Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (2024)

Copy Cat Pepperidge Farm Brussels Cookies are dead ringers for the originals…no special skills needed for these delicate chocolate filled lace cookies!

Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (1)

Brussels cookies are an elegant lace sandwich cookie inspired by the famous Pepperidge Farm cookie. These crisp cookies are a family favorite and we make my homemade version every year for the holidays!

Table of contents

  • copy cat Brussels cookies
  • what are Brussels cookies?
  • ingredients for Brussels Cookies like Pepperidge Farm’s
  • tips for making copy cat Brussels cookies
  • more classic cookie recipes
Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (2)

copy cat Brussels cookies

You might already know that I have an obsession with the Pepperidge Farm treats from my childhood. Have you tried my Cold Chocolate Snacking Cake? I nailed that recipe just like I nailed these Brussels cookies…they aren’t difficult to make, but they are delicate. There is no definitive copy-cat recipe online, so I had to do some sleuthing. I tried 3 versions and came up with the best. So you’re lucky… I fell into all the pitfalls so you don’t have to.

Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (3)

what are Brussels cookies?

Pepperidge Farm’s Brussels cookies date back to the founding of the company, established by Margaret Rudkin in 1937, which initially began as a small family bakery in Fairfield, Connecticut that specialized in high-quality, European-inspired bread using natural ingredients.

The Brussels cookie was introduced by Pepperidge Farm as part of its collection of distinctive cookies. The cookie is named after the capital city of Belgium.

The cookies are known for their thin, crispy texture and a layer of sweet, caramelized sugar on the top. They almost have a praline type of texture, minus the nuts, of course. That paired with the dark chocolate center layer makes them very sophisticated.

A quick search on the Internet reveals that the likely source of the Brussels crisp outer cookie is the Swedish oatmeal lace cookie, a vintage recipe that spreads when baked and crisps up almost like candy when cooled. If you sandwich some melted dark chocolate in between two of them, you’ve got a dead ringer for the classic Pepperidge Farm Brussels.

Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (4)

ingredients for Brussels Cookies like Pepperidge Farm’s

  • flour
  • sugar
  • oat flour
  • baking powder
  • melted butter
  • corn syrup
  • cream
  • vanilla
  • chocolate
    • the filling for Brussels cookies is a simple melted chocolate. You can use whatever type you love, I used bittersweet.
Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (5)

You know the best part about making Brussels cookies from scratch? You can put an extra thick layer of chocolate inside. Or customize them with white chocolate. Or Nutella!

Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (6)

tips for making copy cat Brussels cookies

Stick to the exact recipe, these cookies are small and delicate, and any little variation can affect the outcome.

Use a teaspoon to portion out the dough. You can slightly round the teaspoon, or not. This the right amount for these cookies. And remember, the dough will spread.

Be sure to use a silpat or silicone baking mat ~ I’ve tried parchment paper and the cookies spread too much. Wipe the silpat down with a paper towel between batches to remove any excess grease.

I found an uninsulated baking sheet works best. If yours is insulated the baking time may be several minutes longer.

I always do a few test cookies and make adjustments as necessary.

Brussels cookies are done when they are flat, bubbling throughout, and have a fine golden ring around the edge. Watch the oven like a hawk, they finish cooking quickly.

Let the cookies cool right on the baking pan until they have firmed up enough to move (at least 5-ish minutes), and use a very thin spatula or offset spatula to ease them up off the silpat. They are delicate and can break easily.

I recommend melting chocolate chips for the center, since they tend to melt up thicker than baking chocolate, which is good here because you don’t want chocolate seeping through the lacy texture of the cookie when you fill it.

If you’re feeling lazy use Nutella to fill your Brussels cookies!

Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (7)

more classic cookie recipes

  • Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
  • Scottish Shortbread
  • Best Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
  • Melting Moments
Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (8)

Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (9)

Brussels Cookies

3.59 from 159 votes

Brussels cookies are crispy oatmeal lace cookies filled with dark chocolate! Like Pepperidge Farm, but better!

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Prep Time:25 minutes minutes

Cook Time:5 minutes minutes

Total Time:30 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 sandwich cookies

Equipment

Ingredients

cookies

filling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat, this is important. The cookies will not spread properly otherwise.

