Chocolate Molten Scoop Cookies

I don’t often pay close attention to baking trends, honestly. Most of them either don’t leave much of an impression on me, or aren’t appealing in the slightest. Sometimes that’s because I genuinely don’t like an ingredient, as is the case with the Dubai chocolate trend (here’s glaring at you, pistachios). Other times, it’s because it just feels tedious and pointless, like with making miniature versions of things like croissants to eat with a spoon like cereal. Who is taking that over a delicious, fluffy traditional croissant?

However, occasionally, the baking community really gets something right. The second I saw the scoopable cookies trend, I was sold. Freshly made, warm, fragrant cookies? Just as decadent and delectable as a traditional cookie? Thrown together more quickly, so you get to the delicious part faster? What’s not to love?

Now, with a trend like this, there are plenty of people who showcase throwing it all together using store bought, pre-made dough. And I get it, truly! But if you love to bake, and you want to still be able to pour your heart into these, I implore you to try out the recipe I’ve created. The cookie is crisp on top and along the edges, with a soft interior. The molten filling is rich and gooey, bursting with chocolaty goodness. The perfect treat to make with your kids or friends. Throw them together for your next sleepover or family dinner, and serve each scoop with your favorite ice cream!

FAQs and Science

Why do I still have to chill the dough before baking it?

Chilling the dough does a few beneficial things. For one, it allows the flavors to meld together and intensify. It also prevents it from expanding too much, which could lead to an overflow from the pan while it bakes.

Could I substitute the semisweet chocolate chips with milk chocolate?

In many cases, I’m a proponent of using what you prefer. In this case, however, the slight bitterness of the semisweet chocolate is truly necessary to counteract the sweetness of everything else.

Does it matter for the eggs to be room temperature? Is there a fast way to warm them up?

Yes, for the sake of easier emulsification, the eggs need to be room temperature. Place them in a bowl and cover them with the hottest water that will come out of your faucet, at the beginning of the recipe. That way, by the time they’re needed, they’ll be at the perfect temperature.

Is the filling going to leak out?

I’m not going to lie, it might leak out during the baking process. That’s the nature of this kind of filling. Place a baking sheet underneath while everything bakes to catch any possible fallout, and it will be fine.

Do I really have to wait to scoop a portion out once they’re out of the oven? Why?

As eager as we all are to break into fresh, hot cookies in any form, patience remains a virtue with these scoop cookies. If you don’t give it time to rest and set up a bit, the molten filling will run everywhere and the whole thing will be liquidy.

What You’ll Need

• Plastic wrap
• Nonstick baking spray
• 10×3 inch round pan
• Stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment
• 2 medium mixing bowls
• Dry measuring cups
• Wet measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Large spoon

The Process

Form the Dough

It will have to chill for an hour (yes, even though we aren’t shaping traditional cookies), so begin with the dough. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry goods aside.

Now for the wet! Cream the softened butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on level 3. Butter can be quickly softened in the microwave, in 10-12 second increments where it gets flipped around in between until it’s soft, but not melted. The creamed butter/sugar mixture should go from a thick medium-beige paste to very fluffy and light beige, taking about 5 minutes or so.

Crack in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla extract. Make sure the first egg has fully absorbed into the mixture, on level 3, before adding in the next egg. If you add them all at once, the dough will have difficulty emulsifying and you’re going to have a bad time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula in between each egg, or as needed.

Dump all of the prepared dry goods at once into the dough. Mix the dough on level one for about a minute, gently bringing it all together. Once most of the flour has been absorbed but a few streaks still remain, turn the mixer off again and add in the chocolate chips.

These streaks of flour are a visual cue that you haven’t over-mixed the dough. Over-mixed dough means too much gluten development, and too much gluten development means tough cookies. We want tender cookies, not tough. Stir in the chocolate on level one for 30 seconds or so, until it’s evenly distributed and there’s no visible flour remaining.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and bring all of the dough down to the center. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for an hour to chill. Move onto the filling as it does.

Prepare The Filling

Prepare the filling as the dough chills. Melt the butter and chocolate together. I just do this in a heat safe mixing bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds so nothing burns. If you’re anti-microwave though, you’re welcome to melt them together on the stove and pour it into the mixing bowl afterwards.

