Chocolate Lava Cookies made with a buttery chocolate cookie dough stuffed with smooth chocolate ganache, which is the lava in these decadent chocolate treats!

Have you ever had homemade chocolate lava cakes, with their decadent soft filling that seeps out a bit when you sink your fork in it?? These are those cakes, only in cookie form! We took a silky chocolate ganache and stuffed it in a chocolate cookie, then baked it to mini lava cake perfection. We hope you enjoy them!

Cookies for Chocolate Lovers

• Molten Chocolate Center: Each cookie is stuffed with a chilled chocolate ganache that melts as it bakes, creating a rich lava center with zero guesswork.
• Deep, Double-Chocolate Flavor: Cocoa powder in the dough plus a ganache filling delivers an intensely chocolatey cookie without being overly sweet.
• Bakery-Style Results at Home: These cookies look and taste impressive but use simple ingredients and straightforward steps—no special tools required.

Ingredients for Chocolate Lava Cookies

Chocolate Ganache Lava Filling:

Chocolate: Melt down ¾ cup chocolate chips to create the rich, smooth chocolate center that becomes the gooey lava.

Heavy cream: Adding heavy cream helps the chocolate melt into a silky, scoopable ganache.

Chocolate Cookie Dough:

Butter: ½ cup butter, softened, provides richness, moisture, and that soft, buttery cookie texture.

Sugars: Brown and white sugar work together to add moisture and subtle caramel flavor, and help the cookies spread while staying perfectly chewy.

Egg: 1 large egg binds the ingredients together.

Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base of the dough and gives the cookies their shape.

Cocoa powder: ½ cup + 2 TBSP cocoa powder, divided, delivers deep chocolate flavor throughout the cookie dough. Using Dutch cocoa powder will make the cookies extra rich and decadent—if you don’t have it, dark or regular cocoa powder works just as well.

Leavening agents: Combining baking powder and baking soda helps the cookies rise, spread properly, and stay soft and chewy.

Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor by adding ¼ tsp salt.

Tips for making Lava Cookies

1. Chill the ganache until scoopable, not rock-hard: It should hold its shape but still be easy to portion so it melts perfectly inside the cookies while baking.
2. Coat the ganache in cocoa powder before stuffing: This extra step prevents the filling from sticking to the dough and helps keep the lava centered instead of leaking out.
3. Fully seal the dough around the ganache: Any thin spots can cause the filling to escape, so gently smooth and check the seams before baking.
4. Let the cookies cool before moving: The molten ganache makes the cookies delicate right out of the oven, but allowing them to cool on the baking sheet for just a few minutes helps them set and hold together.  

How long are these Chocolate Lava Cookies good for?

These lava cookies are best enjoyed fresh the day they’re baked, when the centers are perfectly molten. They’ll stay good in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing is highly recommended for this recipe! Freeze the fully assembled, unbaked cookies for up to 3 months, then bake straight from frozen. Just add 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time for fresh, gooey centers anytime.

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Chocolate Lava Cookies

Chocolate Lava Cookies made with a buttery chocolate cookie dough stuffed with smooth chocolate ganache, which is the lava in these decadent chocolate treats!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Lava Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes minutes

Chill Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 41 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cookies

Calories 286kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

Chocolate Ganache Lava Filling:

• ¾ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy cream

Chocolate Cookie Dough:

• ½ cup butter softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¼ all purpose flour
• ½ cup + 2 TBSP cocoa powder divided
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

• Start by making your chocolate ganache filling. Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1:30 and then stir gently. Continue heating for 30 seconds at a time as needed until the mixture is smooth. Chill your ganache in the fridge for about an hour, or until holds its shape when scooped.
• Once the ganache is set preheat your oven to 350°F and make your cookie dough. Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
• Add the egg and beat again until the egg is thoroughly combined with the creamed sugar. Reduce the speed of your hand mixer and gently whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Make sure there are no dry pockets in your cookie dough.
• Use a large size #40 cookie scoop to drop balls of cookie dough onto a large baking sheet. Flatten each ball into a flat disc. Set the baking sheet aside.
• Use a tablespoon to drop small scoops of the chocolate ganache into a bowl with the remaining 2 TBSP cocoa powder. Toss the ganache ball in cocoa powder and then place a ball of ganache on each cookie dough disc. Wrap the cookie dough around the ganache making sure the ganache is completely enclosed. Bake the cookies for 11 minutes.
• Let your cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!

Notes

Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. 

Freeze the fully assembled, unbaked cookies for up to 3 months, then bake straight from frozen—just add 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

Can I add toppings to these cookies?

Yes! These cookies are delicious finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for contrast or a dusting of powdered sugar for a simple, elegant touch.

Why didn’t my cookies have a lava center?

If the cookies were overbaked or the ganache wasn’t chilled enough, the center can fully set instead of staying molten—pull them at 11 minutes for best results.

Can I make the ganache ahead of time?

Yes! The ganache can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Can I use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips?

You can, but the center will be sweeter and slightly softer, so chilling the ganache well is especially important.

Love chocolate? Enjoy our favorite chocolate cookies here:

• Chewy Chocolate Pudding M&M Cookies are packed with colorful M&Ms and made extra soft with chocolate pudding—fun, festive, and totally addictive!
• Indulge in Raspberry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with a sweet-tart raspberry jam center—perfectly gooey, perfectly chocolatey, and impossible to resist!
• Fudgy Chocolate Pecan Crinkle Cookies get a holiday upgrade with a glossy chocolate glaze and a crunchy pecan on top—rich, nutty, and utterly irresistible! Perfect for gifting or snacking this season.
• Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies get a Nutella twist and a crunchy hit of hazelnuts—basically Ferrero Rocher in cookie form!
• Rich Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies made with sour cream, butter, and heaps of chocolate chips—extra moist, extra chocolatey, and totally irresistible!
• Decadent treats topped with gooey coconut-pecan frosting—just like the Crumbl favorite. These Copycat Crumbl German Chocolate Cake Cookies are totally irresistible!

Chocolate Lava Cookies are rich, gooey, and pure chocolate bliss in every bite. Silky chocolate ganache made from chocolate chips and heavy cream—each bite delivers a rich, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate experience!

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