Blobbs
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Made famous by Ina Pinkney, Blobbs are mounded cookies/brownies packed with pecans, walnuts, and two kinds of chocolate.
One of the highlights of my book tour was meeting Chicago’s “Breakfast Queen,” Ina Pinkney, a remarkable woman, restaurateur, and cookbook author. I was so enamored with Ina that as soon as I got home, I started making recipes from her cookbook and memoir, Ina’s Kitchen. Ina is probably most famous for her Blobbs, mounded cookies/brownies with pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips and two kinds of chocolate. The rich chocolate treats were so popular in her Chicago bakery, The Dessert Kitchen, The New York Times printed an article about them. After the article appeared, Ina shipped thousands of Blobbs all over the country.
My family loved them too. My son, Zach, even requested them for his birthday instead of cake, so we piled them on a platter, stuck candles in them, and called them “Birthday Blobbs.”
What you’ll need to make blobbs
As you can see, blobbs are chockfull of nuts. Since one of my kids doesn’t like nuts, I experimented with a few nut-free versions and found that you can leave the nuts out, but it’s best to replace them with something else, like more chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. Since blobbs are made with very little flour, the uncooked mixture is more like brownie batter than cookie dough and you need all those add-ins to thicken the batter, otherwise the blobbs won’t hold their mounded shape in the oven.
How To Make Blobbs
To begin, melt the butter and chocolate together slowly in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stovetop.
Set aside and cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Add the eggs to the the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer).
Beat on medium speed until light, creamy, and foamy, about 90 seconds.
Add the sugar.
Continue whipping on medium speed until very light and creamy, about 90 seconds more. Add the vanilla and beat again quickly to combine.
Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment on the mixer (if using a hand mixer, leave the beaters). Gradually add the melted chocolate mixture and mix on medium speed to combine.
The mixture will look like brownie batter.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Add the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts and mix well.
Finish by hand to be sure it’s all evenly combined, especially at the bottom.
Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to scoop the batter, packing the mixture in and scraping off any excess. Place the mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Leave the remaining batter at room temperature on the countertop, or scoop and chill on a separate lined baking sheet.)
Bake the chilled blobbs for 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back half through the baking time.
Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then use a spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter, or freeze the unbaked blobbs and bake them frozen another time.
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Blobbs
Made famous by Ina Pinkney, Blobbs are mounded cookies/brownies packed with pecans, walnuts, and two kinds of chocolate.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 oz chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate both work well)
- 1¼ cups pecans, coarsely chopped (see note)
- 1 heaping cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (see note)
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, about 1 minute. Add the chopped chocolate and stir to combine. Heat the melted butter and chocolate in the microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring between each bout of heat, until almost melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the chocolate completely. (Alternatively, the butter and chocolate can be melted together slowly in a double boiler on the stovetop.) Set aside and cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the eggs on medium speed until light, creamy, and foamy, about 90 seconds.
- Add the sugar and continue whipping on medium speed until very light and creamy, about 90 seconds more. Add the vanilla and beat again quickly to combine.
- Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment on the mixer (if using a hand mixer, leave the beaters). Gradually add the melted chocolate mixture, mixing on medium speed to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the chocolate chips and nuts and mix in on low speed. Finish by hand to be sure it's all evenly combined, especially at the bottom.
- Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to scoop the batter, packing the mixture in and scraping off any excess. Place the mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Leave the remaining batter at room temperature on the countertop or scoop and chill on a separate lined baking sheet.)
- Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the chilled blobbs for 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back half through the baking time. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then use a spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter, or freeze the unbaked blobbs and bake them frozen another time.
- Note: Since one of my kids does not like nuts, I experimented with a few nut-free versions and found that you can leave the nuts out, but it's best to replace them with something else, like more chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. Since blobbs are made with very little flour, the uncooked mixture is more like brownie batter than cookie dough and you need all those add-ins to thicken the batter, otherwise the blobbs won't hold their mounded shape in the oven.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen after they are baked, but for best results, freeze them raw and bake them straight from the freezer. The blobbs keep well for a few days in a covered container at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 blobb
- Calories: 288
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Sugar: 24 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 49 mg
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I recently baked the blobbs and they were a huge hit with our family. My daughter and her husband thought they didn’t care for nuts in cookies, that is until they tried these! I baked them in small batches several times so they were always fresh. Thank you so much, Jen, for sharing this recipe with us! It’s a definite keeper.
