Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Just like the packaged ones but with a lighter sweetness.
Texture: Ultra chewy, fudgy, and soft. Perfect.
Ease: Very easy – you’ll just dirty a few bowls.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Improved from-scratch version of a favorite childhood treat.
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As a kid, there were many packaged treats I loved. Cosmic Brownies. Nutter Butters. Little Debbie’s Fudge Rounds.
I have previously recreated the Cosmic Brownie recipe, Oreo Cookies recipe, and Homemade Pop Tarts, all with stellar results – so it seemed only fitting that I move on to Homemade Fudge Rounds!
Actually, I had all but forgotten that Fudge Rounds existed until shopping at Target during this recent back-to-school season.
All the end caps were piled high with packaged treats for lunch boxes, and it inspired me to tackle a new copycat/from scratch version.
Which sweet snack was your favorite?
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Homemade Fudge Rounds
What are Fudge Rounds?
Little Debbie Fudge Rounds are fudgy round chocolate cookies, sandwiched together with chocolate buttercream. Think Whoopie Pies, but richer and fudgier! A box of these treats can be found at pretty much any American grocery or convenience store.
Why You’ll Love This Copycat Fudge Rounds Recipe:
- Super fudgy, decadent, soft chocolate cookies
- Sandwiched together with silky smooth chocolate buttercream
- Drizzled with melted chocolate for a cute (and tasty!) finishing touch of chocolate stripes on top
These will satisfy any chocolate craving. Seriously decadent and chocolaty without being too rich, these Fudge Rounds will be a crowd-pleaser at any picnic or BBQ, or a hit with the kids after their first day back to school!
Store Bought vs. Homemade Fudge Rounds
Nostalgic, store-bought Fudge Rounds are much too sweet and artificial tasting for me nowadays. When you make them from scratch, you can get extra generous with the amount of filling. See what I mean in the photo below comparing the homemade vs. store-bought cookies:
Do I Have to Use Corn Syrup?
Corn syrup is an invert sugar, which means it is liquid at room temperature. Invert sugars prevent grains of sugar from recrystallizing as the cookie cools. Essentially, that little bit of corn syrup in this recipe creates a texture that’s bendy and chewy, giving us the soft, fudgy texture we want with these cookies! I don’t recommend skipping it for this reason. You can use the same amount of golden syrup if needed.
Which Cocoa Powder Should I Use?
- High-fat cocoa powder really elevates any chocolate recipe, and these Fudge Rounds are no exception.
- Read more about my experiments with cocoa powder in my Most Important Thing to Know About Cocoa Powder article.
- If you can’t get your hands on the really high-end natural/unsweetened cocoa powder, I recommend seeking out Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder for both the cookies and the filling. It’s available at most supermarkets or even Target, and it gives a really delicious, smooth chocolaty flavor without breaking the bank.
- I don’t recommend using Dutch-process cocoa powder in this recipe as we are using baking soda as the leavener here. You can read more about the differences between Natural and Dutch-Process Cocoa Powders here.
How to Assemble Homemade Fudge Rounds:
- Make the cookie dough and bake the cookies.
- Decorate the cookies.
- Make the filling.
- Assemble the cookie sandwiches.
- Enjoy with a glass of milk!
Can Fudge Rounds be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes! You can make Fudge Rounds ahead of time and fill and serve the following day – but they keep beautifully in the fridge, assembled, for several days. They even freeze well – more information on that below.
How Long do Homemade Fudge Rounds Last?
Store assembled Fudge Rounds in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 5 days (they’re even more delicious chilled!). Pro tip: the colder they are when serving, the more fudgy they’ll be!
Can you Freeze Homemade Fudge Rounds?
Yes, and they taste amazing frozen! Freeze assembled Fudge Rounds in an airtight container, wrapped individually in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month. Enjoy frozen, or thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
More Copycat Recipes You’ll Love:
Homemade Fudge Rounds
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Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at cool room temperature
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (159 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (32 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the chocolate drizzle:
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) milk chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
For the filling:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (11 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons warm water (about 100°F)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple times, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients. Beat on low until combined. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
- Using a 1 ½-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, drop balls of dough on baking sheets and bake until the cookies are slightly puffed up and the edges are set, about 8 to 9 minutes. Remove baking sheets to cooling racks and remove cookies after a few minutes to continue cooling. Cookies will flatten as they cool.
