These delicious chocolate lava cookies are chewy chocolate cookies, stuffed with molten chocolate ganache filling and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They're the perfect treat to make for the chocolate lover in your life!
If you're looking for other chocolate desserts, try my chocolate thumbprint cookies, chocolate cherry cookies, chocolate fudge cake, chocolate gooey butter cake, chocolate chip cookies or chocolate cupcakes!
Why You'll Love This Chocolate Lava Cookie Recipe
They have the best texture- These cookies are super chewy.
They have a molten chocolate filling- Like chocolate lava cake, the centers are stuffed full of delicious chocolate ganache. As the cookies bake the ganache thaws and turns molten, making the lava effect when you break them open! They're even better than crumbl molten lava cookies, guaranteed!
They have the best chocolate flavor. The dough is flavored with Dutch process cocoa powder for the best dark chocolate cookie flavor!
Simple Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter- make sure it's softened, room temperature butter
- Light Brown Sugar- we're using mostly brown sugar in the cookie dough to keep these cookies extra chewy
- Granulated White Sugar- used along with the brown sugar
- Egg Yolks- make sure they're room temperature, using only the egg yolks helps to make the cookies extra chewy
- Vanilla- adds a sweet note to the cookies
- Flour- just the right amount of all purpose flour helps give these cookies their perfect texture
- Cocoa Powder- I recommend using Dutch process cocoa powder for the deepest chocolate flavor
- Baking Powder- used to slightly leaven these cookies
- Salt- brings out all the flavors in these cookies
- Chocolate Chips- I recommend using semisweet chocolate chips
- Heavy Cream- used to make the ganache for the ooey-gooey chocolate center
Step by Step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full recipe, including measurements and bake time!
STEP ONE: Add the chocolate chips to a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave, or on the stove, until just about boiling. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute. Stir to combine the cream and melted chocolate together. Chill the ganache in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until it is scoopable. (See photo.) Scoop the chocolate ganache into 17 portions, using a small cookie scoop, onto a small parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze the ganache balls until they are frozen and very firm.
STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.
STEP THREE: In a large bowl cream the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together with an electric hand mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)
STEP FOUR: Add in the egg yolks and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix for one minute on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
STEP FIVE: Add in the dry ingredients and combine on low speed.
STEP SIX: Scoop the dough into 17 portions with a large, 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, then roll into balls. Slightly flatten out each then place a frozen ganache ball in the center. Then close the ganache ball in with the cookie dough and roll into a dough ball again. Make sure the ganache is completely covered in cookie dough.
STEP SEVEN: Transfer the formed cookie dough to a prepared baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Bake cookies 6 at a time. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then serve as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or glass of milk!
FAQs
How do I store these cookies? Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days.
Can I use hot fudge instead of making chocolate ganache? I have not tested the cookies with store bought hot fudge so I can't say how they would turn out.
Pro Tips
For best results, measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. Instead, sprinkle spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams.
Make sure to completely freeze the ganache balls. This will ensure no chocolate filling leaks out of the cookies while baking. Keep the ganache balls in the freezer just until you're ready to use for each batch of cookies.
When the cookies are straight out of the oven, scoot a large circular cookie cutter around them to give them a perfect circular shape!
Make sure to beat your eggs into the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy, not just until it's combined. Doing this will help give you perfectly textured cookies.
Other Cookie Recipes to Try Next Time
If you make these cookies please, please leave a star rating! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ and follow me on Pinterest also for other dessert ideas!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Lava Cookies
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
For the Chocolate Cookies
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup (40 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- powdered sugar, for dusting on top
Instructions
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the chocolate chips to a small bowl.1 cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave, or on the stove, until just about boiling.½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 1 minute. Stir to combine the cream and melted chocolate together.
- Chill the ganache in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until it is scoopable. (See photo in blog post.)
- Scoop the chocolate ganache into 17 portions, using a small cookie scoop, onto the baking sheet. Freeze the ganache balls until they are frozen and very firm.
For the Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled , ½ cup (40 g) Dutch process cocoa powder , ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- In a large bowl cream the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together with an electric hand mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened, ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- Add in the egg yolks and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix for one minute on medium speed until pale and fluffy.2 egg yolks, at room temperature, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Add in the dry ingredients and combine on low speed.
- Scoop the dough into 17 portions with a large, 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, then roll into balls. Slightly flatten out each, then place a frozen ganache ball in the center. Then close the ganache ball in with the cookie dough and roll into a ball again. Make sure the ganache is completely covered in cookie dough.
- Transfer the formed cookie dough to a prepared baking. Bake 6 cookies at a time for 10-11 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!
My husband and I just made these together! Super fun and easy recipe. He loves lava cakes and cookies so this was perfect. I decided to add 1 tbsp of espresso powder to the dry ingredients and it really elevated the overall taste! I can’t wait to make these again 🙂
Hi Laura! I'm so glad you liked them! Thank you for making them!
Made them with Trader Joe's gluten free flour. Amazing!
Hi Emma! I'm so glad they worked with GF flour, and I'm glad you liked them!
LITERALLY SO GOOD BUT I SWITCHED THE CHOCOLATE ON THE INSIDE FOR CARAMEL AND IT WAS AMAZING😍😍
I plan on making these today! I’m so excited! But I was wondering, is it crucial to bake only 6 at a time? What is the reason behind this? Is it to allow proper heat circulation to each one? Thanks!
Hi Tiffany! I find that 6 at a time is the perfect amount otherwise they're usually too close together and spread into each other while baking. If you have a bigger baking sheet you could fit more at a time!
Hi Yara! I'm so glad you liked! Caramel on the inside sounds INCREDIBLE!
Hello everyone! I love all your recipes so much and I was wondering do these need to be warm for them to be good? Wanted to make them for an upcoming party and travel with them. Do they save good over night? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to make!
Hi Ambriel! They are best warm, but they are definitely still good once all the way cooled! They will stay good overnight in an airtight container! Enjoy!
Very tasty and great for chocolate lovers. I will say, I found my cookies needed more like 15-17 minutes of bake time to be structurally sound - on the first batch I did only 10 min (plus 10 cooling on the baking sheet) and when I moved them to racks, the ganache centers fell through the holes in the rack. I baked a few minutes longer for the next two and they were much more stable.