Cookie dough stuffed chocolate cookies

These decadent cookies have a chocolate chip cookie dough filling studded with mini chocolate chips tucked inside of a deeply chocolatey cookie. A cookie lover's dream come true!

This post contains product affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.

I had been DREAMING of this cookie for some time, and it turned out even better than I could've imagined. I worked on an edible cookie dough recipe over the holidays (I hosted an ice cream sundae party and wanted a homemade topping - I promise to perfect and share that recipe soon too!). And when I made that edible cookie dough, it made me think about what recipes I could use that in. I have a lot of ideas for where it would make a delicious addition, but as a filling in a chocolate cookie was my number one priority.

Your first step will be to make the cookie dough disks. This step is easy and can be done in a bowl with a spatula. I chose to use mini semisweet chocolate chips to ensure you get plenty of chips in every bite, but if you don't want an extra trip to the store, standard sized semisweet chocolate chips would work great too. I also like to use regular sized chips at the end to top your cookie with, but that step is completely optional. To keep the cookie dough like texture, this filling doesn't use egg and instead uses dairy, specifically heavy cream. I feel confident that whole milk would work well too, but I haven't tested it yet so I will update the recipe once I'm able to test that as a swap.

Once your cookie dough disks are solidifying in the freezer - this will make the dough shaping step a breeze - you'll make a simple and delicious chocolate cookie dough. While the cookie dough center I got right on the first try, the chocolate dough took a few rounds to get just right. I wanted a strong chocolate flavor with just the right balance of sweetness. And since the chocolate dough wraps around the cookie dough filling, I had to make sure it was stable enough to spread while keeping some of its shape, without baking dry - because no one wants a dry cookie! I got the dough just right so that it's easy to handle when shaping, and bakes with the perfect texture and taste.

While you can chill the shaped dough for up to 24 hours if you cover it properly, it really only requires about 2 hours. The recipe calls for 30 minutes to an hour for the unscooped chocolate dough and then about an hour once you've shaped your dough. I didn't find the texture to improve noticeably with the longer chill, but the range will give you some flexibility especially if you want to make your dough ahead. The great news is that I found in testing that the dough also bakes great from frozen (I've shared guidance at the end of the recipe to outline how to freeze your dough and bake from frozen) and the cookies once baked also last really well for a few days at room temperature or for even longer in the fridge. Other than freshly baked, the other way I really enjoyed these cookies was after a ~10 second heating in the microwave.

For measuring your dough, you'll use a small 1 1/2 tablespoon or # 40 scooper for the cookie dough filling and a larger 3 tablespoon or # 20 scooper for the chocolate cookie dough. I've also shared gram measurements in the full recipe so you can measure your dough by weight.

For the best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements provided

Ingredients:

Chocolate chip cookie dough filling

• 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/4 cup (48g) light brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons (24g) granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon (14g) heavy cream

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (68g) all purpose flour

• Pinch of salt

• 3 tablespoons (40g) mini semisweet chips

Chocolate cookie dough  

• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature  

• 1/2 cup (96g) light brown sugar 

• 1/3 cup (64g) granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• 1 large egg 

• 1/3 cup (34g) dutch process cocoa powder 

• 1 1/4 cup (150g) all purpose flour 

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Prep time: About 30 minutes

Bake time: 12 minutes

Chill time: 2 hours

Servings: 9 cookies

Equipment:

• Spatula or large spoon

• Hand mixer (optional but recommended for chocolate dough)

• Cookie sheets

• Parchment paper

• Large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and medium/small cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons)

• Large and small bowl

Cooking instructions:

First make your cookie dough filling. Add your butter, light brown and granulated sugar to a medium bowl and use a spatula to mix together until fully combined with no visible streaks of butter.

Add in your heavy cream and vanilla, and continue to mix until completely incorporated.

Next add your flour and salt, and fold together until a shaggy dough forms with some flour still visible.

Finally, pour in your mini chocolate chips and fold together until your chips are evenly dispersed and your dough has formed.

Use a # 40 or 1 1/2 tablespoon scooper to scoop your cookie dough into 9 portions (about 27g each) onto a parchment lined sheet or plate in a single layer that can fit flat in your freezer. Press each scoop into a thick disk and then place into your freezer to chill. You can do this up to a day ahead, just be sure to cover your cookie dough disks with plastic wrap and they can stay in the freezer.

Meanwhile, make your chocolate dough. In a large bowl, add your butter, light brown and granulated sugars. Mix with your hand mixer at a medium to high speed for a minute or two until your mixture has lightened slightly in color.

Then add in your vanilla extract and egg. Continue to mix at a medium speed for another minute or two until light and fluffy.

Add in your cocoa powder and keep mixing until completely combined. Then add the rest of your dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix at a low speed until almost fully combined, then switch to a spatula and fold your ingredients together until your dough just forms.

Place the chocolate cookie dough uncovered into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up.

Assemble your dough, chill and bake. Remove your chocolate dough from the fridge and use a # 20 or 3 tablespoon scooper to scoop your dough into 9 portions (about 55g each). Place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and press each cookie dough ball into a disk.

Get your cookie dough filling from the freezer, and place one disk onto the center of each chocolate cookie disk. Wrap your chocolate cookie dough around the edges of the cookie dough filling, leaving some of the cookie dough center visible.

Place your formed cookie dough portions back into the fridge to chill for an hour uncovered. If you'd like to chill for longer, this dough can be chilled for up to 24 hours if covered with plastic wrap.

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Space your scoops out onto larger, parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for around 12 minutes. Once baked, the chocolate portion of your cookie should look set and shiny and the center will still look lightly damp. For the best results, I recommend baking one tray at a time and rotating partway through the bake time.

If you'd like, you can top your baked cookies with some full size semisweet chocolate chips, pressing them in gently to secure. Allow your cookies to cool and set on the pan for about 15 minutes, and then enjoy!

Additional Storage and Dough Freezing Guidance:

You can store your baked cookies in an airtight container for about 3 days, or up to 5 if stored in the fridge. They do taste great even a day or two after baked at room temperature, but they also are delicious warmed up in the microwave.

You can also freeze some or all of your dough to bake later (the dough is best baked from frozen within the first two months). To do this, place your fully chilled, scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and into the freezer for 12-24 hours. Then, transfer your frozen dough to a plastic bag or airtight container and store in the freezer. To bake from frozen, set your oven to 325 degrees and add a few minutes to the bake time.

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 9 cookies

Carbs per serving: 50

Carbs for full recipe: 452

Cookie dough filling: 154

Chocolate cookie: 298

Mini semisweet chips: 27

Optional semisweet chip topping: adds ~2 carbs per cookie

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.