The countdown to Christmas is on, and these hot cocoa cookies will get us in the festive mood! Soft, chewy chocolate cookies topped with a melted marshmallow and more chocolate. They’re really simple cookies that have such an incredibly rich chocolate flavor. Everyone will love them!
hot cocoa cookies – the details
If you’ve been following the blog since the beginning, you’ll know these hot cocoa cookies were one of the first Christmas recipes I’ve ever shared! I’ve updated the recipe slightly, making them more approachable and even more delicious.
The dough is really easy to mix up…with rich cocoa powder, sweet brown sugar, vanilla extract, and semi-sweet chocolate adding lots of indulgent flavor. If you like eating raw cookie dough, this is one of my very favorites to snack on. It is SO decadent and has such a wonderful chocolate flavor.
You’ll chill the dough for just 20 minutes to firm up slightly and make it easier to scoop out onto your cookie sheets. After 8 minutes in the oven, each cookie gets topped with a marshmallow and a little bit more chocolate.
The marshmallow softens and the chocolate melts, adding such a special touch to these already delicious cookies. I love them warm out of the oven, but they’re just as good once cooled. Add a little sea salt on top just to bring out all of the sweet flavors.
Extremely chewy and oh so chocolatey…I hope you add these to your cookie list this year!
PrintHot Cocoa Cookies
soft & chewy chocolate cookies with a melted marshmallow
yield: 12 (fairly large) cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted + cooled slightly
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 6 large marshmallows, cut in half crosswise
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, cream them together for 3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl using a rubber spatula.
- Mix in 1 egg at a time. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla. In two batches, mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as needed. Fold in half of the chopped semi-sweet chocolate. Chill the dough for 20 minutes.
- Spoon the dough onto 2 cookie sheets (roughly 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie for 12 cookies). Bake for 8 minutes.
- Lightly press the marshmallows into the middle of each cookie. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Bake for another 2 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the chocolate is melted.
- Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and (literally) drop them onto the counter to deflate the cookies. Let them cool for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack. Sprinkle them lightly with flaky sea salt. Eat warm or cool fully.
I have made these cookies 4 times since I discovered this recipe. Everyone I make them for absolutely loves them! These never fail! Thank you for sharing this creation!
Do you use salted butter or unsalted?
Sounds delicious! Question, could I substitute the cocoa powder with hot cocoa powder?
Cannot wait to make these!!
Great idea! It’s too hot for cocoa in FL. I’m making these instead.
Loooove your featured photo at the top! Awesome food styling!
Thank you! I really appreciate the great feedback!
These look super incredible! I love the photos 🙂
Thanks so much! They were delicious 🙂