Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge
This chocolate chip cookie dough fudge comes together really quickly and is a delicious, unique treat perfect for the holiday, fudge-is-everywhere season.
I’ve referenced this creamy, dreamy cookie dough fudge several times in the last few weeks. It is the epic substance that caused my 7-year old to withdraw his ambitious pledge to go one year without sweets.
In the face of cookie dough fudge, anyone could be made helpless and my little Walker was no exception.
I have to say, as a non-fudge-lover (I know, right?), this is the fudge that has won me over to the dark side.
You’ll notice, I don’t have a classic chocolate fudge recipe here because quite honestly, I can’t stomach the stuff. It’s just altogether too sugary sweet for me. But for some reason, this cookie dough fudge is irresistible.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s still plenty sweet, but the chocolate chips and hints of butter and all things cookie dough made me love it in a big way. And my fudge-loving counterpart? Well, Brian was in fudge heaven. Which, I hear, is a good place to be.
The fact that I didn’t have to pull out my candy thermometer to make this simple, tasty fudge made me a very happy camper.
This comes together really quickly and is a delicious, unique treat perfect for the holiday, fudge-is-everywhere season.
See all of this year’s Sugar Rush treats HERE.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge
Ingredients
For Cookie Dough:
- ⅓ cup (75 g) 5 1/3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half, cream or milk
- ½ cup (71 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (85 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
For Fudge:
- ⅓ cup (71 g) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 g) 5 1/3 tablespoons butter
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup half-and-half, milk or cream
- 4-5 cups (456 to 570 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (43 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, for topping the fudge
Instructions
- Line an 8X8-inch or 9X9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
- For the cookie dough, in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) combine the butter and sugars and beat with a handheld mixer (or again, use a stand mixer) on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, salt, and half-and-half. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Set aside.
- For the fudge base, combine the brown sugar, butter, salt, and half-and-half in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the brown sugar is dissolved. The mixture should be smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth and thick (I used close to the 5 cup amount). The mixture should be very thick. Let this mixture cool completely before proceeding!
- Add the cookie dough to the fudge base and stir to combine. Spread the fudge into the prepared baking pan and press into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 chocolate chips on top of the fudge and lightly press them into the batter. Chill until set, about 3-4 hours, before cutting into pieces. The fudge can be made-ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, originally from Lindsay Landis’ book The Cooke Dough Lover’s Cookbook
I made this and absolutely love it. I’m always guilty of eating cookie dough and this tastes exactly like it. I dont know why people were claiming its pure sugar or too sweet. I didn’t find this to have any more sugar than when I make chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I followed the directions step by step and had no problems or issues obtaining the end result.
Made this today exactly as you did, and it turned out DELICIOUS. I was so grateful and happy how fast it came together, especially with my three little ones either wanting to “help” or needing my attention. Excited to have something to take to neighbor friends!
I made this last night and it is really soft and not set. I’m not sure what I did wrong!
I really want to make this tomorrow but with my busy schedule, I’m not sure I’ll have enough time. Can you make the cookie dough the day before and freeze it?
Jane – I think you could make the cookie dough the day before and just refrigerate it.
I made this a couple of nights ago and the flavor is good, definitely sweet but a fun change from classic chocolate. My hubby loves cookie dough anything so he was in heaven. But, the texture was not fudgelike. It was kinda gooey and was hard to cut into precise pieces. The instructions don’t say how long to heat it on medium-low, maybe I didn’t cook it long enough? Any ideas?
Shannon – I didn’t give a time for cooking on medium-low because it’s not critical to the recipe; meaning, it just needs to heat until the butter is melted and the sugar and butter are combined so I don’t think that would be why your texture was a bit off. My guess is you might need more powdered sugar to help it stiffen up a bit.
I made this but it was so dry there was no way I could use anything to actually stir it- The cookie dough portion i used in my mixer ! The fudge part that I obviously had to warm in a pan to dissolve and then add the cookie dough to was a nightmare trying to mix it together – I do not share any of my recipes that I make if I have to actually use my bare hands to mix and this will be one of them no matter how good it is
This is not a recipe that I would do twice
Hi Mel!
I made this fudge tonight and it turned out delicious!
I followed the recipe exactly and I think that next time I might make a little bit more cookie dough just to make the flavor stand out even more, but it is definitely there in the current recipe. I would also add some more salt because I love cookie dough with a little bit of extra salt 🙂
This was super easy and very smooth once I started sifting my powdered sugar.
I’m with you, I’m nut a huge fudge person because of the sweetness. And this recipe is sweet, but different because of the cookie dough. I mean, its fudge. Of course it is sweet.
