Hot Chocolate Cookies

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Cozy, double chocolate cookies that have a gooey marshmallow center, and are topped with a chocolate drizzle and festive sprinkles.

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‘Tis the season for all of the festive winter bakes. If you know me, then you know that I love chocolate. So, of course, multiple hot chocolate cookies were on my list to bake this winter. First, we had the unreal Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies. If you love s’mores, peppermint bark, and chocolate, you need to add them to your baking list. In my opinion, they’re the perfect s’mores dessert to keep in the rotation throughout winter.

I also wanted to create a cookie that was 100% hot chocolate vibes. You know, like hot chocolate, but in cookie form. For this recipe, we have a delicious, double chocolate cookie dough base that’s loaded with semisweet chocolate chips. I decided to use dark chocolate cocoa powder to make these cookies even more decadent and rich. The cookies have a gooey marshmallow center and are garnished with a yummy chocolate drizzle and festive non-pareils.

I’m SO happy with how these turned out. Not only are they super chocolatey, but the texture is perfectly soft and chewy. The gooey marshmallow in the middle takes these cookies to the next level. I’m obsessed and have a feeling you will be too!

Read on for the full recipe for these dreamy Hot Chocolate Cookies.

Hot chocolate lovers, this is the cookie for you! Dark chocolate cookies that are packed with chocolate chips, stuffed with a marshmallow, and topped with a chocolate drizzle and non-pareils. What could be better?

Not only are these cookies absolutely delicious, but they have such an amazing texture. The cookies bake up perfectly round and with some height while still being super soft and chewy. Nothing makes me happier than this!!

Marshmallow stuffed cookies can be a bit finicky, so let’s walk through a few tips and tricks.

1. As I say in all of my recipes, it’s extremely important to measure your dry ingredients (flour and cocoa powder) correctly. Cocoa powder can be very drying. In order for the cookie dough to wrap around the marshmallow and not fall apart, it needs to have enough moisture and elasticity.
2. For this recipe, I actually slightly reduced the amount of dry ingredients than what my other recipes call for — and, I believe this played a huge role in achieving the dreamiest cookie texture. Since we’re using melted butter and slightly less dry ingredients, you will need to chill the cookie dough twice. Once for 20 minutes. Then, you’ll scoop and stuff the cookies and chill them again for another 20 to 30 minutes. Chilling them twice is key in order to ensure that the cookies bake up nice and tall, and so that the cookie dough stays wrapped around the marshmallow.
3. Freeze your marshmallows! This usually doesn’t happen to me, but I’ve seen quite a few people mention that their marshmallows disappear in baked goods. Freezing the marshmallows prior to baking helps prevent them from melting and disappearing while baking. I normally don’t freeze my marshmallows, but I did for this recipe, and I feel like they held up even better than they normally do.

Overall, these cookies are super easy to make! In about 70 minutes, you’ll have a dozen of the dreamiest, most decadent Hot Chocolate Cookies. You don’t even need a mixer to make them! I’ve included some additional Tips for Success and FAQs below, so make sure you scroll down and read through those. If you still have questions, send me a DM on Instagram and we can chat through any questions that you have. Happy baking, friends!

Other recipes you may like:

• Mini Double Chocolate M&M Cookies
• S’mores Brookies
• Christmas Crack Cookies
• Mini Funfetti Cookies
• Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Dark cocoa powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Semisweet chocolate chips
• Large marshmallows
• Vegetable or coconut oil
• Sprinkles and/or peppermint pieces (for topping)

Kitchen tools you’ll need (linking my favorites below!):

• Mixing bowls
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop –  I used the medium cookie scoop which holds 1½ tbsp of cookie dough
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie turner
• Cooling rack

How to make these delicious Hot Chocolate Cookies

Place 12 marshmallows on a plate or in a container and set them in the freezer. Freeze the marshmallows for about 1 to 2 hours prior to baking.

Melt 1 cup unsalted butter on the stove or in the microwave. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

While the butter is cooling, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup dark cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, and the melted butter. Whisk together until it is smooth and combined.

Add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and lighter/paler in color.