Super chocolatey. These were a big hit.
my grandkids are highly allergic to nuts. what else can I add besides raisins and dried cranberries—and how much of each ? thanks.
Marcia E.
Hi Marcia, You could replace the nuts with M&M’s or white chocolate chips. You’ll need a total of 2¼ cups. They’ll be really decadent, but they’re pretty decadent as written! 🙂
Hello! I came across these today and will make them. Question: can you make these in cupcake cups? Kinda wanted to have them more individualized. Thanks.
Recently bought your cookbook to send to my daughter for Valentine’s Day and I marked my favorite recipes with heart-shaped sticky notes. I think she’s going to love it!
I should have probably clarified that I’m also asking if can you make them in a cupcake tin.
Hi Phyllis, I do think they’d work in a muffin pan.
I love this recipe! But it would be so helpful if you listed ingredients in grams. I used to make these in Blacksburg Virginia but I live in Mexico now and the first thing I wanted to bake was Blobbs, but I had to convert to grams and I got it wrong and they turned out badly. This second time I tried (9 months later , my morale was low) they turned out great and I am more comfortable with gram measurements. Also I now live a mile high in altitude, so I modified the recipe a tiny bit to account for the difference and it really helped!
Thanks for another great recipe!
Glad you like these! The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
These were wonderful and came out blob-shaped. Definitely making again. Will shape and freeze them and can just bake a few at a time. My family agreed that these cookies are even better the next day.
The name is so deceiving, when I think of blob I think yuck. These are the total opposite and are hard to stop eating.
OMG. These are SO good and deeply chocolate-y!
I used all pecans and a mix of milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chunks as my fillings. I think the key is to get them really cold. I kept them in the fridge for a good 40 minutes and they held their shape beautifully in the oven!
I only got 21 out of the recipe but mine were definitely a little rounded on the bottom of my scoops.
I’ll definitely be making these again and will experiment with different chocolate chips/nut combos.
I made this recipe & thought the ones whose blobb turned out flat may have done something wrong during the mixing. So I really made sure it was mixed well and followed directions exactly as written. But alas, mine went the way of the flat cookie. It was a nice puffy large cookie and I liked it like that, tasted great, chewy in the middle. I am doing a dinner for 80 girls at a retreat and am making this for their Friday night dessert. We are putting it in a cellophane bag. Thank you!
Over the top. Aside from the blobs being fantastic, they are so easy to make. Decadent.
Jenn,
This is all I can see of your page – there is an add at the left hand side of the
page and I can’t read the recipe. Does anyone else have this problem?
Sorry, missing about an inch at the left hand side.
Hi Donna, I’m sorry there is an ad blocking some of the recipe! Couple questions:
-What type of device are you using? If it’s an iPad, the ads can move around depending on how you’re holding it.
-If you’re using a computer, do you have it in full-screen mode? If not, depending upon how narrow the page is displayed, if the ads don’t have room to be alongside the content, they will display on top of it. This will resolve itself with the full-screen view.
Hi Jenn,
First of all, Thank you for all your recipes. I also have your cookbook. . Everything I have made from you has turned out delicious! Second, I am thinking of making these blobs for my neighbors for valentines day. I’m not sure if any of them have nut allergies, so I was thinking to sub the nuts with something else. Do you think it’s possible to substitute them with the valentine themed m&ms along with the chocolate chips? Would that be too much chocolate flavor? If so, how much m&ms would you recommend to go along with the chocolate chips?
So glad you like the recipes! I do think you could replace the nuts with m&ms. They’ll be really decadent tasting, but they taste pretty decadent regardless. Hope your neighbors enjoy!
I just made the Blobs. OMG. They are the ultimate for chocolate lovers. Yummy yummmmy. Thanks for this recipe. It will become our absolute favorite.
