Irresistible Chocolate Lava Cookies

Chocolate Lava Cookies are rich, decadent, and absolutely irresistible. With a soft, chewy exterior and a warm, gooey chocolate center, every bite feels like a little molten cake in cookie form. Easy to make yet impressive to serve, they’re the ultimate treat for chocolate lovers.

Love More Chocolate Cookies ? Try My Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies or this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These cookies deliver everything you love about chocolate lava cake without the fuss. The centers stay irresistibly gooey, the edges bake up soft and chewy, and they keep their rich texture for days. Easy to make, beautiful to serve, and guaranteed to satisfy any chocolate craving—these are a true chocoholic’s dream.

Print

Ingredient List

Ganache Filling

• 6 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ⅔ cup heavy cream

Cookie Dough

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3⅓ cups cake flour (or 3 cups all-purpose flour)
• ½ cup dark or Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Substitution Notes: If you don’t have cake flour, all-purpose works beautifully – just use 3 cups instead. Can’t find Dutch-process cocoa? Regular unsweetened cocoa powder is perfectly fine, though Dutch-process gives a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.

Why These Ingredients Work

Cake flour is doing all the heavy lifting here – makes these cookies stupid tender instead of dense hockey pucks. Brown sugar keeps everything moist and adds this subtle molasses flavor that’s chef’s kiss with chocolate. That extra egg yolk? Pure richness without making things greasy.

The cornstarch is my secret weapon for that perfect chewy-soft texture. And freezing the ganache beforehand is non-negotiable – learned this the hard way when my first batch turned into chocolate soup disasters.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Two large mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop (¼ cup size works perfectly)
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Small saucepan for heating cream
• Rubber spatula
• Wire cooling racks

How To Make Chocolate Lava Cookies

Step 1: Create the Ganache Magic

Heat cream until it’s steaming – don’t let it bubble over like I did my first time (what a mess). Pour over chopped chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, wait 5 minutes. Stir until glossy. Fridge time: 1-2 hours until scoopable. Scoop tablespoon portions, freeze on parchment until rock solid – about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Mix the Perfect Cookie Dough

Cream butter with both sugars until fluffy – takes about 4 minutes, don’t rush it. Add egg, yolk, vanilla. Mix dry ingredients separately (flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, salt). Combine wet and dry until just mixed – overmixing makes tough cookies. Chill 30 minutes minimum.

Step 3: Assembly Time

Preheat 375°F. Line baking sheets. Scoop ¼ cup dough, flatten in palm. Press frozen ganache ball dead center. Wrap dough around completely – no thin spots or it’ll leak. Roll smooth. Space 2 inches apart on sheets.

Step 4: Bake to Perfection

Exactly 13 minutes – set a timer! They look slightly underbaked but keep cooking on the hot pan. For that molten cake look, gently press tops with flat cup bottom right after removing from oven.

Step 5: The Final Touch

Cool completely on sheets – patience grasshopper. Dust with powdered sugar before serving for that bakery vibe.

Expert Tips

Freeze those ganache balls solid – seriously, no shortcuts here. Learned this lesson when half my first batch turned into chocolate puddles. Room temperature ingredients are crucial too – cold butter won’t cream properly and cold eggs don’t incorporate well.

My personal hack: Make ganache the night before. Way easier to work with and flavors get better overnight.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Butter should be soft enough to leave fingerprints – not melted, not rock hard. Eggs need 30 minutes on the counter before mixing. That 30-minute dough chill isn’t optional – prevents spreading and keeps shape.

Seal completely when wrapping ganache – thin spots = chocolate explosions in your oven. Don’t overbake! They look underdone when perfect. Hot pan keeps cooking them after removal.

Quick fix if ganache gets too hard: 10-15 minutes at room temperature softens it right up.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

White chocolate with frozen raspberries inside = fancy restaurant vibes. Salted caramel centers instead of ganache work amazingly too. Half teaspoon peppermint extract in ganache creates incredible mint chocolate version.

Orange zest in both ganache and dough brings serious citrus magic. Nutella centers work but freeze them first same as ganache.

Make-Ahead Options

Ganache keeps 3 days in fridge frozen. Cookie dough holds 2 days wrapped tight in fridge. Assembled unbaked cookies freeze beautifully for a month – bake from frozen, add one extra minute.

Game-changer for busy weeks: prep everything Sunday, bake throughout the week when chocolate cravings hit.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Cake flour makes these ridiculously tender – all-purpose works but texture gets slightly denser. Ganache should hold shape when scooped but not be concrete hard. Too firm? Room temp for 10-15 minutes fixes it.

Dutch-process cocoa gives deeper chocolate flavor but regular unsweetened works fine too.

Serving Suggestions

Slightly warm with vanilla ice cream = pure heaven on a plate. Temperature contrast hits different. These work great for dinner parties – dust with powdered sugar and suddenly you’re fancy. Late night with coffee or hot chocolate hits the spot perfectly.

Pro move: warm in microwave 10-15 seconds to restore that gooey center magic.

Hope these become your new secret weapon for impressing people! Nothing beats watching someone bite into these for the first time – pure joy on their faces every single time.

Happy baking from my chaotic kitchen to yours!

How to Store Your Chocolate Lava Cookies

Store these beauties in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat and restore that gooey center, pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds – just enough to warm the ganache center without making the cookie hot.

Allergy Information

Contains: Wheat, dairy, eggs Gluten-free option: Substitute the cake flour with a good gluten-free flour blend Dairy-free option: Use coconut cream for the ganache and dairy-free butter for the cookies

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I make these without the ganache center?

Absolutely! They’ll be delicious fudgy chocolate cookies. Just scoop and bake as directed.

My ganache leaked out during baking. What went wrong?

The ganache wasn’t frozen solid enough, or there was a thin spot in your dough wrapping. Make sure the ganache is completely frozen and seal the dough well.

Can I use milk chocolate instead of semisweet?

Yes! Milk chocolate will make them sweeter and the ganache softer, which some people prefer.

How do I know when they’re done?

They should look set around the edges but still slightly soft in the center. They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan.

Can I freeze the baked cookies?

Yes! They freeze beautifully. Thaw at room temperature and warm slightly before serving.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear about your chocolate lava cookie adventures and any creative variations you tried!