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
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 packages (or ½ cup plus 3 Tablespoons) Hot Chocolate Mix (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to drop dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. Working quickly, carefully add 4 to 5 miniature marshmallows to the top of each cookie, and gently press. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
Notes
- Do not place more than 5 marshmallows on each cookie or they will turn out very flat. (Photos show more than 5, however, I haven't been able to achieve the same thickness after moving to a more humid state.)
- Nutrition information is an estimate only.
Nutrition
Updated on November 24, 2018. Originally published on February 29, 2012.
Sara says
We 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!
Sara says
Ok these are on the must-make list for sure!! I have a favorite homemade cocoa mix I’m going to try.
Nikki Gladd says
I love using my homemade hot cocoa mix with these cookies. I bet yours will turn out great, too! Thanks, Sara!
Stephanie @Cat Lady Runs says
I 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
haha! I made them again during Thanksgiving week for our entire family and kept eating more than my fair share, too! 🙂
Kari says
These 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
Thanks, 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! 😉
Sheila says
Hi 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
4 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
Thanks ! I am going to make them today.
Katie says
I 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?
Ali M. says
Hi,
These look amazing, but do they travel well? Would I be able to stack them?
Thanks!
Ali
Nikki says
Hi Ali,
If you stack them, put wax paper in between. They should travel just fine. 🙂
Ali M. says
Thanks!!
Lanay says
omg 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 ^_^
Bekah says
Just 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
bergamot says
Wow these look good
Sherri says
Do I have to use the homeade hot chocolate mix that you use or could I use my own?
Nikki says
Hi Sherri, You can probably use your own homemade mix. I just chanced it with mine and it worked. 🙂
Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker says
The cookies sound awesome! And, GAH! LOVE that cookie jar! Do you know where he got it?
Nikki says
Thanks, Michelle! It's from Anthropologie. 🙂
Christy @ Life of a Modern Housewife says
Love the new cookie jar!!!! And this recipe looks yummy! The name brings me back to being a kid 😉
Dawnn says
The cookies look and sound yummy, but please tell me where I can get tht okie jar!
Nikki says
Hi Dawnn... it's at Anthropologie. 🙂
Blog is the New Black says
Oh these look so yummy!