  • Add the flour, oat flour, sugar, and baking powder to a bowl and whisk to combine. Blend in the melted butter, corn syrup, cream, and vanilla until a soft smooth dough forms.

  • Using teaspoon as a measure, roll small balls and place them on the silicone lined baking sheet, a couple of inches apart.

  • Bake for for about 6 minutes*, until they are flat and bubbling and just starting to turn golden around the edges. Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the pan to a cooling rack. You'll need a very thin spatula to do this. The cookies are soft and delicate but will harden as they cool.

  • When the cookies are completely cool, flip them over and match them up in pairs. Lay them out on a piece of waxed paper.

  • Put the chocolate in a glass measuring cup and heat in short bursts in the microwave, stirring in between until just melted.

  • Spread a small amount of chocolate onto the bottom cookie, and then top it with another. You can use a small spoon and spreading knife, but do it very gently as the cookies shatter easily.

  • Let the cookies sit to harden, or put them in the refrigerator. Once they are filled and chilled, they will be a little more sturdy. In fact, they taste great straight from the fridge.

Notes

Ovens and baking sheets vary quite a bit, so your cookies could take longer than mine did. They will be done when flat and bubbling, with the edges just starting to turn golden. Don’t over bake. They will seem underdone at first, but will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: baking, Christmas, cookies, copy cat, dessert

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie · Calories: 160 kcal · Carbohydrates: 17 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 0.1 g · Cholesterol: 11 mg · Sodium: 30 mg · Potassium: 100 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 11 g · Vitamin A: 128 IU · Vitamin C: 0.01 mg · Calcium: 15 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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Brussels Cookies • Easy Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What are Pepperidge Farm Brussels cookies? ›

The Brussels cookie was introduced by Pepperidge Farm as part of its collection of distinctive cookies. The cookie is named after the capital city of Belgium. The cookies are known for their thin, crispy texture and a layer of sweet, caramelized sugar on the top.

What is the secret to making cookies? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  • Always use butter.
  • Choose the right sugar.
  • Choose the right flour.
  • Check your flour is in date.
  • Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour.

What ingredient makes cookies stick together? ›

Binding agents are the liquid in the recipe that hold the cookie together. Examples of binding agents are eggs, milk, honey, and fruit juice. Cookies with more eggs will rise more and spread less. If you want a crispier cookie, you can replace a whole egg with just an egg white.

What is Pepperidge Farms most popular product? ›

Arguably the cookie most associated with the Pepperidge Farm name, the crispy Milano cookies with creamy (but hard) milk chocolate filling are classic and delicious.

Why are Pepperidge Farm cookies named after places? ›

Pepperidge Farms founder Margaret Rudkin began the tradition of naming cookies after cities during her trip through Europe aboard the Queen Mary. The trip resulted in the European Collection, which includes fan-favorite cookies like Brussels, Bordeaux, Geneva and Milano.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

What makes cookies fluffy or flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Do you have to flatten cookies before baking? ›

The cookies are not supposed to flatten out completely during baking, but remain slightly mounded. This gives the cookies their soft centres. In the method it says to put mounds of the cookie dough on the baking sheet and not to flatten the mounds (step 5).

Why do my cookies get hard after they cool? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

Are Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies shortbread? ›

Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies come in whimsical chess shapes and have a rich, buttery flavor that melts in your mouth. They're the perfect balance of salty and sweet with a light and crunchy shortbread texture that's the ideal side to your coffee or […]

Are chessmen butter cookies shortbread? ›

To make a copycat version of Chessmen cookies at home, the recipe is a simple butter cookie cut out in a special shape. A butter cookie is slightly different from shortbread but with a higher ratio of sugar to butter. This allows a butter cookie to hold its shape rather than having a tendency to crumble.

Why are speculoos cookies so good? ›

Speculoos' flavor derives from the brown sugar and the spices in the cookies. Cinnamon has pride of place but most recipes also include ginger and, possibly, cloves. A bit of googling will give you a number of recipes to look at and to develop a sense of proportions.

What is Belgian cookie butter? ›

This silky-smooth spread is as thick as creamy peanut butter, but packed with the caramelized flavor and aromatic spices of Belgian speculoos.

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