Chocolate lava cookies
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
35 mins
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Cook Time
13 mins
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Additional Time
30 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 18 mins
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Servings
17 cookies
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Calories
369 kcal
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Course
Dessert, Baked Goods
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Cuisine
American
Chocolate lava cookies
Description
The Chocolate lava cookies recipe achieves a delicate balance between cakey cookie exterior and a soft, molten ganache interior. The ganache combines finely chopped semisweet chocolate with heated heavy cream, cooled until firm, and shaped into balls. Meanwhile, the cookie dough is prepared by creaming softened butter with white and light brown sugars, eggs, and vanilla, then mixed with dry ingredients including cake flour, dark cocoa powder, cornstarch, leavening agents, and salt.
After chilling the dough and ganache for texture stability, ganache balls are encased in cookie dough and baked, allowing the dough to set with a soft crumb while the ganache inside heats to a molten consistency. The use of dark cocoa intensifies the chocolate flavor. Light dusting of powdered sugar is added just before serving to avoid melting.
These cookies are best stored airtight at room temperature for a couple of days or refrigerated for longer freshness. Variations include substituting Dutch process cocoa or using all-purpose flour, keeping in mind texture differences.
Ingredients
For the ganache
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate finely chopped, bar
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
For the cookie dough
- 1 cup butter softened, unsalted
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 egg room temperature preferred, plus 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ⅓ cups cake flour (see note)
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder (see note)
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ table salt
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
For the ganache
- Place chocolate in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-low heat until steaming. Remove from heat and pour evenly over chocolate. Cover bowl with foil and let sit for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, whisk chocolate and cream mixture until smooth. Let sit until solidified (you can speed this up by placing the bowl in the refrigerator). Meanwhile, begin preparing cookie dough.
For the cookie dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, dark cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until completely combined. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Form ganache into balls
- Once ganache has solidified, scoop into Tablespoon sized portions and drop onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer.
Assembly
- When cookie dough is nearly done chilling, preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Scoop ¼ cup of cookie dough and roll gently between your palms to create a smooth ball. Using your thumbs, press a crater just into the center of the dough (don’t press too deep, or the filling will spill out the bottom of the cookies after baking). Retrieve one dollop of ganache from the freezer, press into the crater, fold dough over ganache so there is no ganache showing. Roll gently between your palms to create a smooth ball, make sure all of the ganache is covered. Repeat with remaining dough and ganache.
- Place on prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart. Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) oven and bake for 13 minutes.
- (Optional) Within one minute of coming out of the oven, take a large flat bottomed measuring cup and gently flatten the tops of the cookies for a lava cake appearance. Do not press too hard or the ganache will leak!
- Let cookies cool on the cookie tray, then sift powdered sugar over the tops before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cake flour produces a cakier texture; if substituting all-purpose flour, use 3 cups or 375g.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder can be used as a substitute for dark cocoa powder.
- Powdered sugar topping should be applied after cookies cool to prevent melting.
- Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to two days or refrigerated for up to six days.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 17cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 369 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1cookie | |
| Calories | 369kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 47g | 16% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 51mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 43mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 142mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 25g | 50% |
| Vitamin A | 492IU | 10% |
| Vitamin C | 0.1mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 47mg | 5% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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