These are the naughtiest tasting cookies you’ll ever not feel guilty about eating! They are made with no butter or eggs. They puff up into chocolate domes in the oven, then flatten out while cooling to turn into the most satisfying cookie; a chewy interior with a thin veil of crispiness on the outside. They couldn’t be more simple to make either. Mix it all up in one bowl, without need of a mixer!
Virtuously Sinful Fudge Cookies
Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or 4 1/8 ounces or 120 grams (see Notes)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar or granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the melted coconut oil, both sugars and yogurt. Using a sturdy spoon, stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients, but do not overwork it. The batter will be thick.
- Drop level tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges just begin to set.
- Cool on the pans for about a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For quick cookie fixes or for gift giving, whisk the dry ingredients and the sugars together in a bowl, then transfer to a jar. When a cookie craving hits, just mix in the coconut oil and yogurt and bake!
These cookies are so versatile...try topping them with coarse sea salt flakes, shredded coconut, almond slivers or chocolate chips.
I've experimented a lot with this recipe. One of the things I have found to make a big difference is the quality of the cocoa. If you can get a good quality cocoa, you'll taste a remarkable difference.
If your yogurt is very tangy, you'll taste that in the finished cookie. I love Fage in this recipe.
When it comes to measuring flour, always use a whisk to stir up your flour before measuring. Otherwise, you'll end up adding much more than the recipe calls for. A scale is a great tool to have as well. I experimented and found that not whisking the flour first, can add up to 25 percent more flour to the recipe.
Delicious! They were just out of the oven when my husband walked in and he consumed most of them! I substituted Bob’s 1-1 gluten free flour (used 4oz) and grapeseed oil instead of coconut oil. I flattened them just in case, you never know with gluten free substitutes – they don’t necessarily work like flour – and they were perfect! Really chewy and chocolatey and they took about 10 minutes to put them together and pop them in the oven. Thank you for such a great recipe!
I LOVE that you created a gluten-free version, Betsy and that they were a success! Ahhh…my husband does the same as soon as he smells cookies baking! Your message has put a huge smile on my face today…thanks so much for those kind words! :)
I weighed the flour and had no problem. My main issue was more the “user error” variety. Apparently they put pudding right next to yogurt in my grocery store. Labels are only half English, so I grabbed the one with a picture of the vanilla flower. Oops. I’m sure the cookies are great with yogurt, but let me tell you how AMAZING they are with pudding :)
Hahaha…that’s great to know, Bonnie! I love your story and it gave me a chuckle. Thrilled that you found a new spin on these and that you enjoyed them so much! Happy holidays! xo
Im don’t have brown sugar and yogurt what should I do?????:(:(?!?!!
Well, my first instinct is to tell you to run out to the store! :) Honestly, if you wanted to substitute for one or the other, I’d say sub granulated sugar for the brown sugar, but expect the cookie to be a bit dryer and more crisp. As for the yogurt, you could use sour cream, but I can’t predict the end result. I’d love to hear how you made out! Happy Holidays! xo
Looking forward to trying this! Do you recommend dutch process cocoa, or natural cocoa?
I use natural cocoa, Lissa. I change it up between the dark cocoa and the regular cocoa. Hope you love it!
I made these yesterday with some small adjustments, and they were great! I cut some of the cooled cookies in half and made ice cream sandwiches. They are a perfect ice cream sandwich cookies!
I used 0% coconut-flavoured Greek yoghurt and added vanilla extract. I replaced two tablespoons of oil with more yoghurt. The dough didn’t come together (I probably over-measured the flour), so I added more yoghurt and a couple tablespoons of water when mixing and got a clumpy dough. My cookies did not spread as much and came out thicker than yours, but I tend to prefer a more cake-y cookie so this was definitely not a negative thing.
Using these for ice cream sandwiches is genius, Katya! Also love the idea of using coconut yogurt. Thrilled that you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing!
These cookies were yummy, but did not flatten out like in the pictures. They pretty much cooked up in the shapes I had plopped them on the sheets in. However, I forgot to whisk the flour so I may have had too much. Any other thoughts? I followed the recipe exactly.
