These chocolate fudge cookies are quite perfect. They are very easy to make, do not require chilling and are a great base cookie recipe for adding candy, nuts and even more chocolate into.
They have crackly tops and a beautifully moist, chewy, brownie like center. They stay fabulous for days at room temperature and also freeze really well, so you can feel confident to double or triple the recipe, so you always have wonderful chocolate fudge cookies on hand for any potential cookie emergencies that may arise.
Let’s get started…
Begin by melting 1/2 cup of butter in a large mixing bowl and 6 ounces of dark chocolate in a large bowl. You can do this over a double boiler or in 15 second increments in your microwave. The microwave is the quickest way to do it, but be sure to keep an eye on your chocolate. Remove the bowl and give the chocolate a gently whisk as soon as the butter begins to melt. If the chocolate is not quite soft enough, give it another 15 second spin in the microwave and try again until the chocolate and butter are fully melted , smooth and glossy.
You will also need 1 cup of granulated sugar, 2 large room temperature eggs, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/3 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips.
I like to top these cookies with a little finely chopped chocolate and sea salt as soon as I pull them out of the oven, but this is definitely optional as it is purely cosmetic. If you want your cookies to look just like mine, finely chop a little square of chocolate and transfer into the refrigerator to chill while you bake the cookies. This will help the chocolate not melt and stick to your hands while you are adding it to the hot, freshly baked cookies later on.
Use an electric hand mixer to cream 2 large room temperature eggs with 1 cup of granulated sugar until you have a beautifully pale yellow color and light, bubbly appearance. This step is the most important step in this recipe. Take your time mixing the eggs and sugar and don’t stop until it is light, airy, bubbly and pale. The air that you whip into the cookie dough during this part of the recipe will give your cookies a wonderfully crisp, crackly top and moist, fudgey center.
Add the melted chocolate and butter into the creamed sugar and eggs and whisk until fully combined.
Use a silicone spatula to incorporate 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/3 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of espresso powder into the batter until it is just combined and then add 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips.
This cookie dough is thick, so carefully fold the chocolate chips in and then grease a cookie dough scoop for transferring heaping tablespoon portions onto your non-stick or parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. As they bake, they will melt down and spread out, looking quite thin around the 5-6 minute mark, but then they will begin to puff and crackle. They are ready to come out of the oven when the outer edges look set and the center is slightly soft still.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet until they firm up a bit and then carefully transfer them onto a cooling rack. If you want to dress them up, sprinkle some finely chopped chocolate and a little sea salt over the tops of each cookie as soon as you pull them out of the oven. This will give the tops of each cookie a beautiful look and will also as a beautifully salty layer to the flavor of these rich chocolate cookies.
Aren’t they inviting? Their crackly tops are just as crisp as they look like they would be, but the center of these cookies are so fudgey and rich! They are not super thick, but they definitely remind me of a beautiful brownie in texture.
These chocolate fudge cookies are truly fabulous as is, but like I said earlier, they are a great base recipe to add your favorite toppings to.
Whether you add candy, pretzels, chocolate or nuts to these cookies or have them as is, one thing is absolutely certain… you are going to love these cookies!
Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of espresso powder
- 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, melt 1/2 cup of butter with 6 ounces of chopped dark chocolate and whisk until smooth and glossy
- In a separate bowl, cream 2 large room temperature eggs with 1 cup of granulated sugar until pale and bubbly
- Combine the melted butter and chocolate with the creamed sugar and eggs
- Add 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/3 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of espresso powder and mix until just combined
- Fold 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips into the dough
- Use a greased cookie dough scoop to transfer heaping tablespoons of dough onto non-stick or parchment lined baking sheets 3 inches apart to allow room for spreading
- Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up a bit and the edges are set and crackly
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet until they are firm enough to transfer onto a cooling rack
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer
