Homemade Fudge Rounds
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These homemade fudge round cookies are my copycat version of Little Debbie fudge rounds you know and love from your childhood! Easy, soft chocolate cookie sandwich with a chocolate buttercream, and classic chocolate stripes on top!
Growing up Little Debbie snacks reigned supreme as the ultimate treat in the house. I couldn’t say no to a Star crunch cookie with the chewy caramel centers, or oatmeal cream pies with marshmallow filling. Or a chocolate fudge round cookie.
So I figured why not make a homemade version? And holy moly, these chocolate cookie sandwiches were about as close to the original version I grew up on (and dare I say better?) I mean homemade always is isn’t?
The first batch I made were….Ok? You know if I wasn’t comparing them to that box of cookies I knew. But they weren’t soft enough. They didn’t spread enough. They just weren’t it. Back to the lab. Err, I mean…kitchen.
With a few tweaks, I think I nailed it. I found that a little addition of cornstarch and light corn syrup made these cookies soft and spread perfectly to turn into sandwiches. I paired them with my silky chocolate buttercream frosting. And of course you can’t forget the milk chocolate drizzle (which is really just an easy milk chocolate glaze piped on).
I think your inner child is going to swoon over these chocolate fudge rounds!
See Also:
- Pucker up and enjoy one of these homemade lemon cookies with easy lemon glaze drizzled over them!
- Coconut macaroons are an easy gluten free chewy coconut cookie. Dip in chocolate for an easy chocolate treat!
- Grab a jar of peanut butter and make these wonderfully easy old fashioned peanut butter cookies with criss cross pattern on top!
- Make these brown sugar chocolate chips cookies made with 100% brown sugar making them wonderfully chewy!
Why You Will Love These Homemade Fudge Rounds
- Just like the store-bought version but made 100% from scratch!
- Easier to make than you think
- No need to chill the cookie dough ahead of time
- Can make the frosting in advance
- Freeze beautifully!
Ingredients Needed
- All purpose-flour – You could also swap and use a 1:1 gluten free baking flour
- Cornstarch – Important to make for a soft, tender cookie
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Unsweetened natural cocoa powder – Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder not dutch-process cocoa powder which will not react with the baking soda. You can read more here about unsweetened cocoa vs. Dutch cocoa.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter, but if using salted butter then reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Make sure the butter is softened to a cool room temperature as well.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar – If you have run out, make your own brown sugar at home!
- Eggs – Make sure your eggs at room temperature so they blend in easily.
- Corn syrup – Helps to make for a soft cookie that spreads.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar – If you don’t have any you can make your own powdered sugar!
- Heavy cream
- Milk chocolate chips
- Vegetable oil – You will add just a teaspoon vegetable oil which will make for the perfect chocolate drizzle on top of the cookies. But you could also use coconut oil instead.
How To Make Homemade Chocolate Fudge Rounds
Preheat and prepare cookie sheets. Pre-heat oven to 325oF (160oC). Line a cookie sheet with a parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
We are going to bake these at a lower temperature so they spread a little bit more making them the perfect cookie to turn into a sandwich!
Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder.
Cream the butter and sugar. In a second bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
I like to mix the cookie dough in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment but a hand mixer will also work.
Add eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat in corn syrup and vanilla and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until just combined
At this point do not overmix! The more you mix the tougher your cookies will be in the end.
Scoop the cookies. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, or tablespoon scoop the cookies into 1 ½-inch balls onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake and cool the cookies. Bake cookie sheet on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes, until edges are set and tops are puffy on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be very soft.
Make frosting. With a mixer, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until creamy and combined. Beat in heavy cream and vanilla.
Beat in cocoa powder and mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes (this will help create an airy light frosting).
Assemble sandwiches. Pipe or spread the chocolate frosting on half of the cookies. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with all cookies.
Make chocolate swirl. Melt chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat for another 30 seconds until melted. Place into a piping bag and snip off a tiny corner and pipe 4 to 5 wavy lines on the top of each cookie sandwich.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. This will help the ingredients cream together more easily and create a light and fluffy dough.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. They should be set and the edges set and the tops will be puffy but dry.
- Use a cookie scoop. To ensure your cookies evenly bake, be sure to use a scoop.
- Don’t bake on a hot cookie sheet. Hot cookie sheets can cause your cookies too spread too much. Use parchment paper and a cool cookie sheet.
- Cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes just to set up so they don’t fall apart when you transfer them but then move over to a cooling rack so they don’t overbake and become hard.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make these fudge round cookies ahead of time and freeze them. I like place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1-2 hours. Once the cookies are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag or container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the cookies, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then let them come to room temperature before serving. Read more here about how to freeze your cookie dough.
There are a few reasons but most likely your butter was too soft. One way you can fix this is to chill the dough so the cookies don’t spread as much. Read more here about why your cookies spread too much!
Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or you can store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. However, they will be best if eaten within 2 days. You can also store cookies in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the cookies, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then let them come to room temperature before serving.
More Recipes To Try
- Self Rising Flour Biscuits
- Lemon Cookies
- Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 20 Self Rising Flour Recipes
- Milk Bar Cake
Chocolate Fudge Rounds
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (42 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cups (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (107 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (21 g) cocoa powder
For the topping:
- ½ cup (85 g) milk chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Make Cookies
- Preheat and prepare cookie sheets. Pre-heat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a cookie sheet with a parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a second bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips just until combined.
- Scoop the cookies. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, or tablespoon scoop the cookies into 1 ½-inch balls onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake and cool the cookies. Bake cookie sheet on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes, until edges are set and tops are puffy on the sides. The centers will look very soft. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be very soft.
Make Frosting
- Combine butter and powdered sugar. With a mixer, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until creamy and combined.
- Add heavy cream and vanilla. Beat in heavy cream and vanilla until combined on low speed.
- Add cocoa. Beat in cocoa powder and mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes (this will help create an airy light frosting).
Assemble sandwiches
- Assemble sandwiches. Pipe or spread frosting on to one bottom of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with all cookies.
- Make chocolate swirl. Melt chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat for another 30 seconds until melted. Place into a piping bag and snip off a tiny corner and pipe 4 to 5 wavy lines on the top of each cookie sandwich.
Notes
- Storage: Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or you can store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. However, they will be best if eaten within 2 days. You can also store cookies in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the cookies, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then let them come to room temperature before serving.
These were so easy to make. I had a little problem with the chocolate in top but otherwise very good cookies. My husbands golf league were the guinea pigs. They never turn down my cookies.
I’m so glad to hear they turned out well! It’s great that your husband’s golf league gets to enjoy your baking! Thank you for sharing.🥰
Made these this afternoon, absolutely delicious!! Thank you will make again!
aw wonderful Jenn!! I’m so happy you loved them as much as I did 🙂