Chocolate Fudge Cookies - Our Bakery Recipe Since 2016

Rich, chocolatey, slightly crisp on the outside and irresistibly soft and fudgy in the centre.

Some recipes come and go, but others become part of who you are.

At Prestige Patisserie, we've been making our Chocolate Fudge Cookies since we first opened our doors in London in 2016. Over the years, they've become one of our customers' favourites, and almost a decade later, we still love making them just as much.

There's something incredibly comforting about a freshly baked chocolate cookie. The rich aroma of cocoa, the little pieces of melted chocolate, and that first bite into a soft, fudgy centre.

Our Chocolate Fudge Cookies are somewhere between a traditional cookie and a rich chocolate brownie. They have a delicate outer crust, a wonderfully tender centre, and plenty of dark chocolate in every bite.

Today, we're sharing the very same recipe we use in our patisserie, along with some of the professional techniques we've learned over the years.

Whether you're an experienced baker or just starting out, we hope these cookies become a favourite in your kitchen too.

What Makes Our Chocolate Fudge Cookies Special?

The secret to a beautiful chocolate fudge cookie isn't simply adding more chocolate. It's about choosing the right ingredients, understanding how they work together, and knowing when to stop baking.

For our recipe, we use Callebaut 54.5% dark chocolate, which offers a lovely balance between rich cocoa flavour and sweetness.

We incorporate chocolate in two different ways.

First, we melt 100 g of dark chocolate and mix it directly into the cookie dough. This adds richness and contributes to that deliciously fudgy texture.

Then we fold in another 300 g of chocolate chips or pieces, creating little pockets of chocolate throughout each cookie.

Combined with cocoa powder, this gives our cookies a deep, satisfying chocolate flavour without being overwhelmingly sweet.

And there's another important detail: we use both baking soda and baking powder. Each has a different role in creating the texture we're looking for, which we'll explain further below.

Watch Geanina Make Our Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Want to see exactly how we prepare these cookies in our professional kitchen?

Join Geanina in our step-by-step YouTube tutorial, where she demonstrates the complete recipe and shares the techniques we use at Prestige Patisserie.

From creaming the butter and sugar to incorporating the chocolate and achieving the perfect bake, you'll be able to follow every stage.

Watch the full Chocolate Fudge Cookies tutorial below, then follow the written recipe to make them at home.

Chocolate Fudge Cookies – Ingredients

This is the recipe we use in our patisserie.

Ingredient	Quantity
Caster sugar	300 g
Unsalted butter	170 g
Whole eggs	150 g
Plain flour (all-purpose flour in the USA)	280 g
Cocoa powder	56 g
Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)	4 g
Baking powder	4 g
Salt	2 g
Callebaut dark chocolate 54.5%, melted	100 g
Callebaut dark chocolate 54.5%, chips or pieces	300 g

Total chocolate: 400 g

Baking temperature: 160°C (320°F)

Baking time: Approximately 11–12 minutes, depending on your oven and cookie size.

Preparation: Allow additional time for chilling the dough before shaping.

A Note About Ingredients

We always recommend weighing ingredients accurately, especially when working with professional recipes.

Small differences in the quantities of flour, cocoa powder or raising agents can affect how much the cookies spread and how they bake.

For the chocolate, we use Callebaut 54.5%, but you can use another good-quality dark chocolate with a similar cocoa percentage.

How to Make Our Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Step 1 – Cream the Butter and Sugar

Place the softened butter and caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Cream them together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

This process helps incorporate air into the mixture and creates a smooth, even base for the cookie dough.

Take your time and make sure the butter and sugar are properly combined.

Step 2 – Add the Eggs Gradually

Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Add them to the creamed butter and sugar in approximately three additions, mixing well after each one.

This is an important technique in professional baking.

Adding the eggs gradually helps create a stable emulsion between the butter and the liquid in the eggs.

If you add all the eggs at once, the mixture can separate, making it more difficult to achieve a smooth dough.

