Yes, Rosie – the brownie part should be just barely set – quite gooey. If they’re still like batter, the tarts may have needed a minute longer in the oven.
Saw these and was so interested in making a sugar free version. Using Splenda, the brownie component seemed whipped and not in a pour like form. Once baked, they resembled the tart…. DELICIOUS!
Ok flavor, but I baked these for 11-12 min and they were beyond gooey to the point of very undertaker/raw. I didn’t want to over bake as it warned against that and the brownie seemed set. They were hard to get out too but I was able to circle with a butter knife and they came out mostly whole.
These are in the oven right now, and look delicious! Any update on when new recipe will be posted, so that I can bake a double batch? 12 little tarts aren’t going to last very long over here…
Thanks!
Oh goodness – we’re a bit behind on finalizing the update to this recipe EL, but it’s getting close! Hopefully in the next month or two. Our family definitely eats 12 of these in one sitting. 😉
Good grief, woman! You’ve been promising this update for three years! Apparently, there isn’t a way to make 24 of these little gems.
Hahaha – what can I say Susan, life keeps getting in the way. 😉 AND truthfully, I just haven’t been able to get the recipe exactly right, and I refuse to put something out that’s not pretty darn close to perfect. Still working on it. It really will come at some point!
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually realize what you’re talking approximately!
Bookmarked. Kindly also seek advice from my website =).
We could have a link exchange agreement among us
Cookie base not cooked after adding 10 minutes to time … I put them back in the oven after cooling completely & out of mini muffin time so the cookie base can harden up. I think next bake I will cook the base first and then add the brownie mix. They taste delicious and look special.
Hi! I just love this. I have a question I have a 6 normal size muffin tin. How long should this be in the oven? Thank you!
Try 18 to 20 minutes and then check them to see if the centers are nearly set. Hope that helps!
Hi!
I’d love to make these for my family! I don’t have mini muffin tins, only normal muffins tins. If I were to make 12 in a normal muffin tin, would I have to double the recipe? And how long would I bake it for?
Thanks
Hi Erika! I have a very similar recipe made in a regular muffin tin here – https://inquiringchef.com/thick-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-brownie-cupcookie/
Hello. magnificent job. I did not anticipate this. This is a impressive story. Thanks!
Looks good but when do you add egg and flour into the brownie batter?
Whisk it in last – right after the sugar and cocoa powder. The recipe is updated now. Thank you!
Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this moreover – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means appear to get something done.
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