Add a fun twist to a dessert classic with this recipe for Muffin Tin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups that can be filled with frosting, ice cream, ganache and more.
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They’re soft. They’re chewy. They’re totally fillable. And they’re the newest rendition of classic Toll House cookies that’s making the jump from the baking sheet to the muffin tin. Welcome to handheld dessert party, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups!
Just take one look at that edible cookie cup above and imagine the endless filling possibilities! I’ve opted for a fluffy vanilla buttercream (chocolate buttercream or coffee buttercream would be delicious, too!) and a shower of rainbow sprinkles, but you could go with a scoop of your favorite ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate ganache or even some fresh berries.
Any time I make chocolate chip cookies, I’m faced with the same incredibly important and yet simultaneously terrifying decision: What type of chocolate chip am I going to use?
We could even take it one step further and go down the Team Chips or Team Chunks route (looking at you, dark chocolate chunk cookies!), but I don’t want to overwhelm anyone.
So this comes down to some hardcore science:
- The cookie cups are baked in a mini muffin tin.
- Mini muffin tin = less surface area.
- Less surface area = greater need for equal dough to chocolate ratio.
- Conclusion: Mini chocolate chips.
Phew. My brain hurts. But I’m glad we got that over with.
Ready to get your fill on? Preheat your oven, grab the mini muffin tin and take your pick from every frosting and ice cream flavor in existence!
If you’ve made my classic Toll House chocolate chip cookies before, this dough will feel very familiar. It’s nearly identical—just with an extra splash of vanilla and mini chocolate chips—then baked in a mini muffin tin instead of on a baking sheet to create those soft, chewy cookie cups.
- Butter: Make sure it’s properly softened so it creams smoothly with the sugars. If you forget to take it out ahead of time, my guide on how to soften butter quickly will save you.
- Mini chocolate chips: I tested these cookie cups with regular chips and minis, and minis win every time. Because the cups are small, mini chips give you better chocolate distribution in every bite. Or take a cue from my monster cookies recipe and use mini M&Ms!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
After mixing the dough, cover it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours. Chilling the cookie dough firms up the butter so the cookie cups hold their shape in the muffin tin, and it also deepens the flavor (a longer chill = better tasting cookies). If you’re short on time, don’t skip this step—an hour is the minimum for best results.
Once chilled, scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough into each well of a lightly greased mini muffin tin. Bake until the edges are lightly golden but the centers are still soft—this underbaked center is exactly what you want.
As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, use the bottom of a teaspoon or small spoon to gently press down the centers. This creates that signature cookie cup shape. Don’t wait too long—this step works best while the cookies are still warm and pliable.
Success tip: Let the cookie cups cool completely in the pan. This helps them set and makes them much easier to remove. Once cooled, loosen them carefully with a knife and fill with whatever you’re craving!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- Frosting or ice cream, for filling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt and beat until combined then stir in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 48 hours. (The longer you refrigerate the dough, the better the flavor!)
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two nonstick mini muffin tins with cooking spray then scoop about 1 tablespoon of the dough into each cup.
- Bake the cookie cups for 10 to 13 minutes or until the cookie cups slightly crisped around the edges but still underbaked in the centers. Remove the cookie cups from the oven and using the bottom of a teaspoon or small spoon, lightly press down the centers of the cookie cups then let them cool completely in the mini muffin tins.
- Once completely cooled, use a sharp knife to carefully loosen the cookie cups from the muffin tin then fill them with ice cream, frosting, melted chocolate or other desired fillings.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
I have no idea what could’ve went wrong. I felt the need to write a review, hopefully saving others the wasted ingredients and time. These cookies spread horribly in the pans, but somehow, were also underbaked. I am a pretty good home baker and can follow a recipe well, but this one, sadly, was a huge disappointment.
If I freeze the cookie balls uncooked, do I need to defrost them before baking or can I just add a few minutes to the bake time and cook them from frozen
Hi Jackie! I’d reduce the bake temp to 325°F and add a few minutes. Hope that helps!
Can I put a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle instead of frosting?
Absolutely, Jessica! Great idea!
Help! Stuck to the bottom.
Hi Jody! Did you grease your pan? And did you allow the cookie cups to cool completely before carefully loosening them?
Thank you for the great idea. I am at a standstill experimenting and need some clarification with your recipe before proceeding: you using two mini muffin tins however, it appears you aren’t stacking the tins on top of each other during the baking process in order to limit expansion of the dough during the baking process. Is this correct? Am I over engineering something so simple? Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hi Robert! You do not put another muffin tin on top, otherwise the cookie won’t cook correctly. You just use a spoon to make an indentation after baking. Hope this helps!
This is my new go-to cookie cup! The light brown sugar and mini chocolate chips give these the perfect flavor. The toppings can be easily adapted to whatever occasion is in the moment. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
You are so welcome, Dossy! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Cookie taste and texture in a mini cupcake size. Yum!
Yum! Cookie taste and texture in a mini cupcake size.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Greta!
Delicious! Easy to make and soooo good! I took the easy route and piped them with the terrific buttercream from my local bakery (bought in bulk). Added sprinkles and ta-da! It tasted just like the cookie cakes from the bakery! I will definitely make these yearly now for Christmas. Thanks for the recipe and instructions!
Amazing! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Kristen!
I want to make these using regular size muffin tin. What would be cooking time for theses please?
Hi Lori – I have never used regular muffin pans with this recipe so unfortunately, I’m not certain on the bake time.
Hi! I have to yet to try this recipe — I wanted to ask if chocolate chunks (cut in tiny pieces) would work instead of mini chocolate chips? I really like the melt-in-the-mouth effect chocolate chunks have instead of chocolate chips. Also, can the dough be kept for more than 48 hours? Thank you!
Hi Mariyam! Chocolate chunks cut in tiny pieces will work and I’d recommend freezing the cookie dough in balls/scoops if you plan on keeping it longer than 48 hours :)
What a great idea! I’ve made those without something in the center in the past, but I’m thinking a chocoate ganache in the middle would be awesome! Though maybe a little messy, hehe.
That would be delicious!
Hi Kelly, I really want to make this (and I plan on it!) but my friend is gluten-free. Any idea if this recipe would work the same with gluten-free flour, or would this require more tweaking to make them come out similar?
Thank you!
Hi Kelly! You could try using a gluten-free flour such as Cup4Cup that’s a 1:1 ratio as regular flour. I’ve never tried this substitution so I’m not sure what the result would be. Curious to hear your results if you give it a shot!
These were so yummy! My 4 kids loved them! A wonderful twist to chocolate chip cookies!!
Awesome! I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Mae!
Looks delicious. Could you bake them without making an indention for ice cream, etc.? If so, would the bake time be the same?
Absolutely! Just skip the step for pressing down the centers of the cookie cups. :)
Recipe for Chocolate Chip muffin tin cookies, how many mini chocolate chips did you use? They look really cute and I bake for our Cafe at church, so these would be fun..Thank you
Hi Lois! 3/4 cup :)