Description
Gooey chocolate lava cake cookies combine rich molten centers with crisp edges for a decadent dessert experience. Melted chocolate and buttery dough create an irresistible treat you’ll savor with pure delight.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 oz (113 g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113 g) unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (for serving)
Instructions
- Mixing Base: Whip butter with brown and granulated sugars until the mixture transforms into a fluffy, pale cream with a silky texture.
- Binding Ingredients: Blend egg and vanilla extract thoroughly into the sugar-butter mixture, creating a smooth, homogeneous foundation for the cookie dough.
- Dry Component Preparation: Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together, ensuring a uniform distribution of dry ingredients with no clumping.
- Dough Formation: Gently integrate dry ingredients into wet mixture, folding with minimal stirring to maintain a rich chocolate-colored dough that holds together without becoming dense.
- Chilling and Shaping: Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to enhance flavor complexity and firm up the texture, then roll into uniform balls and create a slight indentation in the center to mimic a lava cake’s molten core.
- Baking Process: Position cookies on a lined baking sheet, maintaining adequate spacing, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until edges appear set but centers remain slightly soft.
- Finishing Touch: Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack, ensuring the signature gooey center remains intact.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Stir dry and wet ingredients just until combined to maintain a soft, tender cookie texture without developing tough gluten.
- Chocolate Quality Matters: Use high-quality cocoa powder and dark chocolate for a more intense, rich chocolate flavor that elevates the entire dessert.
- Proper Chilling Technique: Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before baking to prevent spreading and help cookies maintain a perfect shape with crisp edges.
- Temperature Control: Remove cookies from oven when edges are set but center still looks slightly underbaked to achieve the signature gooey “lava” center characteristic of these decadent treats.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg