Here’s a holiday cookie we just can’t say no to. These Hot Chocolate Cookies taste just like the holiday drink! The cookie batter channels just the right flavor of the liquid chocolate: it’s textured with sugar crystals and studded with chocolate chunks. The best part? A marshmallow center ties it all together, forming a melty lake of gooey bliss. These are divine. We’re not big cookie people (I know, gasp!), but these blew us away.
Ingredients in hot chocolate cookies
These Hot Chocolate Cookies are essentially a chocolate sugar cookie with a marshmallow center. The base cookie is inspired by a book by one of our favorite bakers, 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer. Instead of mini marshmallows, the center’s got half of one big marshmallow, which melts into a gooey pile. Here’s what you’ll need:
All purpose flour Dutch process (dark chocolate) cocoa powder: see notes below Baking soda and kosher salt Granulated sugar Butter Vanilla Eggs Dark chocolate Large marshmallows
Notes on Dutch process cocoa powder
The cocoa powder in these Hot Chocolate Cookies is special: it’s Dutch process cocoa powder. It’s been treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral, which gives it a darker color and milder flavor. It makes the flavor ultra chocolaty, like in Chocolate Banana Muffins and Healthy Chocolate Pudding. You should be able to find Dutch process cocoa powder at your local grocery next to the regular cocoa powder. If you can’t find it, you can buy it online: try Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder or Ghiradelli Dutch Process Cocoa Powder.
Tips for baking hot chocolate cookies
These Hot Chocolate Cookies are easy to make, but you should know two things before you start. Here’s what to know:
Baking 1 tray at a time makes the most even bake. Our oven is a little uneven on the two racks, so cookies can come out a little different based on their difference from the heating element. To make perfect cookies, bake one tray at a time. (We know, it takes longer! But it’s worth it.) Important: refrigerate the formed dough balls while baking. The dough becomes warm as it sits, so you’ll want to get those formed dough balls into the fridge during baking. If the dough is too warm, the marshmallow simply melts (instead of looking white, it turns clear). Trust us: we know from experience!
Otherwise, Hot Chocolate Cookies are pretty simple to make. Flatten the dough into a disk, add half of a large marshmallow, make a ball, and roll it in a plate of granulated sugar. It’s easy as that and they come out simply beautiful. The perfect Christmas cookie, in our opinion!
More Christmas cookies & treats
Looking for more holiday cookies? Here are our favorite easy Christmas cookies this time of year:
Make a batch of cute Linzer Cookies Make cozy spiced Molasses Ginger Cookies Go for Soft Gingerbread Cookies Try Almond Thumbprint Cookies, chewy and made with almond flour Opt for Iced Applesauce Cookies Go for Chai Spiced Snowballs
This hot chocolate cookies recipe is…
Vegetarian. 5 from 1 review Cookie recipe inspired by 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer. Marshmallow center inspired by Salted and Stirred.
