Hot Fudge Sundae Cookies (2 ways)
A chocolate chip cookie with a surprise hot fudge middle that is topped with sprinkles, hot fudge, ice cream and a cherry on top. This is a perfect celebration cookie and a great cookie for sharing!
A last farewell cookie recipe to say goodbye to summer. I understand, it’s the end of August in Texas, September brings just as high temperatures and a longing for rain as any other summer month, but the time for fall flavors is now. Maybe it’s the mass marketing of pumpkin spice everything that gets to me, or all the glittery fall décor in all the department stores, or the constant influx of seasonal fall inspired candles advertisements I cannot seem to escape from any social media I log into. To be quite frank, I am delighted at the thought of my house filled with the spicy and intoxicating aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. It’s only a matter of time before I am in the euphoric state of madness baking every damn cookie recipe I come across like a mad scientist while gearing up for holiday cookie season in November and December. I will enjoy this last delicious summer-inspired recipe and move onto all things fall later this week.
Why I Love This Recipe
Fun- there is no shortage of sugar fun in this cookie. Store bought hot fudge is a simple and rich addition that improves a classic chocolate chip cookie. It would be a great cookie to serve for a birthday or any celebratory occasion.
Texture-What is there not to love about hot fudge, cookies, and ice cream? There are so many wonderful textures in this cookie that make it so fun to eat. I will say the extra hot fudge and ice cream on top of this cookie is not optional!
Easy to Make-I have included the recipe for my classic chocolate chip cookie you can make for this recipe. I had frozen extra dough and took it out of the freezer to make these cookies and I highly recommend freezing cookie dough so that you can whip up this recipe in minutes. You can also use any favorite store-bought dough for the ramekin version of this recipe.
Ingredients You Need
I used my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe to make these hot fudge cookies. Ingredients listed below.
-Butter
-Granulated & Brown sugar-I have less granulated sugar than brown sugar because I don’t want my cookies to spread or be too crispy. The brown sugar keeps the cookie soft. Also, the sugar in the pudding mix adds to the sweetness of the cookie so not much granulated sugar is needed.
-Eggs and egg yolk- the egg yolk is not absolutely necessary, I have made this recipe without it and achieved great results. I do feel the extra egg yolk gives the dough a richer flavor and softer texture to the cookie, so I like to add it in.
-Salt
-Vanilla extract- I go a little heavy on the vanilla in this recipe because I like the warmth it gives the cookie dough. You can reduce the vanilla by a teaspoon if you don’t want too much vanilla.
-Vanilla pudding mix- I use a small box of vanilla pudding in this recipe. It will give your cookies a nice vanilla flavor while also keeping them soft from the cornstarch in the mix. If you want to avoid pudding mix you can substitute for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
-Flour
-Baking Soda
-Sprinkles-I used a half cup of sprinkles.
-Hot Fudge sauce- I used an 11 ounce jar of Smuckers brand Simple Delight hot fudge topping. You want to use a hot fudge that is thick and scoopable with a spoon when it is not heated. Chocolate syrup will not work for this recipe.
-Maraschino Cherries and Ice Cream for serving.
Let’s Make Cookies!
The chocolate chip cookie recipe I am using is my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. Click the link for all the cookie making details.
I had frozen some of this cookie dough a few weeks ago and took them out of the freezer to have some creative fun. They were the perfect texture for a hot fudge filling. If you are working with frozen dough, thaw the dough out in the fridge for a few hours first then at least 30 minutes before using, let them sit on the counter to soften up.
**I have posted video on how I make these cookies on: Instagram , Facebook , and Pinterest , if you want a visual aide on how I prepared the ramekins or stuffed the cookie dough**
I have outlined two different ways you can prepare a hot fudge cookie. The first is stuffing the dough, rolling in sprinkles, then freezing before baking. The second, which is my favorite, is layering the cookie dough in a ramekin with hot fudge then baking. The ramekin method takes minutes, does not require additional chill time, and you are able to add more hot fudge then stuffing the dough. The stuffed cookie did bake up with a crisper outer edge that was very delicious paired with cold ice cream, so it’s really a preference in what you would like to achieve with your dessert.
OPTION 1
If you are making the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies and want to stuff the cookies with hot fudge, scoop the dough with a 4-ounce cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
*This recipe will yield 9 portions of 4-ounce cookie dough.*
Take each portion of dough, create a well in the center of the dough, fill with one teaspoon of hot fudge, then seal the edges. Repeat with remaining dough.
Roll the dough in sprinkles then freeze for a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight would be best.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375*F and bake for 14-16 minutes. I look for golden edges and the tops should be dry. Careful not to overbake as the hot fudge filling could leak out.
Cool for 5 minutes then serve. You want to serve this cookie warm to enjoy the hot fudge sundae flavor.
OPTION 2
*The classic chocolate chip cookie recipe will yield 9 ramekins of hot fudge stuffed cookie dough.*
Press two tablespoons of cookie dough on the bottom of a ramekin. Making sure the cookie dough layer is as even as possible. Using a teaspoon, scoop two teaspoons of hot fudge into the middle of the cookie dough. I made sure to keep the hot fudge in the middle and not to spread it out to the edge. Using another 2 tablespoons of cookie dough, I lightly flattened the dough with my fingers to make a flat disc the size of the ramekin and carefully placed the dough on top of the hot fudge. I lightly tapped the dough along the edges to seal the hot fudge inside. I added a pinch of sprinkles to the top of the dough.
Bake at 375*F for 15-18 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream, hot fudge, and a cherry.
If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!