Gwen King
Made these for the first time tonight and they came out perfectly. I used a 1 3/4″ scoop and got 63 beautiful, puffy cookies (I did pack the scoop and clean the edges as directed). My only comment might be to reduce the vanilla. I found 2 tsp a lot and a bit too intense. Will try 1 1/2 tsp next time.
Decadent! I used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 baking flour instead of all-purpose, then refrigerated the dough overnight before forming 2 ounce balls for baking. The gluten free adaptation was undetectable. Thanks Jenn.
Hi Jenn, Would I have to rotate the blobbs if I bake them with the convection option on my oven? Can’t wait to make these. Thanks, Sharon
Hi Sharon, Although it may not be necessary, I don’t think it can hurt. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, I have chocolate globs and chocolate chubbies, but no blobs
If want to add some toffee chips, would I decrease the nuts?
Do you think that might be worth doing or should I start with the original and then play around?
Hi Carol, I think I’d just add some toffee chips; no need to decrease the nuts. Please LMK how they turn out!
I was wondering if I could use dried cranberries or cherries for the nuts If yes, how much? Thanks.
Sure – I’d replace them with the same amount (so 2-1/4 cups) Please LMK how they turn out!
I have made something like this with Craisins and chocolate chips and they are really good
Hi I just made these using a 2 inch diameter ice cream scoop and the recipe made exactly 13 Blobbs (not 26, as the recipe states)! I haven’t baked them yet but I’m confused whether this will be a problem. I’m surprised it’s so far off. Help! Did anyone else run into this?
(Do I bake a little cooler, a little longer?) These will sit in the fridge for a while, while I hope for a quick reply. Thank you!
Hi Tracy, that’s really strange that you only got 13 cookies out of this! Did you scrape off any excess batter after packing it into the scoop? Did you make any changes to the recipe? How did they turn out?
They were delicious and I’ll definitely make them again!
I remeasured my scoop–it was 2.5 inch diameter (not 2) which means it was 95% bigger in volume! (Based on r cubed, remembering high school geometry.) My scoop actually holds a 1/2 cup, which makes a HUGE Blobb. So, completely my mistake there, since I should have checked more carefully.
Before baking, I rolled them into balls, then cut them in half, so I had the right size and shape Blobbs.
(1/4 cup batter per Blobb makes 26 cookies.)
Mystery solved! 🙂
Will silpat mats work the same as parchment paper?
Yep 🙂
Hi Jenn!
Do you pack the spoon or do you just scoop them without adding any pressure? Could this be the reason for the flattened blobbs?
Thank you!
Hi Veronica, Yes, the batter should be a bit packed into the scoop.
Pulled them from the oven, let them cool and enjoyed several. A cookie brownie with lots of great crunch from the nuts, slightly gooey interior and simply everything one could wish for in a chocolate “cookie”. This is an easy way to spoil our public works crew.
Made these this afternoon for Valentines day but like others mine turned out more like a cookie.
I really wanted them to look like in the picture and even went out and made sure I had fresh nuts etc and good chocolate. I don’t usually measure and put things together before I start but I did and followed the recipe to a T.
Upon reviewing the recipe the only thing that was not the same was the fact that I used a smaller cookie scoop instead of the ice cream scoop. 1″ instead of 2″ …didn’t think that would make a difference but it seems it did.
They still tasted excellent though and because I saw they were flattening when I turned the pans I kept an eye on them to make sure they didn’t burn.
I’ll try these again using the bigger scoop. I share your web site with lots of friends and have even bought your cook book for myself and friends.
A suggestion for when you reprint your cookbook. They should make the page numbers darker and larger. Just a suggestion.
Hi Carol, I’m sorry these came out flat for you! What brand of flour did you use? I always use King Arthur with good results. If you make these again, I’d try the larger scoop and King Arthur flour (or just add 2 extra tablespoons of whatever brand of flour you use to the mixture). You should get a fuller result. Also, thanks for the nice words about the book and for sharing it with others! (And I agree that the page numbers are too light!!)
Have you or any of your readers used a gluten free flour/product in place of all purpose flour?
Hi Betsy, I haven’t made these with gluten-free flour, but think you could get away with it. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
Another reviewer shared that she used Bob’s Red Mill 1 – 1 GF flour blend (my go to GF blend when I don’t have time to make my own), and she let the dough rest in fridge overnight before forming the balls and baking. She said they were “undetectable” from regular flour cookies.