Once all the eggs have been incorporated, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Step 3 – Incorporate the Melted Chocolate

Melt the 100 g of Callebaut 54.5% dark chocolate gently, either over a bain-marie or in short intervals in the microwave.

Allow the chocolate to cool slightly so it is still fluid but no longer hot.

Add the melted chocolate to the butter and egg mixture and mix until evenly incorporated.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly.

This ensures that no pockets of butter remain unmixed and that the chocolate is distributed evenly throughout the dough.

Step 4 – Prepare the Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Sift everything together to remove any lumps, particularly from the cocoa powder.

Mix the dry ingredients well before adding them to the cookie dough.

This helps distribute the raising agents evenly, giving you more consistent results.

Step 5 – Combine the Dry and Wet Ingredients

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture.

Using the paddle attachment on a low speed, mix until the dry ingredients are approximately halfway incorporated, or just a little more.

At this stage, the dough may still look slightly floury, and that's perfectly fine.

We don't want to mix it completely just yet, because we still need to incorporate the chocolate chips.

Step 6 – Add the Chocolate Chips

Add the remaining 300 g of Callebaut 54.5% dark chocolate chips or pieces.

Continue mixing gently until the chocolate is evenly distributed and the dough has come together.

Stop mixing as soon as everything is combined.

Overmixing after adding flour can develop too much gluten, which may make the cookies tougher rather than tender and fudgy.

Step 7 – Chill the Cookie Dough

Transfer the finished cookie dough onto a tray and spread it out evenly.

Place the tray in the refrigerator until the dough becomes slightly firm.

Freshly prepared chocolate cookie dough can be quite soft and sticky, making it difficult to portion and shape neatly.

A little time in the refrigerator makes the dough much easier to handle.

It doesn't need to become completely hard. You're simply looking for a consistency that allows you to shape the cookies without making a mess.

Step 8 – Shape the Cookies

Once the dough is firm enough to handle, divide it into evenly sized portions.

Shape each portion into a thick, round cookie.

Arrange them on baking trays lined with baking parchment, leaving enough space between each cookie for spreading.

Try to keep the portions similar in size so they bake consistently.

Step 9 – Bake the Cookies

Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F).

Bake the cookies for approximately 11–12 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the cookies.

The edges should begin to set, while the centres remain soft.

Remember, the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.

If you wait until they feel completely firm in the oven, you may lose that beautiful fudgy texture.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray before transferring them to a cooling rack.

And there you have it — beautifully rich Chocolate Fudge Cookies, just like the ones we make at Prestige Patisserie.

Why Do We Use Both Baking Soda and Baking Powder?

One question we often hear when sharing baking recipes is why certain recipes contain both baking soda and baking powder.

Although they are both raising agents, they behave differently.

Baking Soda – For Browning and Texture

Baking soda, also known as bicarbonate of soda, is alkaline.

It encourages browning during baking and can influence how much the cookies spread.

It also affects the structure and tenderness of the finished cookie.

Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients in the dough to produce carbon dioxide. The extent of that reaction depends on the ingredients used, including the type of cocoa powder.

Baking Powder – For a Little Extra Lift

Baking powder contains both an alkaline ingredient and an acid, so it doesn't depend entirely on other ingredients in the recipe to produce its raising effect.

It helps provide a little lift during baking, preventing the cookies from becoming excessively flat or heavy.

Why Combine Them?

By using both, we can influence the balance between spreading, rising and browning.

Our goal is a cookie that has a delicate outer crust, a tender interior and a beautifully fudgy centre.

It's a small detail, but understanding why ingredients are used is one of the things that can take your baking to the next level.

Geanina's Professional Tips for Perfect Chocolate Fudge Cookies

After years of making these cookies in our patisserie, there are a few little things we always pay attention to.

