The Best Ever Chocolate Filled Cookies

If you love chocolate chip cookies, you're going to love these chocolate filled chocolate chip cookies.

Yup, that's right! A chocolate chip cookie with a rich and creamy chocolate filling. So. Good.

Using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour in this recipe makes these cookies the absolute best chocolate filled cookies ever. They're so soft and chewy in the middle with perfectly crispy edges. And, of course, the homemade chocolate ganache filling is to die for.

So, if you're craving chocolate or you want to impress your friends at your next get-together, whip up a batch of these homemade chocolate filled cookies. Everyone will love you for it.

Why You'll Love This Recipes

• Soft & Chewy- The bread flour and cornstarch give these cookies structure while still creating the softest, chewiest cookie ever.
• Super Chocolatey- A chocolate chip cookie filled with MORE chocolate? Yes, please! These chocolate filled cookies are the ultimate sweet treat for chocolate-lovers.
• Scratch-Made- Impress your family and friends with homemade chocolate filled cookies at your next potluck or holiday party.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes on key ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

• Baking Chocolate- I like to use a bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate to make the ganache. You only need about 2 ounces for this recipe. Chop the chocolate into fine enough pieces to melt easily when mixed with the warm heavy cream.
• Heavy Cream- When warming the heavy cream on the stovetop, you want it to just barely come to a simmer. Then, remove it immediately from the heat and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
• Bread Flour- One of the secret ingredients in this chocolate filled cookie recipe. Bread flour has a little more protein than all-purpose flour, which helps give the cookie dough enough structure to hold the chocolate ganache filling in place while baking.
• Cornstarch- Another secret ingredient, cornstarch gives these cookies a softer texture and helps prevent them from spreading too thin in the oven.
• Butter- Make sure you let the butter come to room temperature before using it. Softened butter is easier to cream together with sugar.
• Chocolate Chips- Press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of the cookies just before baking for a photo-worthy cookie.

All-Purpose Flour vs Bread Flour

The biggest difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour is the amount of protein each type of flour contains. All-purpose flour contains 9-11% protein while bread flour contains 11-13% protein.

Why does that matter? The amount of protein directly relates to how much gluten is formed when the flour is mixed with liquid. The more gluten that is formed, the more structure and chew a baked good will have. This is especially apparent with bread, but the same holds true with cookies.

In this recipe, we want the cookie to have a little more structure to help prevent it from spreading out too thin and leaking the ganache filling all over the baking sheet. Don't worry, your cookie isn't going to have the same texture as bread. Just a little more chew, which is a good thing! Trust me.

I tested these chocolate filled cookies with all-purpose flour first before I gave bread flour a try. And the difference was definitely noticeable.

The all-purpose flour version spread out a lot more and some of the ganache leaked out of the bottom. On the other hand, the bread flour version was the perfect cookie. Crispy edges and a chewy, soft center. Plus, the ganache filling was perfectly contained.

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few ways you can customize these decadent fudge filled cookies to fit your diet and taste preferences.

Substitutions

• Chocolate Ganache- Try making a white chocolate ganache or milk chocolate ganache, if preferred. You can also try freezing chocolate hazelnut spread or wrapping cookie dough around a chocolate wafer instead.
• Bread Flour- Of course, you can use an equal amount of all-purpose flour. Keep in mind, however, that the cookies may not end up with the ideal texture. Try chilling the cookie dough balls for 10 minutes after assembling to prevent excessive spreading.
• Cornstarch- If you're all out of cornstarch, just leave it out. While it does help create softer cookies and prevents spreading, it's not a make or break ingredient.
• Butter- Swap butter for margarine or your favorite dairy-free stick butter. Alternatively, you can try using coconut oil or vegetable oil in place of the butter.
• Sugar- If you want to replace the sugar with a liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup or honey, you may need to increase the amount of flour to achieve the right consistency. I haven't tested this so I'm not sure how well it would turn out.
• Eggs- Try using applesauce, flax egg, chia egg, or commercial egg replacers as egg substitutes in these cookies.
• Chocolate Chips- White chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or even chopped walnuts would all make delicious substitutes for regular chocolate chips.

Variations

• Gluten-Free- Use your favorite gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe or replace the bread flour with gluten-free all-purpose baking flour.
• Crunchy Nuts- Replace half of the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts or pecans.
• Black & White- Make a white chocolate ganache filling or swap the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips to get the best of both worlds.
• Peanut Butter- Try a peanut butter ganache filling for a chocolate peanut butter version of this delicious cookie.

How to Make Chocolate Filled Cookies

Here is how to make these chocolate-filled chocolate chip cookies.

For the Chocolate Ganache

Step 1: Make the ganache. Add the chopped chocolate to a heat-proof mixing bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove it from the heat as soon as you notice it beginning to simmer (do not let it come to a boil). Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes. Then, carefully stir the chocolate and cream together until a smooth, homogenous mixture forms. Set the ganache aside for 1-2 hours to thicken at room temperature.

Step 2: Freeze the ganache. Once the ganache has thickened, spoon 12 teaspoon-sized scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.

For the Chocolate Filled Cookies

Step 3: Make the cookie dough. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients. Then, fold in the chocolate chips and place the cookie dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.

Step 4: Form the cookie dough balls. While the cookie dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and use about half of it to make 24 small cookie dough balls. Press an indent into the center of each cookie dough ball with your thumb.

Step 5: Fill the cookie dough. Remove the chocolate ganache from the freezer and cut each piece in half to make 24 small pieces. Place a piece of frozen ganache into each indent you made in the cookie dough balls. Cover the ganache with a little more cookie dough and press to seal.

Step 6: Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Tips for Success

• Prepare the ganache ahead. Since the ganache takes a couple of hours to thicken up enough to scoop, I recommend making it a day or two ahead.
• Measure your flour by weight. Nothing is worse than dry, crumbly cookies. Flour is one of those ingredients that is super easy to over-measure if you're using measuring cups. If you have a food scale, measure the flour in grams. Otherwise, spoon the flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping it.
• Use bread flour. I tested these cookies with both all-purpose flour and bread flour. The bread flour turned out to be the clear winner. I know bread flour isn't a standard pantry staple, but it works so beautifully in this recipe that I would consider it a must.
• Work quickly to prevent melting. When forming the cookie dough balls, work quickly to prevent the chocolate ganache and the cookie dough from becoming too warm. If the cookie dough becomes too soft before baking, it may spread too thin in the oven and not be able to hold the ganache filling.
• Don't overcook the cookies. For soft, chewy cookies, you want to take them out of the oven when the edges just begin to turn golden brown and the center still looks slightly undercooked. If the centers are golden brown, your cookies are overdone.

How to Store

Cookie Dough

• Refrigerator- Raw cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days, according to the USDA.
• Freezer- If you want to freeze this chocolate filled cookie dough, I recommend filling the cookie dough with the chocolate ganache. Then, flash freeze the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet before storing them in a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 2 months. You can bake the cookies from frozen, keeping in mind that you may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.

Baked Cookies

• Room Temperature- According to the USDA, homemade cookies can be safely stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
• Freezer- Allow the cookies to cool completely before placing them inside of a freezer-safe bag and storing in the freezer for 8-12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

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