Chocolate Chip Cookie Lava Cake

[MrsM]

I am trying to make a dessert I enjoyed at a local restaurant, Chocolate Chip Cookie Lava Cake. It’s a chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped around a chocolate ganache ball, baked in a ramekin or muffin tin, served with ice cream on top.

I have scoured the internet for recipes, more for the how-to rather than a CC Cookie recipe. I made my first attempt yesterday, and was not happy. I am using individual silicone baking cups, they hold about 6 ounces total between the ganache and cookie dough.

The photo is NOT the dessert I enjoyed, it is a photo from the internet so you can see what it resembles.

I want a softer cookie than a normal crisp CC cookie. One recipe suggested using all brown sugar, this is what I tried. Other recipes suggest using all egg whites, no yolks, another recipe suggested 1 egg plus an extra yolk. One recipe used bread flour instead of AP.

Here is the recipe I settled on, and it turned out greasy and way too crispy for my liking. The crispness could have been because they were over baked. Recipes said to bake at 350° for between 15 and 25 minutes, depending on the recipe. Well, 40 minutes later, mine were still not completely baked through, hence the over browning and over doneness on the outer edges. I made another test cake, baking it at 300°, but that also needed 45 minutes, and I got the same result, over done outsides and underdone middle near the ganache center.

5.25 ounces light brown sugar
4 ounces unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5.65 ounces AP flour (1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces chocolate chips

Ganache consisting of heavy cream, chopped chocolate, .75 ounce per ball.

This recipe yield 4 lava cakes, approximately 5.15 ounces each of the cookie dough.

Please help me decide what to modify to make a more chewy, tender cookie. I am not looking for cakey, just a not so crisp cookie. And what to do about the baking time/temp so they will not over brown yet bake through. Add some milk? Modify the eggs/flour? Use some shortening in place of some butter? Use white and brown sugars?

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Ditch the silicone baking cups. Silicone conducts heat to well. Given the amount of time needed to bake the cookie dough and your desire for a less crispy cookie, you need to insulate the dough from the heat.

Try a plain metal muffin tin, maybe even line with parchment paper.

The greasiness is probably due to improper mixing of the dough. Most recipes call for creamy butter at “room temperature “. This is incorrect; butter should be 65°F. Look up how to cream butter and sugar on serious eats by Stella Parks. Parks creams butter at 60°F, but 65°F is the standard taught in culinary school. Her article will explain why the temperature of the butter is important.

Chill the dough overnight before baking. This will give the flour time to full hydrate.

Honestly, a dough with all brown sugar is probably not advisable though.

 

[MrsM]

Thank you! Finally someone replied! I chose the silicone cups simply to make 2, 4, 7, or however many I wanted at one time. I did not realize that silicone would cause them to brown too much. Damn. One recipe I tried today called for melted butter, the other two I tried, creamed. Perhaps my butter was a bit too warm, but I chilled the dough after mixing for 3.5 hours. I will try longer next time. I did more research on the internet, and yes, discovered that a recipe with all brown sugar (I use light) is not advisable. I thought white sugar causes more browning than brown, guess that was wrong too. Back to the drawing board!

The one I made today using a combo of light brown sugar and corn syrup was the best texture so far, but still they were under baked after 30 minutes at 325°. Would an even lower temp at a longer bake time help, or does that just toughen the exterior?

Thank you for your advice!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Browning is what’s called Maillard reaction. This is from a combination of the protein in the flour, the sugar, type of sugar, the amount of moisture in the dough, and the oven temperature.

The pan/baking sheet also contributes because it conducts heat directly into the dough/batter.

Anodized aluminum, nonstick coated metals, dark coated metals, enamel coded medals, and silicone all conduct heat more intensely. This is why in commercial kitchens bakers use plain uncoded metal bakeware. This gives more control in baking.

The photo below is an example of how bakeware affects browning. Both cakes came from the same batter, were baked in the same oven at the same time. The only difference was that type of cake pan. The cake with the dark brown crust was baked in an anodized aluminum pan.

