Bite-size Chocolate Cookie Cups are placed on a cooling rack. They are in signature chocolate brown color, have lightly crispy edges, soft and chewy inside with a silky ganache filling. They're decorated with colorful sprinkles. A glass cup of milk is served on the side.

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: These Chocolate Cookie Cups are sweet, easy and entertaining to make. They come in adorable bite-size cups offering a decadent cocoa-infused softness and chew on the inside and a slightly crisp on the exterior. Their versatility shines through as they can be enjoyed on their own or filled with various delightful toppings for flavor and texture contrast. Perfect for indulging alone or sharing and will undoubtedly satisfy any sweet craving, they come together with simple pantry staples in under 1 hour!

What I’m obsessed with the most is making this delectable treat with my three-and-half-year old son, Georgie. Just like many other kids, he loves to play with dough so this is a perfectly fun project to do with him. The time spent together of rolling the dough into balls, pressing them into the tins, and then topping them with colorful homemade sprinkles always is and will be just as sweet as cookies!

What is Chocolate Cookie Cups?
Tools for Chocoalte Cookie Cups
Key Ingredients for Chocolate Cookie Cups and Why
How to Make Chocolate Cookie Cups
How to Store Chocolate Cookie Cups
Q: Can I make the cookie cups ahead of time and fill them later?
Q: Can I freeze chocolate cookie cups with ganache filling?
FAQs
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
More Kid-friendly Baking Recipes

What is Chocolate Cookie Cups?

Chocolate cookie cups are delicious bite-sized desserts made from egg-free chocolate cookie dough, molded into cup shapes and baked to a delicately crispy exterior with a lusciously tender center.
They stand out on their own yet will come to the next level with fillings like creamy ganache, fluffy mousse, silky pudding, salted caramel, buttery frosting, sweet gooey jam, ice cream and frozen yogurt, flavored cream cheese, even velvety tangy cheesecake filling, or just fresh seasonal fruit!
Moreover, chocolate cookie cups are eye-catching and crowd-pleasing because of their high customizability that suits individual preferences.

Tools for Chocolate Cookie Cups

Key Ingredients for Chocolate Cookie Cups and Why

For the Chocolate Cookie Dough

Butter
- Make Homemade Butter for the freshest superior taste and creamiest consistency.
- I always use salted butter for extra flavor from salt but unsalted butter will work as well.
- You know your butter is at the right temperature when you push the butter and it makes an indent, but your finger doesn’t easily squish right through. Check out this article on How To Cream Butter And Sugar For Cookies (And Why) for more details.
Granulated sugar
- Sugar sweetens cookies balancing out the bitterness from cocoa powder.
- It tenderizes cookie cups by weakening gluten formation and softens cookies by holding on to and adding moisture.
- In addition, sugar coats air bubbles to retain air making cookies rise so the results are not dense.
- Last but not least, sugar contributes to browning process through Maillard reaction, leading to a visually-appealing golden-brown color.
- You can use sugar substitute of your choice from my Sugar Substitute Chart but the result will be different.
Dark brown sugar
- Dark brown sugar adds more moisture and caramel taste.
- Make your own using my Homemade Brown Sugar recipe.
Vanilla extract
- Vanilla extract enhances flavors.
- Make your own using my recipe Homemade Extracts at a fraction of store price.
All-purpose flour
- All-purpose flour has protein around 8-11% which ensures cookies a sturdy enough structure to hold shape or mix-ins without being tough.
- You can use gluten-free flours and be sure to check out my tips below.
Cocoa powder
- Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (from toasted cacao beans) or cacao powder(from raw cacao beans) for a more intense and robust chocolate flavor.
- Do not use hot chocolate mix as it usually contains sugar and additives that will affect the flavor and are bad for health.
Baking soda
- Baking soda is the raising agent to give cookie cups perfect volume.
- In addition, baking soda also reacts with hot sugar to create the lightly crispy exterior and a more caramel flavor.

For the Milk Chocolate Ganache Filling

Milk chocolate:
- Milk chocolate will be an easier choice for kids than bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate.
- Check out my Ultimate Guide on Different Types of Chocolate for more details.
Heavy cream
- Use 30%-36% heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk for creamy texture and rich flavor.
- You can use other shelf-stable cream or reduced fat cream but the result will be thin and split.

