Hey, You’ve Got to Try This Cookie Dough Fudge!
Okay, so this cookie dough Fudge is basically one of those recipes I stumbled into because I was too lazy (and maybe a bit impatient) to bake actual cookies. True story, it started during a heatwave — there was no way I was cranking up the oven. I had this craving, you know? The kind that nags at you until you surrender and raid the pantry looking for anything vaguely cookie-like. And fudge, well, fudge just feels like a hug you eat. My niece once called this the best thing at a family picnic and honestly, I’m still riding that high!
Why I Keep Making This Over and Over
I make this when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, or when I want something sweet but can’t face rolling out dough (not my most graceful moment). My family goes absolutely wild for this stuff — the batches never last past the second day, tops (my brother tries to hide a piece for later, but it never works). Plus, if you hate fussing with candy thermometers or waiting for butter to soften at room temp (like, who plans ahead that much?) this is the treat for you. Oh, and if you ever doubted whether edible cookie dough belongs in fudge, just trust me here — it totally works!
Stuff You’ll Need (and My Random Substitutions)
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk — I’ve tried the store brand when I ran out of the fancy stuff and honestly, nobody noticed
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (Dark or light is fine, but once I used turbinado and it was a bit odd. Your call!)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (or salted, if that’s what you’ve got; just skip the pinch of salt below)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (I’m not judging if you use the fake vanilla — Grandma swore by it)
- 2 cups white chocolate chips (or bars, chopped, though the fudge sometimes sets a bit softer)
- Pinch of salt (unless you like it super sweet, or you used salted butter already)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, heat-treated* (Apparently this is important, but honestly, I only started doing it after someone yelled at me in the comments.)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or regular ones, chopped, though they sometimes sink to the bottom… Still tasty!)
*To heat treat flour: Spread it on a baking tray and bake at 350°F for about 5 minutes. I know, I just said no baking, but five minutes barely counts.
Here’s What I Do (With a Few Sidetracks)
- Line an 8″x8″ pan with parchment or foil. This step always feels excessive to me, but every time I skip it, I regret it — trust me, just do it.
- First, heat-treat that flour if you care about food safety. Set aside to cool. (Oven mitts are a good idea; just saying, learned form experience.)
- In a big old mixing bowl, stir together your melted butter and brown sugar until it’s basically like sticky wet sand. This is usually where I sneak a fingerful because honestly, it smells like heaven.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix it all up — don’t worry if it’s not perfectly smooth, the chocolate later will save you.
- Slowly fold in the cooled flour. Sometimes it looks a little lumpy, but it’s fine! Persevere.
- Now, melt your white chocolate chips. I zap them in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until they’re just smooth enough. Don’t overdo it or you’ll have a clumpy chocolate disaster! (Been there. Still edible, though.)
- Pour the melted white chocolate into your batter. Mix until you’ve got a thick, glorious dough.
- Gently stir in the mini chocolate chips, ideally when the mix is cooler so the chips don’t just melt away and vanish into the dough. If a few melt, hey, flavor bonus.
- Scoop/pour/spoon (whatever feels right) the mixture into your lined pan, smoothing the top. Sometimes I sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top — for pizazz.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better, but who has that patience?).
- Cut it into squares. Eat one. Then another. Repeat as needed.
Some Notes from My Kitchen Experiments
- I once tried using coconut flour instead of regular as a dare and, well, let’s just say don’t.
- If you’re out of parchment, try greasing the heck out of the pan, but… it sticks, so good luck.
- This fudge is a fridge-loving kind of treat; it gets a bit soft at room temp, especially in July.
- Don’t try to double the recipe in the same pan. Trust me, it never sets quite right and you’ll end up with a gooey mess (been there — still tasted good, just impossible to cut).
Variations I’ve Messed Around With
- Once I swapped the white chocolate for milk chocolate — it was richer, but also didn’t scream “cookie dough” as much, if you know what I mean.
- Peanut butter chips mixed in are amazing. I tried butterscotch once, and honestly, not a home run; maybe you’ll like it better than I did.
- Walnuts or pecans give it a nice crunch if you like that sort of thing; my mother-in-law says this is “absolutely necessary” but I usually forget to add them.
What If You’re Missing Equipment?
You don’t really need anything fancy. A microwave is great for melting chocolate but a stovetop saucepan works, too; just keep it low and slow. Don’t have an 8″x8″ pan? Use a loaf tin or even a shallow baking dish and cut your fudge into strange rectangles. Nobody complains. If worst comes to worst, make ‘cookie dough fudge balls’ and roll them up instead.
How to Keep (If There’s Any Left)
Store the fudge in the fridge, tightly wrapped. It stays nice for three to five days, though honestly, in my house, it never lasts more than a day! If it dries out a bit by day 4, I sometimes microwave a square for 5 seconds (careful, it gets hot fast) and it’s meltingly delicious.
How I Like to Serve This (Or, What Happens at My House)
I usually just plonk the pan down after dinner and hand everybody a butter knife to pry at their chosen square — very civilized, I know. Or, for a party, I’ll cut the fudge into tiny cubes and stick toothpicks in them like you’re at some fancy buffet. Once, my cousin crumbled it over vanilla ice cream, which honestly deserves a medal.
Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way (Pro Tips, Sort Of)
- Don’t skip chilling it long enough. I once tried to slice it after just an hour–all I got was warm, sticky dough on my knife and a very messy dessert board.
- Make sure the white chocolate actually melts fully. I tried to rush it once, and ended up with weird lumpy bits through the whole batch (still tasty, less pretty).
- Let the flour cool before adding — mixing in hot flour gives you, well, a strange taste. Ask me how I know.
People Always Ask Me… (FAQ)
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Can I use regular cookie dough instead?
Actually, nope — regular dough has eggs and doesn’t work for fudge texture. You could risk it but I wouldn’t. -
Do I really need to heat treat the flour?
If you’re feeling lucky, you could skip it, but officially, yeah, it’s supposed to be for safety — I started after my aunt insisted. -
Can you freeze cookie dough fudge?
I have, and it works — just wrap individual pieces up so they don’t stick together. Though it tends to disappear before I even think about freezing it, if I’m honest. -
Why is my fudge kind of gooey?
Probably didn’t chill it long enough, or maybe your white chocolate was extra melty. Stick it back in the fridge for a bit; usually does the trick.
Quick detour: If your fudge refuses to set and you’re on the verge of tossing it, try crumbling it over oatmeal or blending it into milkshakes. Waste not, want not (I can hear my nan’s voice saying that).
Let me know if you try this — and if it lasts long enough in your fridge to actually test the storage advice, I salute you!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips, divided
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
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1Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
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2In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
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3Add the flour and salt to the bowl, stirring until just combined. Gradually blend in the milk to form a smooth dough.
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4Mix in the powdered sugar followed by 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
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5In a small saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. Stir constantly until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool briefly.
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6Fold the chocolate mixture into the dough until thoroughly combined. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Chill for at least 2 hours until set before cutting into pieces.
CLICK FOR NUTRITION INFO
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Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size:
1 serving
Calories:
170 caloriescal
Protein:
2 gg
Fat:
8 gg
Saturated Fat:
0g
Trans Fat:
0g
Cholesterol:
0mg
Sodium:
0mg
Potassium:
0mg
Total Carbs:
24 gg
Fiber:
0g
Sugar:
0g
Net Carbs:
0g
Vitamin A:
0
Vitamin C:
0mg
Calcium:
0mg
Iron:
0mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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