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Our Chocolate Cobbler recipe is extra rich and chocolatey with a gooey, pudding like texture. This is an egg-free dessert that is beyond simple to whip up with pantry staples. You’ll find us enjoying this warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!!
Let’s talk about chocolate for a moment, shall we?
It’s a Happy Little Chocolate Moment.
I have to admit, the first time I made this chocolate cobbler, I was a hot mess. I was having one of those “I just want to eat all the chocolate” kind of days (AKA, my normal state of being), and I needed something serious to save the day.
I’d seen a few chocolate cobbler recipes floating around the internet (this was back in 2009, by the way), and the obsession was born.
As the smell of melty chocolate smacked me in the face, I was like, “Okay, universe, you’re speaking my language now.” 🍫
And that first bite? Pure. Magic.
It’s like a warm hug, a chocolate explosion, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream all mixed into one perfect little dessert.
Think lava cake, but without all the fussiness.
Now that we’re here in 2025, where eggs are the price of your first born child, I appreciate this gooey, decadent, excessively chocolate dessert for the fact that it’s also egg free.
This is basically a budget-friendly superhero. And don’t even get me started on how easy it is to make—no fancy ingredients needed, just stuff you probably already have in your pantry.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
Honestly, what’s not to love about this excessively chocolate dessert? Here’s what’s at the top of my list, though.
- No weird ingredients: This cobbler calls for nothing but the staple ingredients most people are stocked with. No picking the perfect piece of fruit or chopping and peeling. The only ingredient you may not have is espresso powder, but if you don’t have it on hand, just skip it. It does help deepen the chocolate flavor, so I do recommend you buy some. It’s great in my perfect chocolate chip cookies, homemade brownies, and just about any dessert that calls for a lot of chocolate. Get it here.
- It’s easy: That’s something I say about a lot of my recipes, but that’s because my goal is always to create big wins in the kitchen with minimal effort.
- It’s chocolate: Smack you in the face levels of chocolate. And its surprising too – most people haven’t even heard of a chocolate cobbler. I mean, cobbler is for fruit, right? Not this time, although my apple cobbler is still very much at the top of my list.
Ingredient Notes:
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
For the cobbler:
Butter – One of the key components of this recipe is to place the butter in the baking dish and pop it in the oven as it preheats. This melts the butter and gets the dish hot, which helps things to bake up properly.
Dry Ingredients – You’ll need all-purpose flour, white sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Use an unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder for the best result.
Wet Ingredients – For mixing with the dry ingredients you’ll need some milk and vanilla extract.
Espresso Powder – This is optional but I definitely recommend it! I promise it won’t make the chocolate cobbler taste like coffee. Espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor and makes it even richer and fudgier tasting!
My Favorite Vanilla!
A good quality vanilla really does make a difference and this is my favorite brand.
For the topping:
Sugars – We’re using both granulated white sugar (texture) and brown sugar (flavor).
Cocoa Powder – Chocolate in the filling and chocolate in the topping. There’s never enough, you know?
Hot Water – This is a key ingredient that helps the cobbler bake up properly. We tested the recipe with cold water and it doesn’t turn out quite the same.
Ice Cream or Whipped Cream – We have tested this both ways, extensively. Just doing my due diligence. I prefer vanilla ice cream, but whipped creamy is also decadent and delicious.
My Favorite Cocoa Powder!
This cocoa powder is Dutch-processed, giving it a rich, deep flavor and color. Hershey’s brand is inexpensive and easy to find.
Step by Step Chocolate Cobbler:
Mix together the dry cobbler ingredients in a mixing bowl while your oven preheats. Whisk in the wet ingredients until well combined.
Melt some butter in an 8×8 baking dish in the oven while it preheats. When melted carefully spoon the chocolate cobbler mixture over the melted butter in the pan.
Prepare the topping by mixing together the dry ingredients with a whisk and then sprinkle over the top of the chocolate cobbler in the pan.
Slowly pour the hot water over the top, covering all the topping. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top has firmed up but the cobbler is still jiggly in the middle.
Karly’s Tips & Tricks:
I tested this recipe extensively (partially so we’d have it just right for you and partially because I find myself in ‘must eat chocolate’ situations on the regular. Here are some of the tips I’ve learned along the way:
- Place the stick of butter in the pan and pop it in the oven to melt as the oven preheats. I’m not entirely sure why, but this does make for a better chocolate cobbler. I think it helps the texture a bit.
- Don’t stir the layers together. You’ll have melted butter topped with filling topped with topping topped with hot water. Resist the urge to stir!
- Let it cool for a good 15 minutes so that it’s not pure liquid when you try to spoon it out, but be sure to dig in while it’s still a bit warm for the best chocolate experience.
- Top it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even some fresh berries. This is rich, rich, rich (in the best way) and that helps to balance things out.
MORE HOMEMADE COBBLER RECIPES!
We love fruit cobbler too! Here are some of my favorites that I like to make, epsecially in the summer when fruit is ripe and fresh and hard to pass by.