Silicone conducts heat just as well. That’s why silicone mats are not used by professional bakers for most cookies. The silicone mat over bakes the bottom of the cookie. Parchment paper is the lining of choice. Even in pate choux, a perforated mat or parchment is preferred over silicone. There are very few applications in which silicone is the material of choice.

I don’t think reducing the temperature is the solution. I also would not use a recipe with melted butter. Rather I would use a recipe with creamed butter. Cream the butter as instructed in the article I referred you to on Serious Eats.

You could also reduce the amount of butter. It’s at 70%. You could go as low as 60% and the cookie should be fine. Assuming of course you’re using a European style butter (83% butterfat).

The balance between brown sugar and granulated sugar will give a chewy texture. if you went with 70% brown sugar and 30% granulated sugar, or even 60% brown sugar and 40% granulated sugar.

And honestly I think it will give you a better balance of flavor. Adding an invert sugar such as corn syrup is fine. I actually use golden syrup in my chocolate chip cookie. But I also balance things out with granulated sugar. Brown sugar contains molasses which is an invert sugar. So if you’re using 100% brown sugar you really don’t need to add an additional invert sugar.

Not all sugars are created equal. I am very particular about the type and brands sugar I use.

I only use pure cane sugar. Sugar beet sugar is really inferior—it simply does not caramelize well.

In fact sugar beet sugar is so inferior that they cannot make molasses for human consumption with it because it doesn’t caramelize properly. The sugar beet brown sugar is made with molasses from cane sugar.

But even brands of cane sugar vary in quality. I only use C&H or Dominos. The granules are finer. And the brown sugar quality is just much better than other brands.


When it comes to flour for a chocolate chip cookie my preference is about 11.5% protein. I also prefer an unbleached flour. The cookie in the photo below is close to King Arthur all purpose flour. The flour is from Central Milling, Artisan Craft Bakers Plus. The plus means it has malted barley flour. Most retail flour on the market contain malted barley. The malted barley is added because it is high in amylases (enzymes). The enzymes convert starch into sugars. This aids browning in baked goods, feeds yeast in bread applications, and in directly adds flavor by aiding the Maillard reaction. There’s a combination of 60/40 lt brown to granulated sugar. The cookie is chewy, not crispy.

 

[MrsM]

Thank you, NorCalBaker. I have never used silicone mats, parchment paper always. Someone else told me not to use silicone molds, wish I had known this before I bought them. I have non-stick muffin pans that are light in color, I will try that instead. If that doesn't work, I will look at other pans. I use only Domino sugars, brown and granulated. For flour, these cookies were made with King Arthur Unbleached. I also buy Heckers at Restaurant Depot, I find no difference between that flour and KAF.

I have modified my recipe as follows, scaled to make 6 lava cakes in my jumbo muffin pan. (I've worked out that this amount of dough will make the perfect size for the jumbo muffin cups). I think I could scale it down and make fewer cakes, I normally don't like to have empty wells in the pan. I have heard putting some water in the empty wells is the thing to do, would you agree?

When I made my 3 test recipes today, this recipe had the best flavor, so I modified it a bit to include white sugar and brown sugar, (I modified the amounts to include more white than the original test recipe, and less brown), and baking powder only. The owner of the restaurant that sells this dessert had a conversation with me, and suggested I ditch the BS and use all BP instead.

6.35 ounces unsalted butter
3.7 ounces light brown sugar
3.7 ounces granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1.85 ounces egg (out of shell)
2 teaspoons baking powder
10.15 ounces AP flour
5.5 ounces semisweet morsels

.85 ounce ganache center

The funny thing is this - the owner of the restaurant told me he first tasted these as a sample at a show, and bought some on a whim. The staff at the restaurant loved them, so he continues to buy them from his supplier. I googled, and the only CC Lava Cakes I found were made by David's, 24 to a box, about $3 each, which is the price he told me he pays. So if this doesn't work out to my liking, I may just ask him to sell me some when I want these for a dessert when I have holiday/family dinner, LOL. They come fully baked, just need a reheat in the microwave.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I ran the baker’s percentages on your recipe.



Your leavening is a bit on the high side at 3.48%. For drop cookies, that should be around 2.5%.