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Never thought I’d say it, but this recipe was way, way too sweet for me and my family. 🙁 It’s basically just sugar – it even drowns out the taste of the chocoloate! I already cut down on the powdered sugar (I “only” used 3 cups) and used a bit less sugar for the cookie dough, but it’s still too sweet.
But I like the idea of a chocolate chip cookie dough fudge, so I’ll experiment a bit with the amount of sugar in the fudge. Now, I noticed that when I made the cookie dough that it was a very dry mass; now I’m wondering, if I use only about half the amount of sugar for the dough while using more butter and dough (so there’ll be more dough in the fudge, period, but also so that the mass will stay dry), will that work with using less powdered sugar in the fudge base?
The powdered sugar made the mass thicker after all. I don’t want the whole fudge to become a gooey mess, I just want it to be less sweet. What do you think, Mel, would more and a drier cookie dough cancel out the loss of thickness in the fudge base?
Resha – I’m clearly one of the few who loves this cookie dough fudge as is (meaning pretty sweet) so I haven’t altered it based on your thoughts of using half the sugar for the dough. You’d have to play around with it and see. Good luck if you try it! Sounds like a tasty experiment if nothing else.
This honestly has got to be one of THEE WORST recipes ever!!!! Tasted like gritty sandy sugary sweet dough!! wasnt fudge at all!! very odd recipe! no offence to who made it but we (myself and three friends) threw the whole lot in the bin after making it because it made us feel sick! PLEASE dont waste your time making this if you’re considering it!!! I beg you!!!
Make the Carnation recipe made with condensed milk!!! it makes actual real fudge!! yum!! TRUST ME!!!!
I was so bummed that the fudge tasted like powdered sugar & chocolate chips. I really wanted it to taste like cookie dough! Oh, well.
Okay— just made this, and it is fantastic! My husband really, really REALLY loves it! I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Ok..i had used less than 4 cups when it got crumbly but i will try
Chelsea – it sounds like you might have too much powdered sugar. Try adding less and see how it works out.
Reading others’ comments, I decided to cut back on the powdered sugar in the fudge. I made two separate batches tonight as I’m getting ready for Christmas goodies. The first batch I did 3 1/2 C powdered sugar, and I combined the fudge with the cookie dough when the fudge wasn’t quite cool. It started to melt the chocolate chips and created a really cool marble effect. The second batch I did 3 1/3 C powdered sugar (first batch was still really sweet), and I let it cool completely. I preferred the first batch for looks and taste! I wish I would have tried 1.5 x or 2x the cookie dough simply because I think it needs more of the cookie dough taste.
I just tried making this twice..when i put the powdered sugar in it got bery crumbly..cookie dough helped a bit but powdered sigar dod not completely mix..ehat did i do wrong?
I one and a half timesed the cookie dough. I thought double would probably not hold up well. It turned out beautifully!! It tastes Devine! I’m in heaven. The old batch is headed to my husbands office. I was a bit stressed about it not holding up properly so I did double the flour in the dough instead of the 1.5x I have no idea if it helped. I’m just going to pretend it made a world of difference. Thanks for the recipe! I’m glad I took your advice and experimented, my thighs not so much.
Casey – I used cream. You know, go big or go home, right? 🙂
Cant wait to try this! I notice you have choice: milk/cream/half n half… which do you use? Not sure which to pick!
Hi Laurel – I’m not sure how doubling the cookie dough part would affect the consistency (since it would be less fudge-like), but hey, anything is worth a try if people want to experiment! Funny that this fudge is too sweet for many when it was just right for my non-fudge-loving taste buds. I must be strange. 🙂
Is it possible to double the cookie dough part? My sister made it and said, it was the best cookie dough she’s ever eaten. I made it and thought it tasted like powdered sugar. It was like eating chocolate chip frosting. 🙂 certainly delicious. Would adding more
Cookie dough even help?
Jennika – this fudge is definitely sweet (sorry if I gave the wrong impression in the post – I just meant it didn’t taste like traditional fudge to me) so it may be that it was just too sweet for your tastes. Sorry!
I made this the other day and it tasted like pure powdered sugar! I only used four out of the 5 cups. I was so bummed! It looked great, but it tasted horrible. Any ideas? I have Never tried a recipe of yours that I didn’t LOVE. So I was shocked to taste this one. Still love you and your recipes though!
You’re welcome! And by the way, do you use salted or unsalted butter? I can’t get this recipe off my mind! I’m going to have to make it now and then again right before all of our Christmas parties and deliveries of goodies to friends!
Hi Kim – I always use salted butter (I know, I know – the foodies of the world are groaning in disappointment right now!).
Kim – ah, thank you! I love it when readers alert me to these things. I’ve corrected it!
