These chocolate filled cookies will become your go to, never use another cookie recipe again cookie. They are perfectly thick, ganache chocolate chip filled cookies. I am so picky when it comes to chocolate chip cookie recipes. These were inspired by the godiva ganache filled chocolate chip cookies at Costco.
I have tried SO many different types, from recipes that claim they are "the best chewy chocolate chip cookies" to the favorite browned butter chocolate chip cookies, gourmet chocolate chip cookies, premium chocolate chip cookies, and so on. I've been disappointed time and time again after trying these recipes.
No more - this is the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need. It produces fluffy chocolate chip cookies that have have a special inside - melty chocolate-truffle cookies. Honestly, it's a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe but does require extra resting time than others.
My last trip to Costco inspired these chocolate chip truffle cookies. I stumbled across the Godiva ganache filled cookies and instantly knew that a homemade version would be way more satisfying. The godiva chocolate chip cookies become homemade chocolate filled chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate homemade chocolate chip cookie.
The chocolate ganache in this cookie sets up to a super soft truffle filling. Once completely cooled, it will not flow out of the cookie. It remains creamy and a dream to bite into.
Ingredients for copycat Godiva ganache filled chocolate chip cookies
This recipe has two distinct parts - chocolate chip cookie dough and the ganache filling for cookies. The cookies need to be prepped the day before they are needed because both parts of this recipe require a long rest time.
Chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients
- unsalted butter: Unsalted butter should be used when baking because the “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter is between 0.1% to 2.5%, depending on what brand you choose! Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt level in the cookie. Salt is added to butter to preserve it, so salted butter is not as fresh as unsalted butter on the store shelf.
- white sugar: This sweetens the cookie dough, adds body, and makes it chewy.
- brown sugar: This sweetens the cookie dough, adds body, adds color, and deepens the flavor.
- Salt: Salt balances out the sweetness and improve the overall flavor by deepening the flavors brought out by caramelization and butter.
- baking soda: a leavening agent that helps the cookies rise.
- baking powder: a leavening agent that helps the cookies rise.
- vanilla: Did you know that vanilla actually enhances the chocolate flavor? It also provides a well rounded, timeless, cookie flavor.
- all purpose flour
- milk chocolate baking chips: While you are filling these with chocolate ganache, the milk chocolate chips add another layer of depth and texture to the cookies.
- chopped pecans: Pecans were chosen for this recipe because they are a soft, mildly flavored nut. They add texture and flavor to the cookies. Other nuts that could be used are walnuts or macadamia nuts. Peanuts and almonds should not be used because the flavor is too overpowering and the nut is too hard.
- eggs (not pictured above, sorry!): These should be cold, straight out of the fridge. Eggs add structure, leavening, color, and flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Ganache chocolate filling for cookies ingredients
- dark chocolate (not chips) Use your favorite dark chocolate bar, not bakers chocolate or chocolate chips. I recommend the dark chocolate be between 64%-72% cocoa solids.
- unsalted butter
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for ganache cookies
High level overview, see video below and recipe card for more details.
- Make chocolate butter ganache in the microwave. Stick the chocolate ganache in the fridge to cool and set up while you make your cookie dough.
- Make the cookie dough. After mixing divide it into 9 equal sized balls, covering each one tightly in food grade plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours.
- Line a freezer safe container with parchment paper. Once your ganache has cooled enough, you will be able to scoop it using a cookie scoop. Scoop 9 equal sized scoops of ganache using a medium sized cookie scoop on the parchment paper and close the container. Freeze for a minimum of 12 hours.
- AFTER 12 HOURS, you'll divide each cookie in half. Make an indent in the cookie to fit the chocolate ganache ball. Put the cookie back together, making sure you cannot see any ganache. The cookie dough will cover the ganache completely. Repeat with all of your cookies.
- Bake in a 350F for 16 minutes, rotating your cookie sheet after 8 minutes.
- After removing from the oven, cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
Chocolate ganache for filling cookies, after scooping. Freeze ganache balls for 12 hours before using.
Divide cookie dough into 9 equal parts after mixing. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 12 hours.
Finished baked cookies. Bake cookies in a 350F oven for 16 minutes.
Equipment - ganache cookies
It is important to use the right equipment for this recipe.
- 5 quart planetary mixer: You'll be creaming some of these ingredients for 8 minutes - a hand mixer will not incorporate enough air into the cookie dough.
- kitchen scale: This one is on sale for $9.98 on Amazon! If you don't have one you'll find yourself using it all the time after purchasing.
- medium cookie scoop: Used for both the cookie dough and ganache filling
- oven
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- freezer safe container for ganache
- plastic cling wrap for cookie dough balls
The secret to bakery style, thick, non spreading chocolate chip cookies
A lot of chocolate filled cookie recipes have cookies that spread and flatten, but not these! If you are interested in why cookies spread, and why these stuffed chocolate chip cookies do not spread, keep on reading.
Why do cookies spread & flatten?
1) Expired leavening agents. If your baking soda or baking powder are past their prime, your chocolate chip cookies will likely flatten and spread. Even if the date on the container checks out, it still might not be good. That would be the first place I would start.
How to test if your baking soda is active: Combine ½ cup of hot water, ¼ teaspoon vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. When you add the baking soda a reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking soda.
How to test if your baking powder is active: Add ½ teaspoon of baking powder to ½ cup of hot water. It should bubble immediately. A reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking powder.
2) Ingredients are too warm.
3) Incorrect oven temperature. If your cookies and other baked goods are not turning out properly, invest in a cheap oven thermometer to check the temperature. If your oven is baking too hot or too cold, then the cookies will not turn out well.