What I do differently: I form the balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Then place the sheet(s) into the FREEZER, making sure they lie flat so that the dough balls don’t “slide” and bunch together. I let them sit in freezer for no more than 10 minutes. Bake in preheated oven as directed. Hint: I do transfer the dough balls to another tray that is room temp.
Or you can place the bowl of cookie dough in the FRIDGE, to allow to chill but I would do no more than 25 to 30 minutes. I like to work with dough that is firm but not hard.
Either way, the GF version of this recipe is sinfully good! Enjoy!
P.S. I do the same for my GF chocolate chip cookies. I do flatten them just a tad before baking, doing the same for this recipe. I’ve had lots of success making the GF version of any of Jenn’s recipes that I’ve made. The latest was the Chocolate Marble Banana Loaf. OOTW (Out Of This World)! I often make substitutions for butter, sweetener, with great results.
¡Mil gracias, Jenn!😊
These make wonderful treats encased in small colorful paper cups. Try adding a dash of red pepper and some instant espresso to taste for more zip, but these are great as is!
These are ADDICTIVE! I’ve made them without nuts for a bake sale and had people ask if I would bake and sell them as they couldn’t be without them! They are chocolatey, moist and melt in your mouth luscious. And so easy to make. My advice is to make sure you don’t over bake them. They are my go to everyone loves them cookie recipe.
These came out very tasty but they were flat. I can’t use nuts to stiffen them up due to allergies. How much more chocolate do I need to put in to make up for that? I can’t imagine putting in two more cups to replace the nuts as they’re so wonderfully chocolatey already. Could there be such a thing as too much chocolate?
Thanks
Hi Sid, What about white chocolate chips?
That sounds delicious. How much should I use?
Thank you!
I would suggest using about a cup. You could also supplement with something else. Broken up pretzels would get a good addition here too. Hope that helps!
Just had my first blob; now going for my second.
They are Blobbalicious!!!
You don’t indicate oven temperature.
Hi Zira, the blobbs should be baked at 350°F/180°C. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you
Blobbs are amazing. I used 3 Tbs as you suggested since I didn’t have a 2 inch scoop. Perfect. Re remark by Lya: substituting pecans for almonds. Since there are no almonds in the recipe , that makes no sense. Perhaps it should have been substituting almonds for pecans? Also, if baking frozen blobbs, does the baking time change? Thanks for another great recipe.
So glad you liked them, Maralie! Baking time will be a few minutes longer if frozen.
I love your site and all of your recipes. I’ve always had luck with all of them … until now. I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe and instructions to a T. They spread and came out dry and crumbly. Parts of the edges burnt 🤦🏻♀️
The batter tasted good but other than that it was a bust.
I’m sorry to hear you had a problem with these, Ashley! Did you refrigerate the batter before baking?
Hi Jenn! Omg this was absolutely delicious and heavenly! Thank you for this!
I just have 1 problem, after baking mine was a flat big cookie 🍪 . It did not maintain the bloppy shape that i was really hoping for..what could i have done wrong?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Lya, Oh no! Did you make any substitutions? Did you chill the cookies before baking? Did you replace the nuts with something else?
I only substitute the pecans for almonds because that is what i have..the rest are the same…omg! I cant stop looking at the pics you posted of the blobbs! They look so perfect! When baking should it be in the top rack or middle rack?
Hi Lya, the pecans in place of the almonds shouldn’t make a difference. The racks should be in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Is there any chance you could’ve made a measuring mistake?
Mine turned out flat like some of the others. I followed the recipe — added all the nuts and refrigerated them before baking. So I’m not sure where things went wrong. The first recipe from this site that didn’t work out. 😕 They taste pretty good, though — maybe I will use them for a brownie sundae…
Hi Cyndi, sorry you had a problem with these! What brand of flour did you use? Sometimes when baked goods turn out flat, one reason may be the brand of flour used. I always use King Arthur with good results. You could give these a try again with King Arthur flour, or just add 2 extra tablespoons of flour to the mixture. You should get a fuller result.
