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If youโ€™ve never had a warm self-saucing chocolate cake, prepare to fall in love. This Chocolate Cobbler Recipe is made in an 8-inch brownie pan. The best way to describe it is basically a brownie baked with hot fudge on the bottom. The method of baking is so weird, but you just have to trust me here!

Vertical image of melted chocolate cobbler with scoops of ice cream.

Iโ€™ve heard this chocolate cobbler recipe called many things over the years: chocolate pudding cake, mud pie, brownie pie, brownie fudge bake, death by chocolate, and more. But mainly, I hear it referred to as โ€˜the best chocolate dessert ever.โ€™ Which is 100% true.

Essentially, itโ€™s a brownie baked with hot fudge sauce, all in one pan!

Two bowls of chocolate cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream.

What is Chocolate Cobbler?

Chocolate cobbler is a warm, gooey chocolate dessert that is part brownie and part hot fudge sauce. Itโ€™s incredibly easy to make and is best served warm from the oven.

The method to make this Chocolate Cobbler feels very strange. It starts with a thick layer of brownie batter on the bottom of the baking dish, followed by a crumbled dry mixture on top. Boiling water is poured on top of both layers in the dishโ€”it is never stirred. Resist the urge to stir the layers together, or you will not get a layer of fudge on the bottom with brownie on top!

Watch the video below to see what I mean. Thick batter has dry crumble on top, followed by a pool of hot water that is never stirred in!

You will doubt me when youโ€™re baking. You will think Iโ€™m crazy, but when it comes out of the oven, you will become a believer. At that point, you will praise me for helping you get brownies and hot fudge sauce in the same pan for such little effort!

This recipe for chocolate cobbler is amazing served with vanilla ice cream, because the heat of the fudge sauce just begs for it. Warm chocolate cake with fudge sauce and ice cream is the literal definition of โ€˜best chocolate dessert ever.โ€™

Fun side note: this recipe is entirely egg free, so if youโ€™re out of eggs or avoiding eggs because of an egg allergy, you can enjoy this! I seem to have a lot of Moms write writing to me and asking for more egg-free recipes for their kiddos once they discover my small batch of chocolate cupcakes are egg-free.

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Baking tips for this Southern Chocolate Cobbler Recipe:

  • The pan I use is an 8 or 9-inch square brownie pan.
  • If you want this recipe to serve just two: you can also halve the recipe and bake it in a 0.6-quart (20-ounce) dish. To see if your small baking dish will work, fill it up with waterโ€”it should hold 2.5 cups of water to the top.
  • Bake this chocolate cobbler on a sheet pan to catch drips from the hot fudge sauce bubbling up from underneath.
  • Let it cool for 15 minutes before scooping and serving with vanilla ice cream.
  • Yes, the recipe really doesnโ€™t have any eggs!

Recipe Ingredients

Small bowls of brown sugar, melted butter, cocoa powder, and flour.
  • Flour. For the bottom brownie layer, you need regular all-purpose flour.
  • Baking Powder. Baking powder makes the brownie topping puff up in the oven.
  • Espresso Powder. To enhance the chocolate flavor (especially when water is an ingredient in a recipe), I always add a little espresso powder. It doesnโ€™t make the dessert taste like coffee at all; it just makes everything taste richer.
  • Cocoa Powder. We need unsweetened cocoa powder for the brownie bottom and for the hot fudge sauce.
  • Milk. The best milk to bake with is whole milk, but you can use 2% if thatโ€™s all you have.
  • Sugar. The bottom brownie layer uses white granulated sugar only.
  • Butter. Melted unsalted butter to make the batter.
  • Vanilla. Use real pure vanilla extract.
  • Brown Sugar. The top hot fudge layer uses brown sugarโ€“you can se light or dark.

How to Make Chocolate Cobbler

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 and have ready a 8-inch square baking dish. Thereโ€™s no need to grease or line the pan.
Pottery bowl with cocoa powder, flour, and espresso powder in it.
Lumpy batter with melted butter, milk, and powdery ingredients in a bowl.

2. First, make the brownie layer: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, espresso powder (if using), and the cocoa powder.

3. Stir in the milk, granulated sugar, melted butter and vanilla. The batter will be very thick.

Shiny brown batter spread evenly in an 8-inch square pan.
Small white bowl with granulated sugar, brown sugar and cocoa powder only.