- Bisquick Peach Cobbler
- Pumpkin Cobbler
- Keto Blueberry Cobbler
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Peach Cobbler Egg Rolls
Chocolate Cobbler
Ingredients
For the cobbler:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional but recommended
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
To make the cobbler filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter in an 8×8 baking dish and put the dish in the oven while it preheats until butter has melted.
- If you hear the butter start to sputter and pop, remove the dish from the oven so as not to burn the butter.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk the milk and vanilla into the dry ingredients until well combined.
- When the butter has melted, carefully spoon the chocolate mixture over the melted butter in the pan. Do not stir to combine.
To make the cobbler topping:
- Mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk. Sprinkle over the top of the chocolate cobbler.
- Slowly and carefully pour the hot water over the top, being sure to cover the topping with water as much as possible. A few dry spots are okay. Do not stir to combine.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top has firmed up, but the cobbler is still quite jiggly in the middle.
- Serve warm with either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published back in 2009. It was updated with new photos in 2025.
Melissa Kay says
Hi your recipe calls for 1 cup flour? Is this all purpose flour? Please and thank you
Karly says
Yes, unless otherwise stated ‘flour’ is meant to be all purpose.
Erin says
This looks amazing and was exactly what I was looking for. This may be a stupid question but I’m not sure I will have time to bake this before serving, can it be made the night before? Can I store it at room temp or in the fridge and does it do anything to the quality of gooeiness if I make it ahead and heat it up before?
Karly says
I would probably store this in the fridge and then take it out a few hours before serving to come to room temperature.
Hazel says
If I increased ingredients by 1/2, do you think it would suffice for a 9 x 13 pan?
Karly says
I would double this for a 9×13.
Amanda@craftycookingmama says
Chocolate cobbler!? I might have just died and gone to chocolate heaven! Your original photos 8 years ago would have made me want to devour that cobbler, but the before and after shots are definitely amazing. They’re inspiring, too – thank you 🙂
Karly says
Thanks, Amanda! I appreciate that! 🙂
Olivia Cucco says
Chocolate cobbler?!? Mind blown! This looks amazing! Putting it on my baking bucket list right now.
Karly says
Hope you get to it soon! 🙂
Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers says
When I was a kid, my mom used to make a chocolate pudding cake like this. It was made from Jiffy chocolate cake and Jiffy icing mix. Sadly, we can no longer find the chocolate icing mix! This looks like it would make an awesome substitute!
Karly says
Hope you give it a try!
tweet says
Very yummy!!! I didn’t have espresso flour so I used instant espresso and pinched it to make it like flour. Thanks for the recipe.
Sheryl says
You crack me up! I can’t stop myself from giggling while reading. I can totally relate! But look at the close-up and last photo, I was like ???????????? That cobbler looks amazing ????
Sheryl says
Gosh, the emoticons screwed up. It should look like this: (‘O’) (XoX) Hmmm… Not even close. Lol! 🙂
Deb Barnes says
Love it!! I’ve never heard of chocolate cobbler either and now that I see the ingredients and how easy it is to make, I’m totally on board! I’ve shared this on my Facebook page: Chat’s Meow – Cats, Crochet, Coffee, Chocolate, and More!
Karly says
Thanks for sharing, Deb!
David @ Spiced says
Woah. My mind is blown! I grew up eating fruit cobblers with pretty much every fruit imaginable…but chocolate? I need this in my life. Like tonight. 🙂
Karly says
And since it’s so easy, you can totally whip it up tonight! 🙂
Lisa says
Finally, I found the kind of cobbler that speaks to me!! Chocolate! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
I only started blogging and taking photographs recently but I already relate to this post. My photos were absolutely cringeworthy to start off and I feel like I have a lot of growing to do as a photographer. I have already gone back and redone several of my recipes. In a few years, I will probably want to do the same thing all over again!
I think your new photos are beautiful and you can tell how much your hard work has paid off!
Karly says
Thanks, Lisa! 🙂
barbara says
I don’t have the espresso powder can I use something else?
Karly says
You can leave it out completely. 🙂
Shelley says
This recipe is quite like the one in the Betty Crocker cookbook! I found the recipe when I was 11 and have been making it since. Try whipping heavy cream with confectioners sugar and real vanilla extract! Yummy!! I’ve even made a raspberry sauce with fresh raspberries! Heavenly! Also try chopped pecans in the batter-better yet!
Karly says
I bet it’s great with a raspberry sauce!
Shelley says
It sure is Karly!
Barbara, you can always replace either 1/2 of the milk with strong brewed coffee or all strong brewed coffee in the batter recipe. I’ve done that when out of expresso powder.
Erica says
Gorgeous! I can not wait to give this dessert a try :). Simple, and mouthwatering. I love the before and after pics…
Karly says
Thanks, Erica!
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
Oh I totally hear you on the photography thing! I look back at some of my old photos and cringe!! And I remember thinking back- wow these photos are amazing..oh too funny. This makes me want to dig back into the archives and re-make some of those hideously photographed recipes. And this cobbler- um swoon. Can I just stick my face in it now?
Karly says
Glad to hear I’m not alone in this! 🙂