How to Make Chocolate Cookie Cups

Make the Cookie Cups

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) fan assist and butter about 30 mini muffin cups.
Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl beat the softened butter and sugar until blended, then whisk in the vanilla extract. You can also do this step in a standing mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Mix dry ingredients and combine the two: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda, then fold this into the butter mixture until evenly combined. Check out my article and find out Why You Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately.
Shape cookie cups before baking: Scoop level tablespoons of cookie dough, roll into a ball and press into the bottoms and up the sides of the prepared muffin tins.
Bake pans for roughly 10 minutes, until set.
Shape cookie cups after baking: Immediately press an indentation into the center of each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the Ganache Filling

Prep: Place the chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl and set aside.
Make the ganache:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream until just beginning to steam and simmer, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. DO NOT STIR otherwise it will split.
- Place a whisk in the center of the bowl and begin stirring the chocolate and cream together using a small, circular motion that gradually gets larger to incorporate all of the cream into the chocolate. Stop as soon as the mixture is smooth.

Assemble Cookie Cups:

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each cookie cup. Top with sprinkles and refrigerate until cold and set, about 90 minutes.

Chocolate Cookie Cups are baked and set perfectly in a 12-well mini cupcake pan. These bite-size cups have lightly crispy edges, soft and chewy inside with a silky ganache filling. They're decorated with colorful sprinkles.

How to Store Chocolate Cookie Cups

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Alternatively, place the airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Q: How do I make chocolate cookie cups in a conventional oven (non-fan assist, non-convection oven)?

If you’re using a regular oven, cook at 375°F (190°C). For more information, see this Guide to Knowing Your Oven.
If you don’t use a fan then you will have to rotate the trays for an even bake.

Q: Why and what can I do if my ganache is runny?

Ganache turned out runny, broken, or split due to a few causes. Here’s why and what to do:
- Do not overheat cream. It’s best to use a heavy bottom saucepan to warm the cream on LOW heat until the edges just start to simmer.
- Use finely chopped chocolate bars instead of chips. Chocolate chips are designed to hold shapes so it’s hard to completely melt them. Overmixing will separate fat from chocolate to break the ganache.
- Do not overheat the chocolate. Let the HOT/WARM cream sit in the bowl without stirring for 10 minutes. This process will melt chocolate evenly and naturally without seizing it.
- SLOWLY stir chocolate and cream together from the center until nice smooth. Swirling the bowl/pan will help chocolate to melt without over mixing. As it cools, it will thicken up more.
- Do not start whipping too early. Once the ganache has COOLED COMPLETELY and reached the consistency of thick custard, whip it up until light and fluffy.
To fix broken ganache BEFORE WHIPPING, warm the mixture in a bowl over a pot of simmering water while whisking vigorously. If that doesn’t work, vigorously whisk in a small amount of room-temperature milk or even a liqueur. Don’t use cream to restore your ganache, because the mixture already contains too much fat to come together.
But if it’s over whipped and split, there’s not much to salvage. You may have to start over.

FAQs

Can I make cookie cups gluten-free?

Yes, you can make the cups gluten free. Check out my Guide to the Best Gluten-Free Flours for details
Note to hold back some liquid by using up to ½-¾ in one go and adjust it accordingly to get the same consistency as the recipe.

Can I freeze the raw dough?

Yes, you can freeze raw shaped cookie cups.
When ready to bake, take the amount of cups out if the freezer and let them sit at room temperature while preheating the oven. Bake per this recipe.

Can I make vegan chocolate cookie cups?

Yes, you can make vegan chocolate cookie cups by using plant-based butter or coconut oil and milk substitutes in the recipe.

Can I make the cookie cups ahead of time and fill them later?

Yes, you can bake the cookie cups in advance and fill them with ganache or other fillings just before serving for the best experience.

Can I reheat frozen baked cookie cups?

It’s best to let frozen cookie cups thaw at room temperature. However, I do not recommend re-baking them.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

If you only have one mini muffin tin you can roll all of the dough into balls and hold them in the refrigerator while you shape and bake one tray at a time.
Make sure to make the dent in the cookie cups while they are just out of the oven and still very hot or it won’t work.
You can use any kind of chocolate that you like for the filling. I always prefer bittersweet chocolate but if these are for kids, their sensitive palates might rather have semi-sweet or even milk chocolate.
You can make chocolate chip cookie cups by adding finely chopped for mini chocolate chips into the dough. Other mix-ins including chopped toasted nuts, toasted seeds, fiber-rich oats, or dried fruit can also add extra texture and flavor.
Customize with care to avoid choking hazard among young kids.
Don’t forget to check out more Kids Baking Activities with FREE Downloadable Worksheets.

Chocolate Cookie Cups Recipe

4.38 from 8 votes

Print Recipe

Make easy, versatile chocolate cookie cups for an irresistible kid-friendly and crowd-pleasing dessert packed with rich cocoa and textures.

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: cookie cups

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 10

Total Time 55

Make easy, versatile chocolate cookie cups for an irresistible kid-friendly and crowd-pleasing dessert packed with rich cocoa and textures.

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: cookie cups