Add corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to the melted chocolate bowl. Whisk or stir them all together until one homogeneous mixture forms. It should be thick and gooey by the end. Cover it with plastic wrap and set the filling aside until it’s needed.

Assemble and Bake

Approximately 30 minutes or so before you’re ready to assemble and bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Make sure the rack is in the center of the oven. Spray a 10×3 inch circular pan with nonstick baking spray. You’ll see that I used a large heart-shaped pan for pictures, but it’s approximately the same volume as a tall 10-inch pan would be. You could also try a 9×13 inch pan, but it will probably need less time in the oven.

Take the thoroughly chilled dough from the fridge. Divide the dough in half and press one half into the sprayed pan. Typically, I would’ve advised you to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, but due to the nature of the bake, we aren’t worried about it all coming out in one piece regardless.

Pour the filling onto the first layer of dough, scraping as much out of the bowl with the rubber spatula as you can. Use the spatula to spread the filling out as evenly as possible.

Flatten hunks of the second half of dough with your hands and place them on top of the filling. Pinch the seams together, to seal the hunks of dough as best as you can. Cover as much of the filling as you can manage to.

Stick the assembled cookies into the hot oven, on the center rack. Bake it for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the top is golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble around the edges. 

Let the pan rest for 10-20 minutes or so before serving. If you try to scoop it out immediately, there’s no structural integrity. The whole thing will be molten hot liquid, which is both unpleasant and unsafe to eat, and allows the filling to completely leak out of the center of the rest of the batch. Patience will pay off here, trust me. After it’s had time to rest, serve scoops of cookie with vanilla (or your favorite) ice cream! Scoop any leftover cookie into an airtight container for up to 3 days, and enjoy.

Chocolate Molten Scoop Cookies

Bake Time: 350F for 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Prep Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Dough:

• 3 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 18 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Filling:

• 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cup light corn syrup
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Directions

The Dough:

1. Begin by bringing the dough together. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set the dry goods aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on level 3 for 5 minutes or so. The mixture should go from a thick textured medium beige to a very fluffy light beige, as shown above. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Add in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating the dough on level 3 for a minute or so until it’s absorbed into the mixture. Make sure the first egg has mixed in before tossing in the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each egg, or as needed.
4. All at once, pour the dry goods into the dough. Turn the mixer to level 1 and gently incorporate the flour, until most of it has absorbed but a few streaks visibly remain. Shut the mixer off and add the chocolate chips. Turn it back on to level 1 for 30 seconds or so, until the chocolate has evenly distributed and the flour has disappeared.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl with the spatula once more and cover the completed dough with plastic wrap. Place the dough into the fridge and chill it for 1 hour. Work on the filling as it does.

The Filling

1. While the dough chills, bring the filling together. In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat together the chocolate and butter. Give them a stir every 30 seconds, to prevent burning the chocolate.
2. To the chocolate mixture, pour in the corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk them all together until the filling becomes homogeneous. Cover it with plastic wrap and set the filling aside until it’s time to assemble and bake.

Assembly and Bake

1. About 30 minutes before you’re ready to assemble the cookies and bake them off, preheat the oven and prepare the pan. Turn the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and place the rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 10-inch round pan with 3 inch high sides with nonstick baking spray.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge. Press about half of the dough into the bottom of the pan, firmly. Scrape the filling onto the bottom layer of dough with a rubber spatula and spread it out evenly over the dough.
3. For the top layer, take hunks of the remaining dough and gently flatten it out with your hands. Place the flat dough in sections on top of the filling, taking care to cover all of it completely. Lightly seal the dough together by pinching the side-by-side sections together.
4. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven for 35 minutes, flipping the pan halfway through, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling up a bit around the edges. 
5. Allow the cookies to rest for 10-20 minutes, then dig in and scoop a hearty portion into a bowl! Serve with vanilla ice cream. Once the scoop cookies have cooled completely, any leftover can be scooped into an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tips

• These scoop cookies can be assembled and ready to bake up to two days ahead of time! Follow the recipe as written, through step 3 in the Assembly and Bake section, skipping over heating the oven. Cover the fully assembled cookies airtight with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. Half an hour before you’re ready to bake it off, heat the oven to 350F and complete the recipe as written.
• Place a baking sheet below the cookie pan to catch any filling that may drip up over the sides. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s been known to happen and it’s easier to clean a sticky pan than a hot, sticky oven.