Mel–slight typo I believe. You have the chocolate chips listed under fudge ingrediants, when they should be listed under cookie dough ingrediants. No biggie, just a little confusing at first. 🙂 I can’t get this recipe off my mind, I will be making it this year for sure! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mel for the note.
Actually made this over the weekend. Came out great. I went with the full 5 cups of Confectionary Sugar. My recombination is to start at the 4 cups, taste it, then add more as you see fit. I think that by adding the 5 cups it was way to much. meaning the sugar nearly burns my throat (oh maybe an exaggeration, bit it’s sweet at 5 cups). Highly recommended (with that one adjustment). Craig
Am making this as a part of my BFF’s christmas gift. She loves chocolate chip cookie dough, so how can I go wrong? But I think a few pieces stay with me. Many thnks for this easy candy recipe!
Hi Craig, this can be stored, well covered, in the fridge for up to a week.
Does anyone know how long this will keep? Barring that I eat it first? Ha ha! I want to make it today (Sunday) while I have time for a party on this Friday (~ 5 days).
Oh wow. I love any kind of fudge but this looks especially nice. Not only that but it’s a pretty fudge. I tried photographing fudge today but just gave up. Too ugly and boring looking! This, however, is just awesome. 🙂
So delicious…I ate half a pan in two days and had to give away the other half so I didn’t eat that too.
Melanie – I don’t know…I haven’t tried that. If normal fudge freezes well (which I don’t know since I never make it), then I imagine this would, too. Sorry I’m not more help!
can the fudge squares be frozen?
I made this today and I all I can say that it is FANTASTIC. Thanks for the recipe, Mel!
I made this while I was simmering my dinner tonight. My husband came in and wanted to know what it was… he asked after sticking in his finger and licking it. I said “Fudge.. cookie dough fudge.” He replied, “Well I might just like fudge then!” He then scraped the pot clean after I put it in the pan! It is currently chilling in the fridge, but I expect the finished product to be delicious based on the taste testing that went on already!
This looks so delicious! I love sugar rush. I have never commented before but ever since finding your blog last winter, I have used your recipes constantly. Thank you so much for yummy and simple meals. I would love you to write a cookbook!!! I have been hoping that there is one in the works!
My husband will kiss me for making this! Thanks. 😉
I really like the sound of a cookie dough fudge!
i don’t know if i’m ready for this onslaught of sugar! tasty fudge, mel. 🙂
oh thank you, thank you. I was wanting this recipe yesterday, and I commented, but today is good 🙂 I am with you on the fudge thing, but cookie dough is my absolute favorite–like Ashley kind of obsessed, so these will be right down my alley. Yum! Thanks!
Just made these. Look good so far.
Make sure that you are patient enough to wait until the fudge part is cooled before adding the cookie dough. I was a little over-zealous and added the cookie dough before the fudge was cooled (waited about 5 minutes). The chocolate chips start to melt and the white fudge becomes marbled.
I love that I already had all the ingredients in the house. It’s in the fridge right now and I can’t wait to try the final product!
Caitlin – somehow it works even though it seems like both batters would be too thick. The fudge batter is thick, but still stirrable. If you are really concerned about it, make the cookie dough mixture without adding the chocolate chips. Then, stir in the cookie dough mixture to the fudge mixture before the fudge mixture completely cools (if the chocolate chips were in the batter you wouldn’t want to do this because the chocolate chips would melt) because the fudge mixture will be less thick then. After it cools completely, fold in the chocolate chips. And it’s completely fine to have little pockets of cookie dough instead of one uniform mixture. Good luck!
Oh. My. Word.
This is happening. Immediately.
This recipe sounds and looks great. It is my next recipe to try.
Before I attempt this, I am just concerned about how difficult it is to combine the fudge part and the cookie dough part. When the fudge is thick, how do you recommend stirring the cookie dough in smoothly and evenly? I have had issues in the past with thick batters not mixing all the way through. Thanks for this recipe and any suggestions you have.
Oh my goodness. This fudge, like all your recipes, looks delightful. I need to come up with an excuse to make it, pronto.
Can I blame you when I gain five pounds this week? 🙂
LOVE cookie dough – more like obsessed 🙂
I love your sugar rush each year 🙂 We still make your Hot Cocoa truffle balls!
I have to admit that I love fudge, but I get how the traditional chocolate fudge can be a bit much sometimes. This cookie dough fudge sounds amazing!! And a fun twist on a classic recipe. 🙂 I always love those!
I have a hard time with fudge too…its usually to sweet for more than 1-2 bites, but now I want to try this one! I love all things cookie dough!
I love fudge — one of my favorite holiday treats. Great recipe!