Using grams is a little better than ounces because it’s a bit more precise.



The egg at 18% is a bit on the low side. Egg adds strength and moisture. You could go as high as 25%. But as long as you have enough protein in your flour for strength and moisture from other sources (butter, brown sugar and invert sugar) it will make up for the egg.



6.35 oz 180g unsalted butter 62.71%

3.7 oz 104g light brown sugar 57.7%

3.7 oz 104g granulated sugar 57.7%

1/2 tsp 3g salt 1%

3 oz 85ml light corn syrup 29.61%

2 tsp 10mL vanilla 3.48%

1.85 oz 52g egg (out of shell) 18.11%

2 tsp 10g baking powder 3.48%

10.15 oz 287g AP flour 100%

5.5 oz 155g semisweet morsels 54%



It is a fallacy that empty cavities in a muffin tin will cause the tin to warp and produce uneven baking.



As long as you have a quality metal tin it should not warp or twist. And there should be no issue with baking evenly.



The problem with putting water in the empty cavities is water produces steam.



Steam promotes crust and oven spring. That is why commercial ovens have a steam feature. But these ovens also have a vent because it is extremely important to release the steam out of the oven chamber. When you fill the muffin tins with water there is no way to remove the moisture from the oven chamber. And that can be detrimental to the baked goods.



When a custard is baked in a bain Marie, the water acts as a heat barrier. Water boils at 212°F, then turns to steam (at sea level). so the water around a pan will not get hotter than boiling. This allows for slow cooking. Important when baking something like a cheesecake that will bake for 90 minutes. Or something delicate like a soufflé.



But you are not creating a bain Marie in this case. And you do not need that steam for cookies.



Be wary of the stuff you read on the internet.



The baking powder vs. baking soda in cookies is a point of contention with a lot of bakers. Many swear baking powder produces a puffy cookie, cakey. And I tend to agree. I rarely use baking powder in a cookie. The only cookie I use baking powder in is a snickerdoodle. But that is just my preference.



Can also try mixing baking soda and baking powder. If you go that route use less baking soda to baking powder. I frequently use a combination of both in cakes.



In this debate, you have to go with what you prefer.



When attempting to replicate a professionally produced product you have to keep your expectations in check.



Home bakers do not have access to commercial ingredients, professional baking equipment, and the baker’s formula.



Most consumers don’t realize commercially baked goods contain a lot of specialized ingredients formulated specifically for the industry. Commercial margarine, shortening, and oils are not the same specification as the products produced for the retail market.



An example of a company that produced oils and shortenings for both retail and commercial markets.

https://www.stratasfoods.com/category/bakery

 

[MrsM]

You ar really going above and beyond for me, thank you! I have just prepared my revised recipe, so sorry I didn't see this reply before I did, so I went with my amounts. I altered the brown and white sugar amounts, 4 oz. white, 3 oz. brown, and I used bread flour instead of AP, equal swap out. I kept the leavening high because these are not baking as cookies, but as 'muffins' with a ganache center. So I do want more lift than for a cookie. Using a jumbo muffin pan, 6 cups, non-stick, they are light gray in coating. I'm not sure of the brand. If the recipe I used does not pan out, I will try your percentages on the next trial run. I AM determined! LOL. Thank you again.

 

[MrsM]

Update. I just took the two lava cakes I baked out of the oven. Much better this time. Not as brown, yay. Lighter colored metal pan, less brown sugar. Nice lift on the top, also good color, sides a tad darker than I would like and still not completely baked through after a 24 minute bake at 350°, but they were getting too brown, so I pulled them, hoping they would set up more once they cooled in the pan for the required 10 minutes. Removing them from the pan was a complete disaster. The sides came away nicely after running a knife around, but they stuck to the bottoms with a vengeance, breaking apart into a complete mess. Sooooooo. Next trial I will use parchment liners, hopefully that will solve that part of the recipe. I hope the parchment liners will be easily removed for serving. And I may make the adjustment to up the egg quantity as you suggested, and perhaps try lowering the oven temp to 325°, allowing for a longer bake time, I hope, without getting too brown. Again, thank you for all your help.

