I’ve been making these no bake fudge cookies for years, because they’re quick, easy, and need just four ingredients. They have a soft, fudgy center covered in a thick layer of chocolate.

During a recent trip to New York, I visited Levain Bakery, which had a special double-chocolate cookie with a fudgy center. It tasted like there was no baking involved, and when I asked them, they told me it was definitely baked. Naturally, I went home to recreate it, but I put my own spin on it, which meant no oven.

Inspired by my no-bake brownie bites, I adapted their texture to make them even smoother and fudgier; then I added an extra layer of chocolate to really take them up a notch, leaving you with foolproof fudge cookies. Unlike traditional fudge cookies, you don’t need multiple sugars, egg whites, or complicated baking techniques. Even my partner, who typically burns toast, can whip these up.

Table of Contents

1. Arman’s recipe highlights
2. Key Ingredients and Tips
3. How to make
4. Pro recipe tips
5. How to store leftovers
6. More simple cookie recipes
7. 4-Ingredient Fudge Cookies (Recipe Card)

Key Ingredients and Tips

The full printable recipe is in the recipe card below.

• Homemade Nutella. For the fudge filling, of course! To keep these cookies a little healthier, I used homemade Nutella, so I can control the amount of added sugar and skip the dairy. If you’d like another chocolate spread alternative, any chocolate-hazelnut or chocolate-peanut-butter spread works well (I love Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter).
• Maple syrup. To add moisture to the filling and bind the ingredients. Maple syrup is my preferred sticky sweetener, but honey and agave nectar will also work.
• Coconut Flour. This holds the filling together. Oat flour or almond flour will also work. 
• Chocolate Chips OR chocolate. I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips, because the filling is very sweet, but dark or milk chocolate works just fine.

How to make

1. Prep. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the cookie dough. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate spread, syrup, and coconut flour. Stir until a smooth batter forms. If the batter is too thick, add more syrup or milk.
3. Shape and chill. Using your hands, form small balls of cookie dough. Place them on the lined tray and press into a small cookie shape. Then, freeze them for at least 20 minutes or until firm. 
4. Coat in chocolate. Melt the chocolate chips. Once smooth and fully melted, remove the cookies from the freezer. Using two forks, dip each cookie in the melted chocolate until covered. Repeat with the remaining dough, then refrigerate the cookies until the chocolate coating is firm.

Pro recipe tips

• Lightly wet your hands. The fudge dough will be quite sticky, so use a little water or a spritz of oil to prevent it from sticking to your fingers, or use a cookie scoop.
• Get the property consistency. The dough should be soft but able to hold its shape. If it’s too thick, add a little unsweetened almond milk. If it’s too thin, add a little more coconut flour. 
• Make sure the cookies are firm before coating them in chocolate. Trust me, the last thing you want is for your cookies to fall apart in the bowl of melted chocolate. A quick 20 minutes in the freezer is sufficient.
• Refrigerate the cookies on a wire rack (once coated). So the chocolate coating remains intact, and they firm up quickly.

More simple cookie recipes

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Marshmallow Cookies

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

No Bake Oatmeal Cookies