In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup of heavy whipping cream over medium heat until it's steaming but not boiling—about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the cream over 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes to melt, then stir until smooth. Refrigerate the ganache for 10-15 minutes until it's scoopable.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup of Dutch process cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Make sure these dry ingredients are well combined.

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat ½ cup of softened unsalted butter with ½ cup of light brown sugar and ¼ cup of granulated white sugar for about 2 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale.

Add 2 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix these on medium speed for 1 minute until everything is well combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Divide the cookie dough into 17 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a disk and place a frozen ganache ball in the center of each disk. Carefully wrap the dough around the ganache to form a ball.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place 6 cookie balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the center remains soft.

Allow the baked Chocolate Lava Cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. For an elegant touch, dust each cookie with powdered sugar before serving.