4. Spread it in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish.

5. In a separate bowl, make the top layer: whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar and brown sugar.

Sprinkling brown dry ingredients over wet batter in a square dish.
Hand pouring hot water over brown dessert in square pan.

6. Sprinkle this over the brownie batter evenly. Do not stir or mix!

7. Pour the hot tap water on top of everything, but DO NOT STIR. Bake on a small sheet pan to catch any potential overflow for 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving hot.

Marco shot of chocolate cobbler in serving bowl with ice cream on top.

How to serve Brownie Cobbler

This brownie cobbler is best served warm, almost immediately after baking. Truly, 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven is the peak point of deliciousness and temperature. You want the brownie layer to firm up and for the hot fudge on top to be melty and gooey.

How to store this Recipe for Chocolate Cobbler

If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before serving, itโ€™s best to warm it in the oven to make it melty again.

Yield: 6

Southern Chocolate Cobbler

Vertical image of melted chocolate cobbler with scoops of ice cream.

Southern chocolate cobbler recipe.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • For the brownie bottom layer:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • For the top layers:
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup hot tap water
  • for serving: vanilla ice cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 and have ready an 8 or 9-inch square brownie pan.
  2. First, make the brownie layer: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, espresso powder (if using), and the cocoa powder. Stir in the milk, granulated sugar, melted butter and vanilla. The batter will be very thick. Spread it in an even layer in the baking dish.
  3. In a separate bowl, make the top layer: whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar and brown sugar. Sprinkle this over the brownie batter evenly.
  4. Pour the hot tap water on top of everything, but DO NOT STIR.
  5. Bake the cobbler on a small sheet pan to catch overflow for 35 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving hot.

Notes

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 482Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 85gFiber: 2gSugar: 60gProtein: 6g

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About Christina Lane

Christina Lane is the author of 5 cookbooks all about cooking and baking for two. She has scaled down hundreds of recipes into smaller servings so you can enjoy your favorite dishes without the leftovers! Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday.

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121 Comments

  1. Ximena Hernรกndez J says:

    This is the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. We eat it in 5 minutes !

  2. Ashley says:

    Should leftovers be frozen or just kept at room temp?

  3. Dorothy Drennen says:

    Baking dish options would be much appreciated โ€” for example, โ€œuse a this-size loaf pan for 30 minutesโ€ โ€“ Or use an this-many ramekin for this-many minutes.โ€ Someimes the time changes, sometimes the temperature โ€“ but that information would be so helpful. I am new to your site, and I love it! Thank you!

  4. Mariah says:

    Thank you for sharing this small-batch recipe for a delicious chocolatey treat! I made this in a 1.5 qt. dish and it took just about the recommended 35 minutes. Would it be possible to make the brownie layer more brownie-like? Mine was more like cake texture.

  5. Nancy says:

    This turned out great, but I made a note to add 3/4 cup of water instead of 1/2 cup for the sauce, as it was very thick, and I would have liked a bit more sauce. It reminded of the yummy lava cakes from Carnival cruise lines.

    1. Fae Gisler says:

      The recipes calls for 1 cup of hot tap water.

  6. Connie says:

    I have made this twice and absolutely love it! No changes made at all. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have my neighbor some of it she said if she was dying she wanted some of this as her last meal before she went to meet God.lol

  7. QuiltE says:

    You have me drooling, and anxious to make this! Brings back childhood memories โ€ฆ family favourite dessert was a boxed mix making this. Also available were butterscotch and a lemon versions. By any chance do you have a recipe for the lemon?? Would really like to add that one to my must make list, too! THANKS!!

  8. Elaine says:

    Boiling? or Hot Tap Water โ€ฆ In the commentary it says โ€œboilingโ€ water. Whereas the recipe says Hot Tap Water.

    Hope someone can help me out, before I make it this weekend!
    PLEASE? and THANKS!

    1. Christine says:

      I used hot tap. It was amazing!

  9. Kenneth says:

    Hi can I use soya milk instead of dairy milk , also can I use marg instead of butter, to make the recipe vegan?

    1. Christina Lane says:

      You can make changes to any recipe you like, but I cannot guarantee the results.