Fudge Cookies
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These rich and chewy Fudge Cookies are the ultimate indulgent treat! They’re filled with a gooey fudge center and studded with chocolate chips for maximum chocolatey flavor. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Soft and Gooey Chocolate Fudge Cookies
With a chocolate cookie base, chocolate chips, and a soft, fudgy center, these chocolate fudge cookies are truly a chocolate lover’s dream! Today’s recipe is a rich and decadent spin on my double chocolate chip cookies, enriched and filled with rich chocolate ganache.
Thanks to carefully selected ingredients, the cookies stay soft and chewy, but are still firm enough to hold in that chocolate fudge filling. They’re indulgent, but still super simple to make, and I can’t wait for you to try them!
While the cookies are still warm, the fudge will be more like chocolate lava (so they’re sort of like lava cake cookies!). You’ll want to be very careful with the cookies at this stage, or you could burn yourself with the filling! Once the cookies have cooled completely, the filling becomes more of a fudgy consistency. Warm or cool, they’re delicious!
Let’s get started.
What You Need
Making perfectly flavored, soft and chewy fudge cookies is easy when you’ve got the right ingredients. Here are the heavy lifters in this recipe:
- Semisweet chocolate chips. You’ll need these for the fudge filling and for the cookies themselves. I like to reserve a few tablespoons of chips to lightly press into the tops of the cookies after they’ve come out of the oven; it gives them a bakery-style appearance!
- Heavy cream. When combined with the chocolate chips, this will make your fudgy filling (it’s essentially a thickened ganache.).
- Butter. Use unsalted butter and make sure it’s softened, but not melty. If all you have on hand is salted butter, you can use that in a pinch, but you’ll need to reduce your salt by a ½ teaspoon. My preference is to use unsalted butter as it gives us better control over the final flavor of the cookie.
- Sugar. A combination of granulated and light brown sugar makes for rich, chewy fudge cookies.
- Eggs. This recipe uses a whole egg plus an egg yolk. The added yolk which makes for a more tender cookie. Room temperature eggs work best, so remember to set yours out ahead of time.
- Flour. All-purpose flour will work fine. Make sure you know how to measure your flour properly, or your cookies could turn out too thick or end up dry.
- Cocoa powder. I like using natural cocoa powder, but Dutch process will also work in this recipe.
- Cornstarch. This help the cookies stay firm enough to hold their fudgy filling.
SAM’S TIP: The ganache needs to be made 30 minutes in advance, long enough for it to be dropped by dollops and maintain its shape. If it’s still too loose or melting into puddles when you drop it, put it back in the fridge! If you wait much longer than 30 minutes, it can become difficult to scoop, so you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a bit. If at any point the dough becomes too sticky to be manageable, you can just pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Fudge Cookies
- Prepare the fudge filling and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. While the filling chills, prepare your dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge.
- Remove your ganache from the fridge and scoop 2-teaspoon sized dollops onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Scoop a 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized scoop of dough, make an indent in the center with your thumb, and place a frozen ganache ball in the indent. Work the dough around the ganache ball until it is totally covered and smooth, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Bake the cookies at 350F for 12-13 minutes. Let them cool completely on their baking sheet before enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: When you add your dry ingredients, do so gradually! Fudge cookie dough is fairly dry already, and if you add the dry ingredients all at once, you will have a difficult time getting the dough to come together. I like to do this in 3-4 parts.
Frequently Asked Questions
These will keep for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies do not need to be refrigerated.
Yes! Not only does this prevent it from being sticky and unmanageable, but it also keeps the fudge cookies nice and chewy.
Yes! I preferred the flavor of regular cocoa powder in these fudge cookies, but you could use Dutch process too. The flavor will be more intense with Dutch process cocoa.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Fudge Cookies
Ingredients
Fudge Filling
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (265 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ½ cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Fudge Filling
- Prepare the fudge filling first by placing chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Place cream in a small saucepan and heat until steaming, then immediately pour over chocolate chips. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips, ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
- Place filling in refrigerator and allow to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, begin preparing your cookie dough.
Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl use an electric mixer (or you may use a stand mixer with paddle attachment) to beat together butter and sugars until creamy and well-combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cup (250 g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well.1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 ¼ cups (265 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- With mixer on low speed, gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture until completely combined, then stir in chocolate chips.1 ½ cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill.
Assembly
- Meanwhile, once ganache has mostly solidified, remove from refrigerator. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and drop ganache by 2 teaspoon-sized dollops onto prepared baking sheet.
- Place baking sheet in freezer and allow ganache to freeze for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Once ganache has frozen enough to be manageable/easy to pick up, remove cookie dough from the fridge and scoop by heaping 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized scoop. Use your thumb to make an indent in the center then remove a ganache dollop from the freezer and insert it into the center of the cookie (you want the ganache to stay cold, so I work in batches and keep what I can in the freezer while I’m waiting for the first batch to cook). Use your hands to cover the ganache dollop with the dough and roll the dough into a smooth ball. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies at least 2” apart.
- Transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 12-13 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying, keep in mind they will be fragile while warm and, before cooled completely, the fudge filling will be molten and could burn.
Notes
Cocoa powder
You may substitute Dutch process cocoa for this recipe, but natural was my preference for the best flavor for the cookies.Storing
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Wonderfully delicious! The gooey center is perfect!
I love that your printed recipe tells the ingredient amounts under the step. So much nicer than having to go back and forth between pages or scrolling up and down on the website. Brilliant!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Chris! 🙂
A little labor intensive, but oh so yummy! Made a double batch. Left out cocoa powder the first time – yummy. Trying a peanut butter filling this time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Angie! 🙂
These are yummy, wife loves them.
How long does the center stay gooey? I’d like to bake ahead for a cookie swap!
Hi Karen! The filling stays gooey for the life of the cookies (5 days), but note that if it’s very cold the filling may seem firmer. You can advise your recipients to slightly warm the cookies to make sure they’re nice and molten inside!
These are some crazy good cookies!!!!!!!!
I think Sue has a good idea about peanutbutter I saw a recipe for peanutbutter ganache I’m going to try cause I love peanutbutter also
Thanks for this recipe
Absolutely amazing!! Alot of work but sooo worth it!
We are so happy you enjoyed them, Susan! 🥰
Hi Sam! These are the best cookies ever. My son asked for chocolate lava cookies for his 8th birthday and I searched so much in the internet. And after I saw this recipe I thought this is the perfect one. Everyone loved them very much. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Sowjanya! 🙂
I made these cookies after my husband and I watched the holiday baking shows and he kept asking me what ganache was. I stumbled on to this recipe and was delighted to learn what ganache is, but would eat this cookie even without the ganache. They are delicious slightly warm or even the next day. Haven’t had them last any longer than that!
I plan to try a peanut butter ganache for a future batch as I love PB and chocolate. I’ll let you know what I figure out.
Thanks for this recipe. It is my new favorite.
We’re so happy you love the cookies, Sue! Let us know how the peanut butter version turns out for you ❤️
I made these cookies for a cookie swap at my office and they were absolutely delicious!!! Highly recommend making these. My cookies came out pretty huge but that made them even better— a huge, chocolately, gooey cookie that HITS THE SPOT!!
We’re so happy you loved them Laura! Thanks for using our recipe 🥰
Would butter flavour Crisco work in place of butter? Butter prices have doubled here in Canada, which has affected my love for baking 😔
Hi Jody! I haven’t tried it, but I think it could work.
Hi Sam if I left out the filling, would these be crisp?
Hi Chandra! I don’t think they’ll be crisp, unless they are over-baked.
Can I use whole milk instead of heavy cream in the ganache?
Hi Simcha! I would be worried about the chocolate not being thick enough. That being said, I haven’t tried it so I’m not exactly sure how it would go.
Thank you! I’ll try it out someday!
I made these today and I husband said these are now his favorite cookie in the entire world! I had 42 instead of 27 so I guess I made mine too small but they came out delicious and we all loved them. I will be making these again to take to the Dr’s office. I usually bring them cookies and they loved your heart shaped cream cheese cookies last month so I will bring them these next month. They wait for the next cookie to try.Thank you so much for sharing and the videos.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Ellen! There’s nothing wrong with some extra cookies if you ask me. 😉
Can I freeze these for Christmas?
Sure thing! 🙂
Would it be alright to leave the prepared cookie dough balls (with the fudge fully wrapped in dough and everything) in the fridge for a few days or should they be baked right after being formed?
Sure thing! I would just make sure to keep them wrapped tightly so they don’t dry out. 🙂
These are incredibly fudgy and delicious! I need to figure out my ratios of ganache to cookie better, but I will happily continue to experiment. I also think leaving the dough in the fridge for longer would be helpful as my final batch (longest in the fridge) turned out the best with the least ganache seeping out.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Danielle! 🙂
Any suggestions on how I might do this with white chocolate instead? Tried once, and the filling turned into puddles in the oven. I’m currently freezing the remaining fillings solid before trying again.
The original recipe’s awesome!
Hi John! I haven’t tried it with white chocolate so I can’t say for sure how you would need to alter the recipe.
Hi, can you suggest a substitute for egg.
Hi Bina! Unfortunately I have not tried any egg substitutes so I can’t advise on a good one here. 🙁
I would give these cookies a way higher rating than a 5! They are the most delicious, decadent cookie I have ever tasted! I am going to take them to my grown daughter’s birthday gathering. However, I am sure that once the guests eat one of these, they won’t want anything else! They are so rich! Well done!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lisa! 🙂