This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

As a kid, there were many packaged treats I loved. Cosmic Brownies. Nutter Butters. Little Debbie’s Fudge Rounds.

I’ve 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 back-to-school season.

All the end caps were piled high with packaged treats for lunch boxes, and it inspired me to tackle a copycat version without any artificial ingredients.

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!

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.

Store-Bought vs. Homemade Fudge Rounds

Nowadays, store-bought Fudge Rounds are much too sweet and artificial tasting for me. 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:

How to Assemble Homemade Fudge Rounds

1

Make the cookies. Mix the ingredients and scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

2

Bake the cookies. At 350°F for about 8 minutes, until they’re slightly puffy and set.

3

Decorate. Melt the chocolate chips with vegetable oil, then drizzle or pipe over the cooled cookies. Refrigerate until set.

4

Make the filling & pipe. Pipe or spread the filling onto the flat side of half the cookies.

5

Finish assembling. Gently sandwich with the remaining cookies.

Yields: 11 sandwich cookies

How To Make

Homemade Fudge Rounds

Tessa Arias

Yields: 11 sandwich cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 9 minutes mins

Inactive Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 9 minutes mins

Review Recipe Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 9 minutes mins

Inactive Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 9 minutes mins

Review Recipe Print Recipe

These Homemade Fudge Rounds taste just like the packaged cookies you remember, but even BETTER. They’re soft, chewy, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey, with all the nostalgic flavor and none of the overly artificial taste.

Email This Recipe

Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox.

Email(Required)

GDPR Consent

By signing up, you’ll join our email list and can unsubscribe anytime.

Go

Δ

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!

Notes

*Corn syrup prevents grains of sugar from recrystallizing as the cookies cool, creating a texture that’s bendy, chewy, soft, and fudgy. I don’t recommend skipping it, but you can use the same amount of golden syrup if needed.

Share this recipe

This post was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2022 with new photos and recipe improvements. Photos by Joanie Simon.