1. Choose good-quality chocolate.

Chocolate is the main flavour in this recipe, so its quality really matters. We use Callebaut 54.5% dark chocolate for its balanced cocoa flavour and smooth texture.

2. Don't rush the creaming process.

Creaming the butter and sugar properly creates a smooth, aerated base for the dough.

3. Add your eggs slowly.

Adding the eggs in three stages helps them incorporate properly and reduces the risk of the mixture separating.

4. Scrape down your mixing bowl.

This is one of the simplest but most important habits in professional baking. Ingredients can collect around the sides and underneath the paddle, so scraping ensures everything is evenly combined.

5. Sift your cocoa powder and dry ingredients.

Cocoa powder can form lumps, and sifting helps create a smoother, more consistent dough.

6. Don't overmix once the flour is added.

Mix just enough to bring everything together. Excessive mixing can make the finished cookies tougher.

7. Chill the dough before shaping.

This makes the dough easier to handle and helps you create evenly shaped cookies.

8. Don't overbake.

Perhaps the most important tip of all. The cookies should still be soft in the centre when they come out of the oven.

That wonderful fudgy texture develops as they cool and set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Milk Chocolate Instead of Dark Chocolate?

Yes, but keep in mind that milk chocolate contains more sugar and milk solids and generally has a lower cocoa content.

This will make the cookies sweeter and may affect their texture.

For results closest to our original recipe, we recommend dark chocolate with approximately 54–55% cocoa solids.

Can I Use Chocolate Chips Instead of Chopped Chocolate?

Absolutely.

We use Callebaut chocolate, but good-quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate can both work well.

Chopped chocolate often creates irregular pockets of melted chocolate, while chips tend to distribute more evenly.

Why Are My Chocolate Cookies Dry?

One of the most common reasons is overbaking.

Even an extra couple of minutes can make a noticeable difference, especially with smaller cookies.

Using too much flour or cocoa powder can also make the dough drier.

We recommend weighing your ingredients and keeping a close eye on the cookies during the final minutes of baking.

Why Did My Cookies Spread Too Much?

Several factors can affect spreading, including dough temperature, ingredient proportions and oven temperature.

If your dough is particularly soft, chilling it before baking can help.

Make sure your oven is properly preheated and avoid placing the dough onto a hot baking tray.

Can I Prepare the Dough in Advance?

Yes.

You can prepare the dough ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator.

If the dough becomes too firm to shape, allow it to soften slightly before portioning.

Can I Freeze Chocolate Fudge Cookie Dough?

Yes. Portion the dough into individual cookies, place them on a tray and freeze until firm.

Once frozen, transfer them to a suitable airtight container or freezer bag.

You can thaw them in the refrigerator before baking or bake from frozen, allowing additional baking time as needed.

Can I Make These Cookies Without a Stand Mixer?

Yes.

A hand mixer can be used for creaming the butter and sugar and incorporating the eggs.

Once the flour is added, you can finish mixing with a sturdy spatula.

The important thing is to follow the same mixing principles and avoid overworking the dough.

From Our Patisserie to Your Kitchen

When we opened Prestige Patisserie in 2016, we wanted to create a place where traditional baking techniques, quality ingredients and a genuine passion for pastry came together.

Over the years, we've created many cakes, pastries and desserts, but some recipes have remained with us from the very beginning.

Our Chocolate Fudge Cookies are one of them.

There's something special about a recipe that customers continue to enjoy year after year.

And now, we're delighted to share it with you.

We hope you'll enjoy baking these cookies at home, filling your kitchen with the wonderful aroma of chocolate and sharing them with the people you love.

If you make our recipe, we'd genuinely love to hear how your cookies turned out.

Leave us a comment on our YouTube tutorial, tell us about your experience, and don't forget to subscribe to Prestige Patisserie on YouTube for more professional baking recipes, tips and techniques.

Thank you for being part of our baking journey.

Happy baking!

Geanina & George

Prestige Patisserie – Artisan Patisserie, London. Since 2016.