I’m so glad they were still yummy, Anna! Absolutely, I think not whisking the flour before measuring was the problem. Without whisking, you can end up adding as much as 25 percent more flour. I’m updating the recipe now to include the weight of the flour. I hope that helps! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Is there a reason why my cookies didn’t come out flat and round. They came out like puffed balls but still tasted great.
Thanks
Hi Roger. Hmmm…there are a few things that might do that. First, is your oven temp accurate? If your oven isn’t getting hot enough, that could do it. Another reason could be the baking sheet you are using. The darker the sheet, the less spread you’ll get. Insulated baking sheets can give varying results too. Aluminum sheets usually work best. The amount of flour can make a huge difference. Even 1/8 cup difference can give the cookie more shape, so always whisk your flour before measuring. The last thing I can think of is the temperature of the dough. If you’ve refrigerated it after mixing and it’s very cold, it may not flatten completely. I hope this helps and I’m sorry they didn’t come out completely right…but, still happy you enjoyed them!
Thank you Caroline for the wonderful recipe and a thank you to the other bakers for the advice on freezing the cookie in a round ball; I love the idea of baking as you go, since I do have a problem with chocolate. : ) I added a scant teaspoon of instant espresso to add to the chocolate flavor; they were yummy. I also used my homemade unsweetened yogurt which added a “tang”. Again, thank you for the great recipe.
Susan, I love that you put some espresso in it! I agree…that really does so much for the chocolate! Great idea! I’ll give that a try! You make your own yogurt? How wonderful! My Mom used to do that too! I would love to try that sometime! Thanks so much for stopping by, sharing your awesome tips and for being inspiring! :)
These look incredible! I’ve been waiting for a chocolate recipe that’s not too unhealthy and this looks perfect. I also love the above poster’s tips on freezing the dough — I bake for only myself and my boyfriend, who doesn’t like sweets (how is that possible?!) so I love any tips to make only a few at a time without having to fiddle with the recipe measurements. Can’t wait to make these :)
I’m so glad you plan to make these! I agree…the freezing idea is perfect (wish I was the clever girl who thought of it)! Let me know how you like them! Thanks so much for your comment!
Oh my, I just made these and they are awesomely wonderful! Just as you described, chewy and crispy and really kinda luscious inside. Call you tell I liked them? They are my new favorite. And at, according to the recipe calculator, around 65 calories apiece, they are much better for me than the box of Tastykakes I ate yesterday (and much better tasting) :-/, So fast and easy too – I will just keep a batch in my fridge and bake a few at a time! My sweet tooth is very happy. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Vicky, I can’t tell you how much your comment means to me! I so appreciate you taking the time to come back here and let me know! Those cookies are my favorite too! For several reasons…they are so yummy and leave me feeling less guilty and because I must have made fifty batches of those, tweaking here and there to get them just right! I’m thrilled to hear that they come in at about 65 calories a piece! That’s awesome! Thanks for figuring that out! I absolutely love your idea of keeping the dough in the fridge and baking a few fresh ones whenever you want…they are soooooo good out of the oven!
Hi Caroline,
Since I am still obsessed with these yummy cookies of yours, thought I would add something I have tried. I roll them into little balls and froze them individually. Now I can just grab a few out of the bag to bake and the dough will keep indefinitely (although obviously not at my house, lol). They bake up just fine from their frozen state. I also roll them in a little powdered sugar, which adds a little extra crispiness and so few extra calories, it is worth it to me. I think I will sugar them before I freeze them next time and everything will be ready for oven yumminess. The other thing I love about them, besides being healthier and delicious, is that they are so budget-friendly. I take them to work for my peeps sometimes and can’t wait to make bunches for Christmas gifts.!
I just LOVE your ideas Vicky! I’m going to try freezing my next batch. They would be perfect for those nights when I want something chocolatey! I’ve rolled them in powdered sugar before and I do love them that way too! You are so funny. You had me laughing…I’m so happy you love them as much as I do and you are such a sweetheart to come on back and pass along your awesome tips! Thank you! :)