Add the dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula until a few flour streaks remain. Fold in 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips.

Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scoop 12 dough balls. Flatten the cookie dough with the palm of your hand, place a frozen marshmallow inside, and gently wrap the dough around the marshmallow. The marshmallow should be fully covered on the sides and bottom, but exposed on the top. Set the cookie dough balls back in the refrigerator to chill for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops of the cookies still look slightly wet.

Once the cookies have cooled, melt ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave in 15-second increments. Stir between each. Add 1 tsp of coconut oil or vegetable oil to the chocolate chips to help them melt evenly.

Drizzle the top of each cookie with melted chocolate. Add peppermint pieces and/or sprinkles as garnish.

Let the cookies cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips for success

• Measure your dry ingredients (flour and cocoa powder) correctly. Too much flour and cocoa powder can lead to dry, crumbly cookies, and it’s extremely important that the cookie dough for this recipe has some moisture and elasticity so that it can hold the marshmallow in the center (and not fall apart). Before you measure out your flour and cocoa powder, carefully take a spoon and gently run through both and fluff them up to remove any clumps. Then, use the spoon to spoon the ingredients directly into the measuring cup. If you use the measure cup to scoop up the flour and/or cocoa powder directly, it’ll be compacted and you’ll end up with too much. To measure dry ingredients, you should be using dry ingredient measuring cups like these. If you prefer to bake using grams/weight measurements, you can use an online conversion calculator (like this one from Inch Calculator) to convert the recipe.
• Freeze your marshmallows for about 1 to 2 hours prior to baking. Freezing the marshmallows will help prevent them from melting and “disappearing” in the cookie while baking.
• Use the baking time list as a guide rather than a set rule. Oven temperatures can vary — although your oven may say that it’s set at a specific temperature, it may actually vary by 10 to 15 degrees. I highly recommend purchasing an oven thermometer for this reason. Regardless, you should always go by how the cookies look to determine if they should be removed from the oven. When the edges are set and the tops of the cookies still look slightly wet (not super gooey, but also not hard and crispy), take them out of the oven. Do not overbake your cookies as this will impact taste and texture.

FAQs

What size cookie scoop did you use?

I used this cookie scoop which holds 1½ tbsp of cookie dough and yielded 12 cookie dough balls.

Do I have to freeze the marshmallows?

No, and I usually don’t. I included this step because people will often say that their marshmallows disappeared while baking. Freezing the marshmallows helps prevent them from melting too much or too fast while the cookies are baking in the oven. Although I don’t usually freeze mine, I did notice a difference, so I will continue to do so, going forward.

Do I have to chill the cookie dough twice?

For this particular recipe, yes, you will need to chill the cookie dough twice. Once, for 20 minutes, just so that the cookie dough is firm enough to scoop cleanly. If you try to scoop it without chilling, it will be a bit messy. The second round of chilling (after scooping and stuffing the cookie dough balls) helps ensure that the cookie dough stays wrapped around the marshmallow and that the cookies bake up with some height. I know that extra chilling time can be annoying, but it’s absolutely worth the wait!

Can I make this dough in advance?

For this recipe, I don’t recommend making the cookie dough in advance. Since they have a marshmallow center, you don’t want the cookie dough to be too cold as it won’t spread enough to accommodate the marshmallow. For this particular recipe, it really is a science in order to ensure that they bake up properly.

Do I have to use dark cocoa powder?

No, you can use regular cocoa powder. I chose to use dark cocoa powder because it gives the cookies a darker, richer taste that is next level. So, although it’s not required, I do highly recommend using the dark cocoa powder.

How to store

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. If freezing, set the cookies out for about 20 to 30 minutes so that they soften before consuming. Or, heat them up in the microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds.

These cookies are truly the perfect cozy, winter bake! They’re full of chocolate, have a gooey, melty marshmallow center, and are absolutely delicious. Get a glass of milk ready because you’re going to need it with these. I’m so happy with how these turned out and hope you love them as much as I do!

If you try this recipe, share and tag me on socials using @itsbrunchoklock or #itsbrunchoklock. Or, leave a review below!