Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Ultra-chocolaty without being too intense. Every bite is pure heaven!
Texture: The brownie itself is chewy, while the chocolate lava just oozes out into a rich, gooey, and luscious surprise.
Ease: Very simple to make!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Romantic, easy, and utterly delicious.
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There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how perfect these lava brownies are.
Beautiful, delectable, delicious, heavenly, indulgent, mouthwatering, scrumptious, wonderful … still not quite sure all those words do it justice.
One of my favorite things in life is lava… molten chocolate lava, that is. As a total chocoholic and lover of all things rich, gooey, and ooey, chocolate lava cakes are my jam.
These are so rich, chewy, and delightful, and are one of the best things I’ve ever made.
These Lava Brownies are the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert idea, great for a dinner party, or really anytime you’re craving something chocolatey and wonderful.
I hope you, my fellow chocoholics, love them as much as I do!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Lava Brownies
How to Get Perfectly Flowing Lava
Be sure to freeze your lava filling until it’s hard, as directed in the recipe. If your filling is not completely frozen, it may melt too fast and absorb into the brownie mixture as the Lava Brownies bake, and your brownies may not have a liquidy, flowing center.
The Chocolate
I prefer a combination of semi-sweet + unsweetened chocolate for this recipe, for the perfect balance of sweetness. I like to use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips and unsweetened baking chocolate bars. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate to your preference, but just note that this will impact the sweetness levels.
Tips for Perfect Brownies
- Avoid adding too much flour. Too much flour will make for dry, crumbly, or cakey brownies. I highly recommend using a digital scale to measure, but if you don’t have one, learn how to measure for accuracy here.
- Do not reduce the sugar. Sugar does so much more than simply sweetening in baking – learn more about what sugar really does in baking here.
- Avoid overbaking. Pull your lava brownies from the oven once the brownie is cooked through but the lava is still molten. This provides the perfect lava, without causing your brownies to be hard or dry.
What Type of Pan for Lava Brownies?
This recipe was written to use a jumbo muffin pan, like this one. If your pan is very dark in color, it may bake a little faster, so be cautious of overbaking and try shaving a couple minutes off the bake time to start.
You can alternatively use similarly-sized ramekins. I have not tried this recipe using a regular or mini-sized muffin pan.
How to Avoid Lava Brownies Sticking to the Pan
If you don’t grease your pan well, your lava brownies may stick to the pan. I typically use Baker’s Joy spray, as I find that it works well to avoid sticking. You can also try using melted butter or melted shortening, brushing it on with a silicone brush, and then coat the insides with granulated sugar or cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.
How to Serve Lava Brownies
I love to serve my Lava Brownies with fresh raspberries, but you could also serve with:
- Strawberries
- Fresh mint
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
- Melted peanut butter
- Salted Caramel Sauce
- Whatever your heart desires!
Can Lava Brownies be Made Ahead?
Yes! Once portioned out into the muffin tin, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before inserting the frozen lava filling and baking.
How to Store Lava Brownies
Lava Brownies are best served just after baking, but they can be stored in an airtight container and reheated in the microwave before serving.
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Ingredients
For the chocolate lava:
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the brownies:
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Fresh raspberries, for serving
Instructions
For the chocolate lava:
- In a small saucepan, combine the lava ingredients. Stir over low heat until melted. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool for 15 minutes. Cover and freeze for 1 hour, or until fudge-like consistency. Divide into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. Place in the freezer until solid.
For the brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Continue heating in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth, being careful not to scorch the mixture. Allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and salt, folding gently until combined.
- Divide the batter among the prepared cups.
- Make Ahead: At this point, the unbaked lava brownies can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before inserting the lava filling balls and baking.
- Place a ball of lava filling into the center of each cup, pressing down slightly to cover with batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the brownie is cooked through but the lava is still molten. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes before turning out onto a tray and serving on individual plates. Serve immediately with fresh raspberries.
- Brownies can be reheated in the microwave to serve later, but are best served just after baking.
This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated with recipe weight measurements and additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi Tessa,
These look amazing. Could i make a big batch and freeze them uncooked?
I made these for Valentine’s Day and they tasted amazing!! Even shared some with my in laws and they loved it. However I had one big problem with this recipe. All 6 (I baked them as two sets of 3 a few hours apart) had the tops fall into the lava cake. So the first three I made when I flipped them on the tray I lost a lot of the filling. The other three I flipped straight onto a plate to avoid losing the “lava”.
I tried baking the second set longer to see if that would help settle the tops of the cakes but that didn’t help too much.
Should I add more flour or something?
How big are the muffin cups you used? I have ramekins that are each 6 oz that I’d like to try this with.
how many calories????
Has anyone made these is mini muffin pans? How long did you make them?
Hi. I know it calls for unsweetened, but I’m making them tonight and realized I’m all out. Can I substitute dark chocolate and just lower the amount of white sugar? If so, by how much?
Try using a stainless steel melon baller to create lava balls and then roll them in cocoa powder, then, rechill. I use splash of.Grand Marinier liquor in the lava ball ganache mix but you could use cherry or raspberry liquor instead for Valentines Day.
How do you chop chocolate so it doesn’t get all static clingy and get all over the kitchen? I often avoid recipes that call for chopped chocolate because it drives me batty!
Hi Rachel, are you using a plastic cutting board to chop chocolate? I notice that can really create the annoying static. Try using wood instead!
Can these be made in a regular sized muffin tin for smaller portions?
Hi Tessa,
I found you on the Instagram. (thank you, Instagram)
Can I say, I am 100% in love with your recipe because I am obsession with all kinds of lava cakes.
Thank you and happy Friday.
This look absolutely delicious! I was going to ask how these were as “leftovers” but I see you already mentioned that in the post. You’re so great about thinking of everything!
Awe thanks Nichole!! xo
Can this be made with Gluten Free flour?
I haven’t tried that yet, but if you give it a go let us know how it turns out!