Hot Chocolate Cookies

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Hot Chocolate Cookies – these soft and chewy cookies are perfect for the holidays! Filled with Hot Cocoa flavor, they are chocolatey on the outside and filled with gooey melted mini marshmallows on the inside. All you need to add is a glass of milk!

While cakes are my business, cookies are my love language. And these soft, gooey cookies are absolute perfection! They have all the flavor of a warm cup of hot cocoa with the texture and chewiness of a delicious cookie.

My favorite cookies include chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal pecan cookies… and now these Hot Chocolate Cookies!

If you want to make cookies that scream Christmas or the holidays – you have to make these this holiday season!

When I looked for a Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe, all of them had marshmallows mixed into the cookie dough or a marshmallow melted on top. I wanted to do something different so I put the marshmallow inside the cookie!!

This means you get a beautiful delicious hot cocoa-flavored cookie on the outside wrapped around a sticky, melted marshmallow on the inside. The surprise gooeyness is delightful and so fun!

How? Freezing the marshmallows before making the cookies keeps them from completely disappearing and melting into the cookies!

What do Hot Chocolate Cookies Taste Like?

These cookies have real hot cocoa mix in the dough, making them truly taste like hot chocolate. The melty marshmallow in the middle kicks them up a notch and when mixed with the chocolaty-ness, you get an out-of-this-world fudgy cookie!

Ingredients

Another reason to love these Hot Cocoa cookies is that most of the ingredients are pantry staples.

Butter – be sure your butter is softened to room temperature. I use salted butter with great results but unsalted would work as well.
Brown Sugar – I always use light brown sugar.
Egg – use a large egg, again at room temperature
Vanilla Extract – of course, I prefer my homemade vanilla extract, but any quality store-bought brand will be great as well!
All-purpose Flour
Hot Cocoa Mix – do NOT use sugar-free hot cocoa mix. But you can experiment with different flavors and brands.
Cocoa Powder – for a darker cookie, use dark cocoa powder
Instant Coffee (optional – helps intensify the chocolate flavor) – I highly recommend the instant coffee granules. It will not make your cookies taste like coffee but it will intensify the chocolate flavor. Trust me on this – add the coffee!
Baking Soda – NOT baking powder. Even as an experienced baker, I’ve mixed this up in the past so make sure you’re using non-expired baking soda.
Salt
Mini Marshmallows – freeze these before you stuff the cookies and that will prevent them from melting in the cookie and disappearing

Substitutions and Mix-ins

For the hot cocoa mix, you can substitute different varieties as long as you don’t use sugar-free hot cocoa mix. Here are a few I’ve seen:

Cocoa Powder Substitutions: You can also substitute dark cocoa for the original cocoa powder if you want a darker, richer cookie with a stronger chocolate flavor.

Want to add a little more chunkiness and texture? Mix in half a cup of chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks!

Hot Chocolate Cookies next to hot chocolate in white cup with marshmallows

How to Make Hot Chocolate Cookies

Now let me show you how to make this easy Hot Chocolate Cookie Recipe!

Place the marshmallows in the freezer while you make the cookie dough.*
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a medium bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot cocoa mix, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt.
Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, and combine well.

wet and dry ingredients in bowl and mixed

Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and make a well in the center.
Place 2-3 frozen marshmallows in the center of each cookie, and top with another tablespoon of cookie dough, pressing edges together to seal marshmallows inside as much as possible.
Continue with the remaining dough, spacing on a parchment-lined baking sheet with about 2 inches of space between the cookie dough balls.

scooped out balls for baking on wax sheet

marshmallows being placed in center of unbaked cookies

completed cookies on wax sheet ready to be baked

Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

*Freezing the marshmallows isn’t 100% necessary, but it helps keep them from melting into the cookie as they bake. Please freeze them if you can!

Video

Recipe Pro Tips

To get the perfect-sized hot cocoa cookie, use a cookie scoop. This 2-tablespoon scoop is my favorite! It also doubles as the perfect size scoop for cupcake batter in a standard cupcake pan.
While silicone baking mats are nice, I find that my cookies bake best when on parchment paper. You can even buy pre-cut sheets if you want.
Freeze the mini marshmallows before putting them in the cookies. This way they will not melt as much and won’t disappear into the cookie.

FAQ

Can you make hot cocoa cookies with sugar free hot chocolate?

No, sugar-free hot chocolate will not work in these cookies. You can use other flavors, but not a reduced calorie version.

What do I serve with hot chocolate cookies?

As with almost all cookies, an ice cold glass of milk is perfect with these hot chocolate marshmallow cookies. Coffee is also great with them or you can double-up and do a mug of steaming hot cocoa!

What kind of marshmallows should I use for hot chocolate cookies with marshmallows?

If you check out recipes using hot chocolate mix, there are cookies with regular marshmallows, marshmallow creme, mini marshmallows, and mallow bits. For THIS recipe, use frozen mini marshmallows.

Serving Suggestions

These cookies are so perfect as Christmas cookies, for a cookie exchange, or for an office party or classroom party! Place a few in a cute container and they’d also make great holiday gifts from your kitchen.

Here are some other terrific ideas for food gifts for Christmas:

Storage Instructions

Store any cooled, leftover Hot Chocolate Cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Since the marshmallows are all on the inside, you can safely stack them.

I don’t recommend freezing the cookies, but you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake the cookies and stuff them with marshmallows, let it thaw to room temperature before scooping and forming the cookie dough balls.

Allow cookies to cool completely and then any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep them in a single layer or they’ll stick to one another.
To make the dough ahead of time: You could also make the dough and keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and then bake. (If chilling for more than 3 hours, set it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before forming the cookie balls.) You could also freeze the dough for up to 2 months.

Tools/Equipment Needed

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Cookie Scoop

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Hand Mixer

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Mixing Bowls

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