Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

Making this restaurant classic at home is a snap!

It feels like I haven't posted all week, which is pretty much true, LOL. I've just been busy with life, to even think of creating in the kitchen. So today, I took the time (between 5 loads of laundry) to get into the kitchen and make some of the recipes I've had floating around in my head. Last week while my girlfriend was visiting with us, we went out to dinner at Red Lobster. It ended up that one of my daughter's classemate's Mom works there and she treated us to a complimentary dessert. What was it? The Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie! The kids pretty much devoured it in ten seconds flat; I didn't even get more than 2 bites! So, it's been on my mind all week and I had planned on making it. Today, I took the time, to try them out.

These are super simple to make. The outside is a no brainer, but the inside was a bit tricky. Do I used melted chocolate, hot fudge sauce or something else? I ended up using mini Kisses (which I found in the baking aisle, with the chocolate chips). The result wasn't very chocolaty or oozy though, so I ended up using a piping bag and filling the cookies with some hot fudge sauce (found that at Walmart, near the ice cream cones and caramel sauce- Smucker's Brand), then plating them. The result was sensational!! I used my Pampered Chef Single Servings Pan for these, but you can use 6 oz ramekins for the same results. The dough recipe was just big enough. The kids went wild when they found out what we were having for dessert (I really wish I would have video taped it, LOL). Wow your guest with super easy Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies!

Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

printable version

1/2 C butter

1/3 C brown sugar

1/2 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 Tbs vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 C semi sweet chocolate chip cookies

1 C mini Hershey Kisses (found in the baking aisle)

Smucker's Hot Fudge Sauce

Vanilla Ice Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 6- 6oz ramekins with cooking spray and set aside.

In a bowl, cream the butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in flour, salt and baking soda; until well combined and a slightly stiff dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips.

Take medium sized scoops of dough (I used my Pampered Chef Medium Stainless Steel Scoop) and place it in the bottom of each ramekin. Press dough up the sides a bit, making sure the bottom is completely covered. Drop 10 mini Kisses onto each piece of dough. Using your medium scoop, shape the dough into a disk and place on top of the dough and chocolate in each well. Press down around the edges to seal the cookie dough. Bake in oven for 17 minutes; until edges and tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and quickly run a knife around the ramekins to loosen the dough around the edges, which will make them easier to remove once cooled slightly. Cool 8 minutes and carefully invert onto a cutting board.

Warm Hot Fudge Sauce according to package directions and squeeze about a cupful into a piping bag fitted with a #3 tip. Insert the piping bag into the large flat surface of the cookies and squeeze in some chocolate fudge sauce.

To serve, place cookies onto a plate, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with extra Hot Fudge Sauce.

Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for 45 seconds, before topped with ice cream.