Why do my cookies not spread while baking?
This recipe produces cookies that do not spread while baking. How was that achieved? A lot of recipes will try to use cornstarch to minimize the spread, but I hate the taste and can recognize it from a mile away. This chocolate chip cookie dough does not use cornstarch. Adding ingredients to reduce spread will only get you so far, you need to fix the recipe.
- Decrease the amount of sugar relative to flour.
- Leavening agents: This recipe ample amounts of both baking powder and baking soda.
- Creaming the butter and sugar: When you cream the butter and sugar long enough, you are actually FORCING air into the dough. The air made by the physical reaction (creaming) and the air made by the chemical reaction (leavening agents) is then trapped in it by the flour, keeping the cookie thick with a light bite.
- Use the correct chocolate in the dough (baking chips). Chocolate chips that are made for baking will not spread. If you use chocolate bars, the chocolate will melt too much and form puddles, spreading out some of the cookie dough as it melts down in the oven.
- A high proportion of mix ins (chocolate chips and pecans) thicken the cookie dough.
- Refrigerating the cookie dough cools ingredients, making the butter harder and also allows ample time for the flour to hydrate and form a nice gluten network. Think of the gluten network as a big spider web that expands when filled with water and also traps particles inside of it.
Storage
The portioned cookie dough can be kept wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to one week. They can also be frozen after wrapping tightly in plastic wrap for up to six months, but must be brought to refrigeration temperature before filling with ganache.
Ganache can be frozen for six months in a freezer safe container.
Store cookie leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If you like warm cookies, briefly rewarming the chocolate filled cookies in the microwave for 10 seconds before eating.
Copycat Godiva ganache filled cookies: INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
The only ingredients I feel confident to change is the nut type (pecans to macadamia nuts or walnuts) and chocolate chip type (milk chocolate baking chips to dark chocolate baking chips). DO NOT change anything else in this recipe. If you do I cannot guarantee they will turn out.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Copycat Godiva Ganache Filled Cookies
Equipment
- cookie sheets
- kitchen food scale
- medium sized cookie scoop
- food grade plastic cling wrap
- oven
- cooling rack
- freezer safe container
Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted European butter (1 stick) Kerry Gold and Plugra tested well
- 113 grams light brown sugar approx. ½ cup
- 100 grams white sugar approx ½ cup
- 16 grams vanilla extract 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon table salt 6 grams
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs cold, straight from fridge
- 285 grams all purpose flour approx 2.25 cups
- 275 grams milk chocolate baking chips Guittard brand tested
- 150 grams chopped pecans
Chocolate Ganache
- 226 grams dark chocolate (NOT BAKING CHIPS)
- 113 grams unsalted butter
Instructions
Start by preparing ganache
- In a microwaveable safe bowl, combine 226 grams of chocolate for ganache and 113 grams of butter
- Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for an additional 30 seconds
- Stir until ganache forms and is completely uniform.
- Place ganache in fridge while you prepare the cookie dough.
Cookie Dough
- Combine butter, vanilla, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachement.
- Mix on low to moisten then increase to medium. Mix on medium speed for 8 minutes, scraping the bowl down after the first four.
- Reduce speed to low. Add eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Return to medium speed for one minute.
- Reduce speed to low. Add in flour all at once. Mix just until incorporated.
- Add in chocolate chips and nuts. Mix for 30-40 more seconds.
- Turn off mixer. Divide dough into 9 equal sized balls. This is around 115-120 grams per dough ball.
- Wrap each dough ball in food grade plastic wrap and refrigerate for a 12 hours.
Making ganache balls
- Once you've wrapped all of your cookie dough and placed it in the fridge, check on your ganache. It should be ready to be scooped and hold it's shape. If it's not ready to hold it's shape, leave it in the fridge until it is.
- Line a freezer safe container that has a lid with parchment paper.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop 9 ganache balls directly onto the parchment paper. Cover the container with a lid and place in the freezer for 12 hours.
Forming the cookies
- AFTER 12 OR MORE HOURS, heat oven to 350. Make SURE it is 350F before placing cookies inside of it.
- Working one at a time, unwrap a dough ball and divide it in half. Make an indent in the middle of the half and place one scoop of frozen ganache in it. Take the other half of the dough ball and wrap it around the ganache, making sure you do not see any of the ganache. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat until each cookie dough ball has a frozen ganache scoop inside. Cookie dough should remain cold and not warm up much before going into the oven.
- Bake the cookies in a 350F oven for 16 minutes, rotating your pan after 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack.
Storage
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Hana
Any suggestions if we use gluten free flour?
Hannah
Hi! I haven't done a lot of gluten free baking, so I don't have any tried and true suggestions. I used the King Arthur all purpose flour for the recipe testing, so maybe give their brand of gluten free flour a try to start.
Tisha Van horn
When to add the eggs is missing from the directions please?!
Hannah
Oh my gosh thank you!! What a great catch. I've updated the instructions to reflect the correct time to put in the eggs. They get added one at a time to your dough after creaming the butter/sugar but before the addition of flour.
Emily
OH MY GOSH, these were incredible. I will have to double the recipe next time. Do you think a milk chocolate or white chocolate ganache would work inside?
Hannah
Yes, that sounds amazing! White chocolate ganache might be a little sweet but would visually be really beautiful!
Allison Brown
Do you let the butter soften first or are you using cold butter like the eggs. This is not stated just about using European style butter. Thanks!
Hannah
I use cold butter because of the longer mixing time! Thanks for pointing that out, I'll add it as a clarification.