Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe

These hot chocolate cookies are soft, chewy cocoa cookies topped with toasted marshmallows and a drizzle of milk chocolate, like a mug of hot cocoa in cookie form. The recipe makes 12 cookies in about 27 minutes, and the dough needs no chilling.

The trick is a second, short bake. The cookies come out after 9 to 10 minutes, the marshmallows go on, and they get 2 more minutes. That is just long enough to puff and brown them without melting them flat.

One Batch, 12 Marshmallow-Topped Cookies

• Oven: 350°F (175°C), one parchment-lined baking sheet
• Scoop: about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, 2 inches apart
• Bake: 9 to 10 minutes, then 2 minutes more with the marshmallows
• Cocoa: ½ cup (45 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• Topping: 12 large marshmallows, halved, or about 1 cup mini marshmallows, plus ½ cup milk chocolate
• Keeps: 3 days airtight at room temperature

Natural Cocoa, Dutch Cocoa or Hot Cocoa Mix?

I have baked these with both natural and Dutch-process cocoa. Natural cocoa gives a sharper chocolate flavor, and in my notes that batch browned more at the edges and kept the softest center. That is the one I use here.

There is a reason for it. The 1 teaspoon of baking soda needs acid to work, and natural cocoa and brown sugar supply it. Dutch cocoa has already been neutralized, so the dough rises and spreads a little less. You can still use it; expect a darker, thicker cookie with a smoother taste. Leave the baking soda as it is.

Hot cocoa mix is a different story. It is mostly sugar and milk powder with only a little cocoa, so swapping it 1:1 for the ½ cup cocoa gives you pale, extra sweet cookies that spread thin. Keep the packets for the mug you serve alongside.

Mixing the Cocoa Dough by Hand

You do not need a mixer. Beat the soft butter with the granulated and light brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes with a whisk or hand mixer, until it looks lighter and creamy. The butter should take a fingerprint easily but not look greasy. Melted or very warm butter is the main reason these cookies spread flat.

Beat in the egg, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a second bowl, then stir them into the butter mixture until no dry streaks remain.

Measure the dry ingredients with care. Spoon the cocoa and flour into the cup and level it off; scooped straight from the tin, cocoa packs down and the cookies turn dry. If you have a scale, it is 125 g flour and 45 g cocoa. The dough will be thick and sticky, which is right.

Scooping and Baking the First 9 Minutes

Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop, or use about 2 tablespoons, and roll it into balls. Set them 2 inches apart on the lined sheet. Crowded cookies run into each other and steam instead of bake. If the dough is too sticky to roll, 15 minutes in the fridge firms it up.

Bake at 350°F for 9 to 10 minutes. Dark dough hides browning, so judge by the surface. The edges should look set and matte, and the centers should still look puffy and a little underdone. They firm up as they cool, and a cookie that looks finished in the oven will be dry tomorrow.

The 2 Minute Marshmallow Bake

Take the sheet out and work quickly while the cookies are soft. Press 3 to 4 mini marshmallows into the center of each one, or one large marshmallow cut in half with both halves cut side down. Press them only halfway in. Pushed in deep, they melt into the cookie instead of puffing up.

Return the sheet to the oven for exactly 2 minutes. Stay close. The marshmallows should swell and pick up light golden tops. At 3 or 4 minutes they slump and run toward the edges.

Melting Milk Chocolate for the Drizzle

Use ½ cup of milk chocolate melting wafers or chopped milk chocolate bar. Skip chocolate chips here. They are made to hold their shape in the oven, so they melt thick and come off the spoon in clumps rather than thin lines.

Melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts at half power, stirring between each, and stop while a few small pieces remain; stirring melts the rest. Drizzle it over the warm cookies with a fork, or spoon it into a small bag and snip a corner. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.

Flat, Cakey or Puddled: Fixing These Cookies

• Cookies spread flat: the butter was too soft or melted, or the dough went onto a hot tray. Chill the dough 15 minutes and let the sheet cool between batches.
• Dry and cakey: too much cocoa or flour, or baked past 10 minutes. Spoon and level, and pull them while the centers look soft.
• Marshmallows melted into puddles: they stayed in longer than 2 minutes, or were pressed in too deep.
• Chocolate runs off the sides: the cookies were straight-from-the-oven hot. Give them a minute or two before drizzling.
• Tops stick together in the tin: they were stacked before the chocolate set. Wait until it is firm to the touch.

Storing Marshmallow Cookies and Packing Cookie Boxes

Once the chocolate has set, keep the cookies in a flat airtight container with parchment between layers. They stay soft for about 3 days at room temperature. After that the marshmallows turn tacky. A 10 second turn in the microwave softens a cookie and its chocolate again.

For cookie boxes and holiday trays, pack them in a single layer with a sheet of wax paper over the tops. To bake ahead, freeze the plain cookies before they get any topping. Thaw them, warm them on a sheet in the oven, then add the marshmallows and chocolate as if they were fresh.

Peppermint, Mexican and Other Hot Cocoa Twists

For a minty batch, swap in peppermint marshmallows or add a few drops of peppermint extract with the vanilla. If you like a little warmth, the chewy Mexican hot chocolate cookies bring in spice and a little heat. For more marshmallow and chocolate, try Nutella marshmallow cookies or a pan of marshmallow brownies.

These are made for dunking. Serve them with a mug of homemade hot chocolate, or set out a pot of crockpot hot chocolate for a crowd. Hot chocolate mousse cups round out a winter dessert table.

Pin these hot chocolate cookies to your Christmas cookie or winter baking board so they are easy to find in December. If you try a twist, like a cinnamon drizzle, tell me about it in the comments.