Hi Jenn! I plan on making these later today and am wondering, if using a smaller scoop (just shy of 1 1/2″) would the cooking time be adjusted? Thanks!
Yes, Lori, they’d take a bit less time in the oven. I’d start checking them at about 12 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for the quick response. 🙂 The Blobbs are absolutely delicious! I substituted nuts with rice crisp cereal and chopped toffee crunch. Another winning recipe, thank you!
Perfection! Chocolate and Nuts are one of my favorite food combinations. With that said ( or typed) I could not resist making the recipe for the Blobbs.
My husband loved them! My co-workers loved them.
The first time I make a recipe I always make it as written. No need to change anything with this recipe! Perfection
I made these last week and they are the BOMB! It seems like there are many steps, but there are ways to break it down and do some ahead. I toasted my nuts. I used baker’s chocolate bars so the 8 oz and 3 oz of chocolate were easy to take care of. I chilled my dough and used my muffin scoop to scoop the dough. I baked them for 12 minutes, cooled for 5 and they were perfect. I actually got about 33 probably because my scoop was slightly smaller. I did freeze about 8 cookies and they were great right out of the freezer. Love these and will be making these again…already have all my ingredients. The good thing is they are very rich and satisfying, so I usually can only eat 1. Will be perfect with ice cream. Perhaps I will add some espresso coffee powder next time…..other than that, no changes.
What size are blobbs before baking? I don’t have a 2 inch ice cream scoop. A couple of tablespoons? Thanks.
Hi Mommo, I’m guessing 3 tablespoons. Enjoy!
I made one tray of these (froze second tray, unbaked, as suggested) yesterday and followed the recipe as perfectly as I could. They turned out delicious – like a big chocolate cookie with a slightly gooey inside. You have to love chocolate to eat these. They are VERY chocolatey (if that’s a word)! I know you can make these with or without nuts, but, since we like nuts, I used them. I actually think I would prefer them without the nuts. Another reviewer mentioned a crunchy rice cereal as a substitute. I think I might prefer that over the nuts, not sure why! Another type of chip might work well with the chocolate chips, like peanut butter, white chocolate, or caramel chips. Anyway, it seems like a fun recipe to try a few different ways!
Hi Jenn, do you think I could rice crispies or some sort of crisp breakfast cereal instead of nuts?
Hi Karen, I think that could work and might add an interesting texture. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it.
These are SO SO GOOD!!! Made them for dessert last night and my husband was blown away. Took some to a party today and everyone wanted the recipe. If you are a chocolate lover, this is your new favorite dessert. I used 8oz semisweet chocolate and 4oz unsweetened and it turned out perfectly.
your email is not working
I want to sent this Blobb recipe to a friend
Hi Denise, I’m sorry you are having a problem with the email function! I just tried it and wasn’t able to duplicate the problem. I would suggest that you open a different browser and try to use the email button; often times that resolves the problem. Or if you don’t want to bother with that, you could just email her a link to the recipe (https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/blobbs.html). Sorry for any frustration!
Can dark chocolate chips be used? I prefer them to milk or semisweet? Or would that throw off the flavor?
Sure, Jane – I think any type of chocolate chips will work.
Thanks for your quick reply. I have one other question: for the chocolate that is chopped … the 8 or 9 oz. semi-sweet … can this be chips, or does it have to be the baking chocolate, i.e. Baker’s?
I’d use baking chocolate.
Hi. Me again. I thought I had submitted these other questions, but don’t see them here. Forgive me if this duplicates itself and also forgive me for even more questions than already posted! Can the fully baked blobs be frozen? If not, hw long do they keep and how do I store them otherwise? Also, can I do 4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate and 8 oz. semi sweetened baking chocolate to bring it to the full 12 oz. or will the destroy the chemistry? I’m planning to make these this weekend and just not sure about all the above. Thanks again for your patience and expertise.
Hi Jane, You could definitely freeze the fully baked blobbs, but I’d freeze them raw (and bake them straight from the freezer) for best results. The blobbs keep well for a few days in a covered container at room temp. Also, there is no need to replace the extra ounce of semi-sweet chocolate – I’ve made them with 8 oz and they are perfect.