Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Brown sugar cookie + rich chocolate fudge filling = heaven.
Texture: Crazy soft, tender, and fluffy with that slightly gooey, fudgy filling.
Ease: Super easy!
Appearance: You don’t get the full effect of these babies until you take a bite and I just love that surprise!
Pros: Fun and scrumptious cookie, really all you could ask for!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Definitely.
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These Fudge Filled Cookies look like a standard buttery sugar cookie – but they’re filled with a fun surprise of chocolate fudge!
Taking a bite into something when it is totally NOT what you expected can go one of two ways…
It’s either a horribly upsetting realization, or it’s an incredibly delightful surprise you wish you could experience again, because you know nothing will compare to that first bite.
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These Fudge-Filled Cookies definitely fall under the delightful surprise category.
There are some surprises that are more mild, like biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to discover it’s actually a raisin cookie. Your reaction will probably depend on how much you like or hate raisins (because no one loves raisins, right?).
I think everyone loves a surprise fudge filling inside an already flavorful and ridiculously soft cookie. What’s not to love?!
And if something like a fudge filling upsets you, then you’re definitely on the wrong site. And I don’t think we can be friends. KIDDING.
Kind of…
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Fudge Filled Cookies
How to Make Soft Cookies
The best way to ensure soft cookies is to measure your flour correctly. I recommend using a digital kitchen scale. Too much flour will create dry, hard cookies that crumble. If you don’t have a scale, use the spoon and level method.
Brown Sugar
I recommend sticking with brown sugar, if possible, for a flavorful and soft cookie. Out of brown sugar? Learn how to make your own brown sugar here!
Whatever you do, don’t reduce the sugar. Sugar actually plays a big part in a cookie’s texture, doing so much beyond sweetening. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
Cream Cheese
Don’t skip or substitute the cream cheese, as this helps to create a super soft cookie with a hint of tanginess, to perfectly balance out the sweetness of the cookie.
Butter Temperature
Avoid greasy cookies that spread too much by ensuring your butter is at a cool room temperature – about 67°F is perfect. Learn more about butter temperature in baking here.
Don’t Overbake
Bake these cookies until they just look dry on top, but are still pale at the edges. Overbaking will cause dry cookies.
How to Store Fudge Filled Cookies
Store Fudge Filled Cookies at room temperature inside an airtight container for up to 3 days. Store with a tortilla to keep them soft a little longer.
I have not tried freezing these cookies, but please let me know in the comments below if you do! Learn more about how to freeze cookie dough here.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
- Homemade Fudge Rounds
- Best Ever Chewy Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
- Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Fudge Filled Cookies
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Ingredients
For the fudge:
- 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 can (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
For the cookies:
- 4 cups (508 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the fudge:
- In a small saucepan set over low heat, combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to combine.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten into a disk. Scoop a 1/2 teaspoon of the fudge in the center of each disk of dough. Cover with another heaping tablespoon of cookie dough. Repeat for the remaining dough and fudge.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving, or moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Best served warm!
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Can I just use fudge?
Chilling the dough for 10-15 minutes makes it easier to shape without getting sticky. Mine needed closer to 15 min in the oven. They also really need to cool on the pan and not a cooling rack so the liquid filling doesn’t come streaming out.
This recipe looks beyond decadent! I just have 2 questions…
1) What would be a good substitute for cream cheese?
2) Can I use regular milk instead of sweet condensed milk?
Thank you!
I love this recipe. I used a little Nutella since I did t have chocolate and it was so good. My hubby and kids love them! Don’t over mix and yes I put in the freezer while the batch was baking much better dough!
Excellent cookies.
Also Bill:
If a recipe calls for brown, I’ve done Molasses (exactly what brown sugar is) or Honey mixed with white sugar as a substitute. Won’t be exact, but it does help thicken the sugar. Molasses is best bet!
Anyone still finding this page, to make it so they don’t spread immensely, make sure you DON’T OVER BEAT/STIR! The longer you beat/stir, the thinner they’ll be and they’ll spread out. Mix just until combined!
I made it as a ball my first go, I do recommend making them into ovals/disks a little. I also recommend cooling the dough in the fridge for even an hour. Helped keep the shape of the cookies while baking, but my tip above usually does that for you!
Will this recipe work with white sugar instead of brown sugar?
Did a similar recipe with dove dark chocolate peanut butter filled candies in the center. Came out amazing thanks for the idea!!
I really like this recipe, but I recommend making the bottom disk of dough a little smaller than the top one. I also recommend putting more than 1/2 teaspoon of fudge in the center and instead of shaping the fudge as a ball in the center, make it more of a disk as well so it spreads out more evenly among the dough. Make the top disk of dough a little larger than the bottom and rap the top slightly over the bottom disk of dough, this way you don’t get the line where the two doughs meet running around the outside and it is all one uniform cookie. The presentation looks much better. Tessa does not really specify this in the recipe.
how big should the disks be?
How do I keep them from spreading to more than twice the size?