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Cozy up with our Hot Chocolate Cookies recipe. A chocolatey delight that captures the essence of your favorite winter drink in every bite!
Featured with this recipe
Like a mug of steamy, hot chocolate, baked into a cookie, this treat delivers your favorite holiday drink in a way you’ve never imagined. Cookies with the perfect amount of chewiness and marshmallows that will melt in your mouth (just like in your hot cocoa), these are great for a Christmas or holiday cookie exchange. Fall into a cloud of milk chocolate and marshmallows, you’ll be glad you did!
Ingredients in Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Hot Cocoa Mix
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Cocoa Powder
- Chocolate Chips
- Dehydrated Marshmallows
Dehydrated Marshmallows vs Regular Mini Marshmallows
- You’ll want to use dehydrated marshmallows for this recipe, kind of like the marshmallows you find in hot cocoa mix. The difference is that when you bake with dehydrated vs regular mini marshmallows, the regular mini marshmallows melt in the cookies, causing there to be holes in the cookie. Another issue with these, they stick to your baking pan, causing headache when you’re trying to get your cookies off the parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Dehydrated marshmallows work much better because they only puff up a little bit. They melt a bit and become slightly chewy, yum!
- You can find dehydrated marshmallows on Amazon, as well as stores like Target and Walmart. The most common brand I’ve seen at grocery stores is Jet Puffed Bits. They are inexpensive as well.
Spice it Up
These cookies are practically perfect in every way already, but if you are looking for a way to add some zing to this thing, here are some suggestions:
- Crushed peppermint- this flavor goes so well with hot chocolate, have you ever put a candy cane in a mug of hot cocoa?
- Dark chocolate ganache- the slightly bitter taste of the dark chocolate will compliment the sweet flavors of this cookie.
- Sprinkles- fun, holiday sprinkles could be incorporated into the dough or sprinkled on top of ganache if you so choose.
- Nutella- a drizzle of Nutella would go far!
- Crushed chocolate covered espresso beans- coffee and chocolate, a match made in heaven!
- Chunky sea salt- no one ever DIDN’T like salty chocolate.
Recipe Tip
If you incorporate the marshmallows into the batter, they will soften and then puff up during baking. To avoid this, press a few dehydrated marshmallows down onto each cookie dough ball right before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hot Chocolate Cookies
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
You can make cookie dough balls or use a cookie scoop or make sure that your cookies are all the same size and shape, which helps them to bake evenly.
Yes, you can place fully cooled cookies in an airtight container or a freezer safe bag and keep in the freezer for up to two months.
Read Next: 25+ Christmas Dessert Ideas
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
How to Make Hot Chocolate Cookies
Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter cold, sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cup flour
- 4 packets hot cocoa mix NOT sugar free
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup dehydrated marshmallows or Mallow Bits, NOT mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, hot cocoa mix, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing. Mix until just combined. The mixture will be just a bit drier than normal cookie dough.
- Fold in chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Scoop cookie dough into 1-2 inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Press a few dehydrated marshmallows into each dough ball.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Notes
- Regular marshmallows will puff up in the oven and make a sticky mess.
- If the marshmallows are browning too quickly, move the oven rack down one level.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