 

[MrsM]

I have gone one step further, to search for 3 inch round removable bottom cake pans. I did find them. Then another idea came to me. I have flan rings that I use to shape and bake burger buns, why not make a wider, flatter chocolate chip lava 'cookie' instead of a cupcake shape? It might bake through better, being flatter, do you think? This will be my NEXT trial, LOL. I shall keep you posted! As I said, I AM DETERMINED.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Update. I just took the two lava cakes I baked out of the oven. Much better this time. Not as brown, yay. Lighter colored metal pan, less brown sugar. Nice lift on the top, also good color, sides a tad darker than I would like and still not completely baked through after a 24 minute bake at 350°, but they were getting too brown, so I pulled them, hoping they would set up more once they cooled in the pan for the required 10 minutes. Removing them from the pan was a complete disaster. The sides came away nicely after running a knife around, but they stuck to the bottoms with a vengeance, breaking apart into a complete mess. Sooooooo. Next trial I will use parchment liners, hopefully that will solve that part of the recipe. I hope the parchment liners will be easily removed for serving. And I may make the adjustment to up the egg quantity as you suggested, and perhaps try lowering the oven temp to 325°, allowing for a longer bake time, I hope, without getting too brown. Again, thank you for all your help.

Since your tin is colored, try lining the sides with a strip of parchment paper. Or if you have a cup liner you can use that. But oversize cup liners are hard to fine. insulating the dough should mitigate against browning.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I have gone one step further, to search for 3 inch round removable bottom cake pans. I did find them. Then another idea came to me. I have flan rings that I use to shape and bake burger buns, why not make a wider, flatter chocolate chip lava 'cookie' instead of a cupcake shape? It might bake through better, being flatter, do you think? This will be my NEXT trial, LOL. I shall keep you posted! As I said, I AM DETERMINED.

Look for Chicago metallic mini cheesecake pan with removable bottoms. They may be a little smaller than what you’re looking for. But it’s a light uncoated metal. I have two of these pans.

Edit: flan rings would work too. you would just bake it on a parchment covered baking sheet. Should be fine

 

[MrsM]

Update today - I ran more trials, LOL. Baked in the muffin tin, one with a parchment liner, one with a Reynolds foil liner from the grocery store (these are a little smaller than the parchment ones, so I would have to scale down the dough amount next time). The browning was mitigated significantly, yay. However, the parchment would not detach easily from the cake, and some of it stuck to the parchment, not a pretty presentation. The foil liner released beautiful, so that is the winner.

I also baked them as little 'cakes' in my flan rings. That light bulb went on late last night, as I have seen stuffed chocolate chip cookies online, same principle as the lava cakes, just flat like cookies. I greased the rings, lined them with parchment strips, and these were fantastic. Baked all the way through, not too brown, except on the bottoms. I put the rings on a piece of parchment paper. I use Volrath unrimmed baking sheets. I think next time I will double pan, do you think that would tame the browning on the bottom? The sides were fine.

I also added 1 tablespoon of milk to the dough just for the hell of it, and it made for a bit softer dough, which worked out well. So I think, if I can lessen the browning on the underside of the flan cakes, that's the final product I would go with. The cupcakes are cute, but the flan cakes baked through perfectly; the cupcakes were still a tad bit on the underdone side, which I was OK with, but I'm not sure dinner guests would like it.

Thank you for all your help!!!!

 

[MrsM]

Look for Chicago metallic mini cheesecake pan with removable bottoms. They may be a little smaller than what you’re looking for. But it’s a light uncoated metal. I have two of these pans.

This also crossed my mind yesterday, as I have lots of cake pans with removable bottoms. That may be my next round of trials, LOL. I enjoy testing recipes like this, though mostly it's just testing the recipe for the one I like best. This was more testing of technique, which was more challenging for me.

 

[MrsM]

I did a second trial in the flan rings, and placed a second cookie sheet underneath. That did the trick, and the bottoms did not over brown. I am satisfied with my recipe and method, thank you, NorCalBaker. I took my finished cakes to the owner of the restaurant when they came out of the oven. He, his partner, and his chef all sampled, and pronounced them a success.