Buckeye Brownie Cookies – Crumbl Style!
You will love this recipe for Crumbl Copycat Buckeye Brownie Cookies! Top a huge chewy brownie cookie with a smooth peanut butter candy layer and melted chocolate for an indulgent treat you can’t resist. I’ve included instructions on how to make these full-size giant Crumbl Cookies and how to make a mini version as well!
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Love Crumbl-style cookies? Try my Brownie Sundae Cookies and Chocolate Skillet Cookies next!
If you’re a chocolate + peanut butter fan, stop everything and get ready to bake because these Crumbl-inspired Buckeye Brownie Cookies are ridiculously good. They start with an easy shortcut (a boxed brownie mix!), are topped with a soft and creamy peanut butter layer, and finished with a drizzle of melty chocolate.
Basically, they’re a buckeye candy in cookie form… but somehow even better.
Whether you make them Crumbl-sized or go mini, these cookies are irresistible!
What You Will Love About This Buckeye Brownie Cookie Recipe!
- Tastes like Crumbl. Honestly, these might be better because they’re homemade and you can customize them!
- No chilling required. You can go from craving to cookies in under an hour.
- The chocolate + peanut butter combo. A classic for a reason—it’s comforting, indulgent, and always a hit.
My Favorite Scoop for Crumbl-Size Cookies
To get those perfect bakery-style scoops, I use a 1/3 cup scoop from Vollrath (their scoops are color-coded for easy grabbing in a drawer!). It’s ideal for Crumbl copycat recipes and gives you giant bakery-size cookies. You can also use a 1/3 measuring cup.
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Recipes by a Real Person in a Real Kitchen
In the age of AI-generated content, I like to share how I’ve created and tested my recipes. My recipes have been hypothesized, baked, taste-tested, and refined by a real human (me!). I only publish recipes I think are awesome. We loved these Buckeye Brownie cookies at my house. I couldn’t stop slicing off sections to taste!
Ingredients in Buckeye Brownie Cookies
A few notes on some of the ingredients used in the cookies:
Dark Chocolate Bar – I kept things affordable for this recipe and grabbed a dark chocolate Choceur bar from Aldi. You can also use any similar bar of dark chocolate. I think this would also work with chocolate chips (dark or semi-sweet), but I didn’t test it yet, so let me know if you do!
Vegetable Oil – You can also use canola.
Brownie Mix – It’s very important to buy the right size brownie mix. You need a 18.3 ounce or 18.4 ounce box. Larger or smaller boxes will not be the correct ratio to work with the other ingredients. I used a Pillsbury “Chocolate Fudge Brownie” mix (18.4 ounces) and a Baker’s Corner mix (18.3 ounces) to test this recipe.
Eggs – The eggs need to be at room temp (or close to) for this recipe. I take them out of the fridge thirty minutes prior to baking and that works fine for me.
Vanilla extract – use your favorite!
Smooth Peanut Butter – Go for the classic shelf-stable kind (like Jif or Skippy), not the natural or organic kind (with oil separation).
Unsalted Butter – Softened to room temp so it blends easily with the peanut butter.
Powdered Sugar – I like the buckeye topping on the less sweet side, but you can add more sugar if you want it firmer or sweeter. I’ve noted this in the recipe. Totally customizable!
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Optional in the cookie dough, but 100% necessary for the melted chocolate topping!
Baker’s Corner Versus Pillsbury Brownie Mix
You need to be sure to use an 18.3 or 18.4 ounce brownie mix. I’ve tested the recipe with Pillsbury’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie mix and Aldi’s Baker’s Corner brownie mix. I prefer the Pillsbury mix for the better chocolate flavor.
I also found the Aldi mix to be a bit salty. However, overall the differences are small and either option works well!
Summary of How to Make the Cookies
Here’s a summary of how this recipe is made. Find the complete ingredients list and full instructions within the printable recipe card below!
Brownie Cookies
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Melt the dark chocolate and vegetable oil together and then let cool. Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract.
Fold in brownie mix and optional chocolate chips.
Scoop 1/3 cup portions, shape into thick disks and bake.
Then it’s time for the topping!
The buckeye topping is made with peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Press disks of this mixture onto each cooled cookie. Use powdered sugar to help press it down if it is too sticky.
Finally, melt chocolate chips and then spread a layer on top of each cookie, leaving some peanut butter peeking out!
Let the chocolate set completely before storing so the chocolate doesn’t get squished!
How to Make Them Mini!
Crumbl is known for their giant cookies (usually around 5 ounces and 4″ in diameter!), but they also offer Minis too! These smaller cookies are perfect for anyone concerned about overdoing it on sugar.
If you want to make “mini” cookies like Crumbl, use a 1.5 tablespoon scoop and bake cookies for 10-11 minutes. This will yield 24 cookies. Use about 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter filling mixture to top each cookie.
Again, shaping the filling into disks and spreading onto the cookies (chill filling or use a little powdered sugar on your fingers if it is too sticky). Then coat with the melted chocolate.
How to Store or Make Ahead
After the cookies have set, store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days, but ideally consume at room temperature for the best texture! I usually take out a cookie 20-30 minutes before I intend on eating it–but if you can’t wait that’s fine too!
Freeze cookies for longer storage (in freezer-safe packaging) for up to 1-2 months.
Related Recipes
I love Crumbl-style cookies! Don’t miss trying my Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Caramel Shortbread ft. Twix Cookies, and Chocolate Skillet Cookies. Or, visit my whole library of Copycat Cookie Recipes!
If you loved this recipe, leave a quick comment and a 5-star rating!
Thanks so much for trying one of my recipes!
Buckeye Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
Brownie Cookies
- 4 ounces dark chocolate bar I’ve only tested this recipe with bar chocolate, not chips
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 box brownie mix mix must be 18.3-18.4 ounces
- 2 large eggs ideally room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
Buckeye Peanut Butter and Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter (9 ounces) (not “natural” or “organic”)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar (5 ounces)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Brownie Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave 4 ounces dark chocolate (from a bar) and 5 tablespoons vegetable oil in 20-second intervals, stirring in between until melted and smooth. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Whisk in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk briskly for 90 seconds. This helps achieve the pretty crackles on top of the cookies!
- Add the brownie mix (18.3-18.4 ounces) and use a spatula to fold it in until dough is thick and smooth. Fold in (optional) ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup or scoop to scoop eight dough balls. Shape each scoop with your hands into a large thick disk (about 1” high). Allow 3” between each scoop to prevent the cookies from fusing during baking. I was able to fit six cookies on one baking sheet.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 15-17 minutes until the cookies are puffed and crackled on the edges. Note: the cookies will appear to be quite gooey, but they harden up as they cool. If you keep baking, they will be too hard once cool.
Buckeye Topping
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat 1 cup of peanut butter and 4 tablespoons unsalted softened butter together until smooth and creamy. Beat in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in the 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar until well combined. The mixture will be sticky, but I prefer the lower sweetness. You can add up to 2 cups of powdered sugar if you prefer. Makes about 1 ½ cups of peanut butter topping.
- Divide mixture into 8 equal balls (or use a 3-tablespoon scoop) and then flatten into disks. Press each disk on top of a cooled cookie and use your fingers to spread it around the cookie, leaving a little space at the edge. Use a little powdered sugar (or chill the filling) if it is too sticky to manipulate easily.
- After placing the peanut butter filling on top of the cookies, slowly melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth (stir every fifteen seconds).
- Using about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate per cookie, carefully spread the chocolate over the peanut butter. Don’t complete cover the peanut butter—you want to be able to see it peeking through!Let chocolate set completely before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
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