Decorate the cookies:
- For the chocolate drizzle, microwave milk chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth. Drizzle or pipe on top of each cookie. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least a half hour.
Make the filling:
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sifted cocoa powder and powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the warm water and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Pipe or spread filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Gently press another cookie on top of the filling.
- Serve or store assembled Fudge Rounds in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. The colder the Fudge Rounds are when serving, the more fudgy they’ll be!
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2015 and recently updated with new photos and recipe improvements. Photos by Joanie Simon.
These were delicious! However, they were not flat and chewy and soft. They were thicker and not soft. I am not sure what I would have done wrong. Thanks!
Great recipe, and maybe the best buttercream I’ve ever tasted. I used a 50/50 blend of whole wheat AP and pastry flours and honey as the invert sugar. Looking forward to making this one again soon, maybe Tuesday. I weighed out the dough at 20oz so made 1oz cookies that became 2.25oz fully assembled. Perfect snack size.
When I do it again, I’ll try adding a bit of coffee powder or cinnamon just to see how that works. I do it a lot with brownies and chocolate cake and the coffee seems to deepen the flavor while the cinnamon adds some warmth.
I’d love to upload a picture, but the email system won’t take a file big enough. Maybe next time, as I’m better with an oven than a computer.
How would I go about making one big cookie/cake instead of individual cookies
We haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but it sounds delicious! Let us know how it goes if you experiment 🙂
I tried this and I just doubled the recipe and pressed the dough into two 8 inch cake pans. Made it just like a cookie cake and then doubled the filling. It was a big hit!
I love this recipe! I make them all the time. The only thing is my cookies don’t spread as much as yours do. I wonder if I’m using a smaller scoop or if it has to do with something I’m doing wrong in the recipe. Please let me know what you think it is. I use many of your recipes weekly. Thank you for sharing them!
So happy you love this recipe! If your cookies aren’t spreading as much, the first thing I’d check is how you’re measuring the flour. It’s very easy to accidentally use too much if you’re not using a digital scale—even a little extra flour can keep cookies from spreading properly. This recipe calls for a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop. If you’re using something smaller, they should still bake up similarly but will need a shorter bake time. Without baking right alongside you, it’s tough to say exactly why they’re not spreading, but you can try gently flattening the dough balls with your palm before baking to see if that helps, too. Let us know how it goes when you try again!
My scale is probably off! I need a new one. Thank you for responding. One time I made them and they did spread more. I will try pressing them down also.
I can’t get any corn syrup or golden syrup rn, are there any other substitutions?
Really wanting to try out this recipe 😋
Hi Kenzie! Golden syrup is the only substitute we’ve successfully tried with this recipe, so I don’t have other suggestions at the moment. But feel free to experiment, and let us know if you discover something that works! 🙂
I used dark brown corn syrup and works just fine
I used maple syrup and it worked just as well
You can make your own golden syrup if you have the patience! It’s not hard, just time consuming.
You’ll need a candy thermometer, a medium sauce pan, and a quart size mason jar. Preheat the mason jar by letting it sit with hot tap water for a few minutes before filling with hot syrup to prevent temperature shock. This will reduce the chance of the jar breaking.
4 cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups water
1 – ¼” slice of lemon or 2 tsp lemon juice
Stir together all ingredients in sauce pan. Heat over medium until bubbling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue until the syrup is a golden color and reaches 240⁰-250⁰.
USE CAUTION AND DON’T GET IT ON YOUR SKIN AS THIS IS VERY HOT AND WILL BURN BADLY.
Remove from heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes without stirring.
Pour carefully into warm, clean qt size mason jar. This will be shelf stable for months or refrigerated for years.
Hello, is it okay to chill the dough first before baking the cookies? Is the dough suitable to make ahead, pop it in the fridge and thaw it out before baking? Thank you
Chilling the dough will result in a thicker cookie, but you’re welcome to! Or, if it’s more helpful for a busy schedule, you can also bake and assemble the cookies and freeze them. They taste amazing frozen, but you can also thaw them overnight in the fridge! I hope that helps 🙂
Thank you so much for the speedy reply! My family and I enjoyed them. I appreciate your recipe. Take care!