Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

I am so in love with these darn chocolate lava cookies! What is it about a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie stuffed with decadent, rich, melted chocolate that makes it so irresistible?? Especially when topped with vanilla ice cream. These are one of Kev’s favorite homemade treats, and he usually asks me to make them at least once a week. They are so simple to whip up, and such a treat! Let’s make some right now :)

All you really need for these fabulous cookies is your favorite cookie dough and a bag of chocolate chips. My favorite cookie dough just happens to be Picky Palate’s, and it works perfectly for this recipe, but you could just as easily use a store-bought mix or even refrigerated cookie dough. Slice and bake cookie dough would be so simple here! But my heart will always belong to Picky Palate’s cookie dough. It absolutely can’t be beat in flavor and chewiness!

Since these cookies are absolutely gushing with delicious rich chocolate, my favorite chocolate chips for this recipe are the Hersey’s Milk Chocolate chips. I did a side by side taste test with these and a few of the other milk chocolate chips available in my grocery store, and these by far had the most prominent rich chocolate flavor. Next time you’re at the store, grab a couple of bags and have a chocolate chip taste testing of your own! They’re all good, so you definitely won’t have a problem using them up — you really can’t go wrong with milk chocolate :)

Now let’s make some chocolate lava cookies! Using half the cookie dough, grab a 1.5-2 tbsp scoop of dough (I used a Pampered Chef Medium Scoop for this) and flatten it out a bit.

Place the flattened cookie dough in the bottom of a well-greased standard sized muffin tin. Now depending on how much cookie dough you eat (in my case, I think it’s an abnormally high amount), you’ll have enough for 10 or 11 cookies. I start with 10, and add the 11th later if I have enough dough leftover.

Now for our gooey, rich milk chocolate filling. Place 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag, and seal shut.

Lay the Ziploc bag flat in the microwave, spreading out the chocolate chips in a single layer. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove bag and flip, microwaving for an additional 10-15 seconds until all the chips are softened.

Cut a small tip off the Ziploc bag and layer over the cookies. If you have any leftover chocolate, save it — I’ll show you what to do with it in a minute.

Heaven help me.

Scoop and flatten the remaining dough, and place on top of your lava cookies.

If you’ve got enough dough leftover, you can make one more cookie… or eat it as is! Your choice! :)

Bake these in a 350 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are just browned. As soon as they come out of the oven, you may want to run a knife around the edges to make for easy removing later. Cool completely before removing from the tin, running a knife around the edge to help loosen.

Now here’s how I like my cookies. Cooled, soft, and so perfectly chewy. I could eat about a million and a half of these.

But here’s how Kevin likes his cookies.

Warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds, topped with vanilla ice cream, and drizzled with chocolate sauce. You can use any leftover melted chocolate here!

Mama mia.

Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (11.5 oz) bag milk chocolate chips (I prefer Hersheys)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag, and seal shut. Lay the Ziploc bag flat in the microwave, spreading out the chocolate chips in a single layer. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove bag and flip, microwaving for an additional 10-15 seconds until all the chips are softened. Set aside to cool.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining chocolate chips (1 cup) and stir to combine.

3. Using half the cookie dough, scoop 1.5-2 tbsp of dough, flatten it out a bit, and place in the bottom of the muffin tin. Repeat for a total of 10 cookies. Cut a small tip in the corner of the Ziploc bag, and gently squeeze a layer of chocolate over the cookie. Scoop and flatten the remaining dough and place on top of the chocolate layer. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are just browned. As soon as they come out of the oven, run a knife around the edges to make for easy removing later. Cool completely before removing from the muffin tin, running a knife around the edge to help loosen.