Hot Chocolate Cookies are chocolate cookies baked with hot cocoa mix and topped with gooey mini marshmallows that puff perfectly in the oven. These Hot Chocolate Cookies are perfect for a Christmas cookie exchange!
Did you ever wonder what you can make out of hot cocoa mix? You can use hot cocoa mix for baking! I make these Hot Chocolate Cookies all winter long! We always have hot cocoa mix on hand, as well as mini marshmallows. These hot chocolate cookies bake up quickly and easily when you have those two ingredients in your pantry. Your kids will love placing the marshmallows carefully on top of each cookie and then biting into the gooey chocolate!
My best friend first introduced these cookies to me when we were visiting her in Indiana years ago. When she first described them to me earlier in the day, I just couldn’t picture what the heck she was talking about. We love our classic cookies like chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, no-bake cookies, sugar cookies, etc. But, how do you make hot cocoa cookies? Later that evening, she made them for us and I couldn’t get them out of my mind for the longest time. We quickly traveled back to our home in California, and when winter weather finally hit it was my turn to bake up a batch…and bake up a batch, I did!
Baking With Hot Cocoa Mix
I wanted to make some of these for my family in Michigan when I was visiting that following January. Unfortunately, something went wrong and the cookie dough ended up very dry and crumbly, although the cookies tasted fine. I later figured out that I used too much of the hot cocoa mix for baking the cookies. The recipe calls for 4 packages hot chocolate mix. Make sure you do not use the type that is sugar-free or that includes marshmallows. Or, you can substitute with homemade hot chocolate mix, which makes them even better! BUT, do not substitute the hot cocoa mix for cocoa powder. Bad bad idea.
Mini Marshmallows in Cookies
Some hot cocoa cookie recipes call for Mallow Bits instead of mini marshmallows. I do not love Mallow Bits in my cookies and prefer to the gooey-ness of mini marshmallows placed on top of each cookie. You can definitely stir in Mallow Bits instead and eliminate the mini marshmallows if you prefer! You just won’t have that yummy gooey marshmallow texture that my kids and I love.
I hope you enjoy these Hot Chocolate Cookies as much as my family has for the last many years!
Hot Chocolate Cookies are chocolate cookies made with hot cocoa and topped with gooey mini marshmallows that puff perfectly in the oven. Warm up this winter with our favorite Hot Chocolate Cookies!
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 packages (or 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons) Hot Chocolate Mix (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
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In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then blend in the vanilla.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, hot chocolate mix, and baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips.
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Drop dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. Working quickly, carefully add about 5 to 7 miniature marshmallows to the top of each cookie, and gently press. Return to the oven and bake an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the marshmallows start to puff. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes before removing. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Updated on November 24, 2018. Originally published on February 29, 2012.
Blog is the New Black says
February 29, 2012 at 4:23 AMOh these look so yummy!
Dawnn says
February 29, 2012 at 10:01 AMThe cookies look and sound yummy, but please tell me where I can get tht okie jar!
Nikki says
February 29, 2012 at 1:53 PMHi Dawnn… it’s at Anthropologie. 🙂
Christy @ Life of a Modern Housewife says
February 29, 2012 at 4:56 PMLove the new cookie jar!!!! And this recipe looks yummy! The name brings me back to being a kid 😉
Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker says
February 29, 2012 at 5:21 PMThe cookies sound awesome! And, GAH! LOVE that cookie jar! Do you know where he got it?
Nikki says
February 29, 2012 at 5:38 PMThanks, Michelle! It’s from Anthropologie. 🙂
Sherri says
February 29, 2012 at 6:22 PMDo I have to use the homeade hot chocolate mix that you use or could I use my own?
Nikki says
February 29, 2012 at 8:10 PMHi Sherri, You can probably use your own homemade mix. I just chanced it with mine and it worked. 🙂
bergamot says
March 1, 2012 at 7:40 PMWow these look good
Bekah says
March 10, 2012 at 4:30 PMJust made these for my church bake sale and they are YUMMY, they should be a big hit, and they were pretty easy to make, thank you so much for the recipe
Lanay says
October 8, 2012 at 12:46 AMomg these look so good! :), and now that the weather is trying to get colder (Arizona stays hot forever lol) I’m going to try them out with my homemade cocoa and some homemade marshmallows ^_^
Ali M. says
December 4, 2012 at 10:26 AMHi,
These look amazing, but do they travel well? Would I be able to stack them?
Thanks!
Ali
Nikki says
December 4, 2012 at 11:04 AMHi Ali,
If you stack them, put wax paper in between. They should travel just fine. 🙂
Ali M. says
December 4, 2012 at 1:09 PMThanks!!
Katie says
December 17, 2012 at 12:34 PMI found this recipe through another bloggers site and made them last night. They were tasty, not super sweet. I decided to crunch up candy canes for the remaining batter. Delish! Peppermint hot cocoa anyone?
Sheila says
January 18, 2013 at 3:47 AMHi you mentioned that you used too much hot choc mix in your first batch. Is 4 pkgs the right amount for the recipe or should I cut it back to 3 . Thxs
Nikki says
January 18, 2013 at 3:23 PM4 packages is typically right, but I can’t guarantee that all brands of hot cocoa mix have the same size packages. So, the best way to make sure you don’t use too much is to open the packages and measure out 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons of the mix. 🙂
Sheila says
January 19, 2013 at 4:36 AMThanks ! I am going to make them today.
Kari says
February 25, 2013 at 9:39 PMThese turned out great! They tasted better than I thought they would (I thought they’d be more for the kids) and are exactly like a cuppa hot choc in a cookie. The dough was a little hard to mix so I think I’ll cut out 1/4 c. or less of the flour next time (although I probably should have measured my hot choc packets – whoops!).
Thanks for the recipe! And your new site & brand look great!
Nikki says
February 26, 2013 at 9:15 AMThanks, Kari!! I love these cookies… as I’m eyeing some homemade hot cocoa mix right there on my counter that might get some use today! 😉
Stephanie @Cat Lady Runs says
December 15, 2013 at 6:15 PMI made these today to test before a cookie exchange and WHOA they were so. good. I was planning to have one and bring the rest to my students tomorrow but I keep eyeing them…
Nikki says
December 15, 2013 at 8:28 PMhaha! I made them again during Thanksgiving week for our entire family and kept eating more than my fair share, too! 🙂
Sara says
November 24, 2018 at 9:29 PMOk these are on the must-make list for sure!! I have a favorite homemade cocoa mix I’m going to try.
Nikki Gladd says
November 25, 2018 at 4:09 PMI love using my homemade hot cocoa mix with these cookies. I bet yours will turn out great, too! Thanks, Sara!
Sara says
December 8, 2018 at 8:28 AMWe made these yesterday and took them to a school holiday gathering. They were a huge hit with kids and adults as well. We got several recipe requests. Thanks for the recipe!