These Hot Cocoa Cookies are soft, chewy and decadent, with melty chocolate and marshmallows on top – a must make for your holiday baking list!
You guys. These cookies are so freaking good. But I have a confession to make. When you get to the recipe, you’ll notice that it looks an awful lot like the Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies I posted yesterday. And, that’s because it is. I just changed the topping.
Actually, the Hot Cocoa Cookies are ones I’d made years ago (only they weren’t thumbprints) and I decided to use it for the other cookie recipe, and then ended up making these again, too, but I kept the thumbprint to fill with chocolate chips. Because, of course they needed a little hole to sit in and melt! What can I say, they are THAT good.
I’ve mentioned recently that we are staying in our RV until our new house is finished being built, and baking in an RV oven is…challenging sometimes, but I’ve managed to still get quite a lot of baking done over the last several weeks. Which means I’ve had a lot of baked goods in this camper. And working from home means I can’t take them to the office to make them disappear. As much as my little sugar-head child would love to eat every last one, I’d like her not to have a mouth full of cavities. So, I offered the goodies up to our little community here, and these were a BIG hit!
As much as I love being in the kitchen and baking up delicious treats, I love sharing them even more. And, if I’m being honest, I’m not usually a fan of marshmallows – but these, mixed with that soft chocolate cookie and the layer of melted chocolate underneath – I can totally get behind!
What does it take to make Hot Cocoa Cookies?
Unsalted butter
Dark chocolate chips or bars
All-purpose flour
Dark cocoa powder
Baking powder
Salt
Light brown sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Large marshmallows
Chocolate bar (for shavings)
How to make Hot Cocoa Cookies:
Full printable recipe below!
Step 1
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the dark chocolate, stirring frequently, over medium heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Step 2
While the chocolate is cooling, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer), add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture until just blended, then add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet, and use a teaspoon or similarly sized/shaped item to make a thumbprint in each cookie. You may have to bake multiple batches depending on the size of your cookie sheet. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack, about 12 minutes.
Step 6
Meanwhile, snip marshmallows in half crosswise. (Cut as you go, however many you need per sheet in the oven.) Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate chips into the thumbprint of each cookie and top with one marshmallow half, pressing it down gently.
Step 7
Return to oven and bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes and grate the chocolate bar over the hot cookies. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, marshmallows and chocolate.
Step 8
Store in an airtight container, in single layers to prevent marshmallows from sticking to other cookies, for up to a week. And, I highly recommend popping in the microwave for a few seconds before eating any leftover cookies. They are delicious room temp, but that melty chocolate is so good!
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Hot Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 10 oz dark chocolate chips, or bars
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
For the marshmallow topping
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 18 large marshmallows
- chocolate bar shavings, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the dark chocolate, stirring frequently, over medium heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- While the chocolate is cooling, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer), add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture until just blended, then add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet, and use a teaspoon or similarly sized/shaped item to make a thumbprint in each cookie. You may have to bake multiple batches depending on the size of your cookie sheet. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack, about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, snip marshmallows in half crosswise. (Cut as you go, however many you need per sheet in the oven.) Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate chips into the thumbprint of each cookie and top with one marshmallow half, pressing it down gently.
- Return to oven and bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes and grate the chocolate bar over the hot cookies. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, marshmallows and chocolate.
- Store in an airtight container, in single layers to prevent marshmallows from sticking to other cookies, for up to a week. And, I highly recommend popping in the microwave for a few seconds before eating any leftover cookies. They are delicious room temp, but that melty chocolate is so good!
Thanks a lot! Now I want cookies for breakfast! Guess I’m going to have to settle for a mug of hot chocolate instead!