Molten Chocolate Cookies
These Molten Chocolate Cookies combine the best of two worlds: the crisp edges of a classic cookie and the molten, gooey center of a chocolate lava cake. With a rich chocolate ganache filling and a soft, fudgy cookie dough, these cookies are the ultimate indulgence. Whether served warm with a gooey center or cooled for a holiday gift, these cookies are guaranteed to delight.
Yield: 11 cookies
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Equipment
- oven
- Baking Tray
- 1 tbsp Cookie Scoop
- 2 tbsp Cookie Scoop
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache Filling Ingredients
- 200 g Dark Chocolate* 60 – 70% chocolate bar cut in small chunks or chocolate chunks
- 120 ml Whipping Cream*
Chocolate Cookie Ingredients
- 110 g Butter*
- 75 g Light Brown Sugar
- 100 g Cane Sugar*
- 45 ml Milk* room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 187 g All Purpose Flour
- 25 g Cocoa Powder sifted Dutch processed preferably
- 8 g Cornstarch
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2-3 tbsp Cane Sugar festive sprinkles or cocoa powder, for topping only
Instructions
- Start by preparing the molten chocolate ganache filling: In a small saucepan, combine the dark chocolate and whipping cream. Melt over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and fully combined into a glossy ganache.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate for about 20–30 minutes, or until it firms up just enough to scoop easily.
- Once firm, scoop out 10–11 portions of ganache, each about 1 tablespoon (22g). Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each portion, and freeze for 20 minutes until solid.
Cookie Dough Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, light brown sugar, and cane sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the milk and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to form a soft cookie dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a 2-tablespoon (50g) cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Flatten each portion into a disc in your hand as shown in the photos.
- Place a frozen ganache scoop in the center of each dough disc, then carefully wrap the dough around the ganache, sealing the edges to completely enclose the filling.
- I have rolled some dough balls in cane sugar, festive sprinkles, or cocoa powder for an assortment of cookies.
- Space the dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes. The edges should be set while the centers remain slightly soft.
- Immediately after baking, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to gently swirl around the edges. This helps create perfectly rounded edges and a more uniform shape.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes. If you want a gooey molten center, serve them warm or cool them completely for gifting in your festive hampers.
Notes
- Cup vs weighing scale: The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams.
- Before you start to make any recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the process will go smoothly and easily.
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with for accuracy.
- Milk: You can use any dairy-free unsweetened milk (like almond, soy, oat) or dairy based whole milk at room temperature.
- Cane Sugar: Cane sugar can be substituted with granulated sugar or castor sugar. If you are vegan then ensure the sugar is vegan-friendly (some sugars are processed with bone char) or use organic cane sugar
- Cocoa Powder: You should try to use Dutch processed or dark cocoa powder for the best results. Natural Cocoa powder will also work.
- Butter: You can use Dairy-free butter sticks (not margarine) or any butter of your choice. Refer to my Baking 101 page to learn about dairy-free ingredients that I like to use in my recipes.
- Chocolate: Use good quality 60 - 70% dark or semi-sweet chocolate bars or chocolate chunks. For the vegan version, use dark chocolate of any dairy-free chocolate brand (make sure it doesn't contain milk solids or butter) but cocoa butter is totally fine.
- Whipping Cream: For a vegan version, use dairy-free unsweetened whipping cream otherwise use any full-fat whipping cream of choice.