Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies

Jump to Recipe

A festive twist to everyone’s favorite s’mores dessert. These double chocolate cookies are stuffed with a full s’more and a Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Milk Chocolate Square.

NOTE: this article contains affiliate links — I may earn a commission when you make a purchase through these links on my site.

As we all know, I’m obsessed with s’mores desserts. Cookies, brownies, banana bread — you name it and I love it. It really is one combination that you can never go wrong with. And, this cold weather has me missing s’mores. I stand strongly behind the idea that s’mores are a year-round dessert which is exactly why I needed to make a holiday version.

These Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies are pure perfection. When I taste tested them for the first time, I was like, “Wow! You did that!”. To me, they taste exactly like a Thin Mint which I wasn’t even expecting. The rich, double chocolate cookie combined with a Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Milk Chocolate Square is heavenly on its own. Then, add in the other s’mores components and it’s a dream. I also chose to add in some festive sprinkles because, why not?! Sprinkles just make everything better and even more cute. Plus, I feel like they just really bring together that hot chocolate element.

I’m so excited for you all to try my “winter” s’mores cookie. They’re full of chocolate, have that dreamy s’mores element, and the peppermint bark just takes them to the next level. I hope you all love them as much as I do!

Read on for the full recipe for these delicious Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies.

Yet another s’mores cookie to add to the collection. When I say I love s’mores, I really mean it. If you put me by a campfire with the s’mores ingredients, it’s literally impossible for me to stop eating them. These days, I don’t really have easy access to a campfire, so I have to bake s’mores desserts instead. And, I’m not going to lie, I think the desserts are so much better than a traditional s’more — this is coming from someone who LOVES s’mores.

To keep the s’mores content alive in this colder season, I knew I needed to come up with a holiday twist. When the idea came to me to create a hot chocolate inspired s’mores cookie, I knew I had to make it immediately.

A massive, double chocolate cookie that’s stuffed with a chocolate graham cracker, Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Milk Chocolate Square, and a marshmallow. The cookie dough is loaded with chocolate chips and festive sprinkles. I mean, talk about dreamy, right?!

There are a few ways that you can make s’mores cookies, but I find the method that I use in this recipe to be the easiest and most consistent in terms of yielding the same results. When you begin assembling everything, you’ll start with your s’mores ingredients. Then, you’ll scoop your cookie dough and flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand. You’ll then drape the cookie dough over the s’more. Now, this next step is the part that most people leave out and I feel like it makes a huge difference. Press the cookie dough down so that it’s fully covering the sides of the s’more. It doesn’t need to cover the bottom / graham cracker, but it needs to cover the sides. Otherwise, your cookies will bake up somewhat broken and be barely held together by the marshmallow.

Overall, this recipe is very easy to follow. But, as always, I’ve included some Tips for Success and FAQs below, so be sure to scroll down and read through those. Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram and I can help answer them and walk you through the recipe.

Other holiday recipes you may like:

• M&M Pretzel Christmas Crack
• Christmas Crack Cookies
• Mini Funfetti Cookies
• Snowflake Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Mini Chocolate Dipped M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Cocoa powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Semisweet chocolate chips
• Sprinkles
• Large marshmallows
• Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Milk Chocolate Squares
• Chocolate graham cracker squares

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

• Mixing bowls
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Cookie scoop – I used the medium cookie scoop which holds 1½ tbsp of cookie dough. However, I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Each cookie dough ball should be about 102 grams.
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie turner
• Cooling rack

How to make these unreal Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies

Melt 1 cup butter on the stove or in the microwave. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

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

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

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

Gently fold the dry ingredients in with a rubber spatula until a few flour streaks remain. Then, fold in 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and ½ cup sprinkles. Do not overmix.

Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut 6 large marshmallows in half, creating 12 pieces.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, assemble your s’mores with 1 graham cracker, a Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Square, and a half of a marshmallow for each.

Scoop 12 dough balls. Flatten the cookie dough with the palm of your hand and gently place the dough over and around the s’more. The bottom does not need to be covered with the dough, but make sure that the sides are fully covered. If the dough cracks – it’s okay. Gently push it back together. Add extra sprinkles to the top of each cookie, if desired.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops of the cookies still look slightly wet.

As soon as they come out of the oven, top with extra chocolate chips, if desired.

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

• This is always one of the first tips that I mention and it probably always will be — measure your dry ingredients correctly! Extra flour and cocoa powder will make the cookie dough dry which you do not want. Before measuring out your flour, take a spoon and run through it to loosen up any clumps. Then, use your spoon to spoon your dry ingredients into your measuring cup. If you scoop them up directly with the measuring cup, the flour or cocoa powder will be compacted and you’ll end up with too much. When measuring dry ingredients, please make sure you’re using dry ingredient measuring cups as there are different measuring cups for liquid and dry ingredients. If you prefer to bake using grams, you can use an online conversion calculator (like this one from Inch Calculator) to convert this recipe.
• When laying the cookie dough over the s’more, press the cookie dough into the sides of the s’more and onto the cookie sheet. The bottom of the s’more doesn’t need to be covered, just the sides. In researching and testing this style of s’mores cookie, I’ve seen so many variations where the cookie is barely holding itself together. By essentially wrapping the s’more with cookie dough and making sure the cookie dough is really in place, you’ll get a more uniform cookie.
• If you want to add extra toppings to your cookies, I recommend doing it before baking for this recipe. After baking, you’ll be able to add a few extra chocolate chips in, but it will be difficult to add extra sprinkles. Once you’ve assembled each s’more cookie and before you place them in the oven, gently press a few more sprinkles and chocolate chips on top. It’s a small step, but makes a huge difference visually!

FAQs

My cookie dough is dry. What should I do?

This is why it’s extremely important that you measure dry ingredients, such as flour and cocoa powder, correctly. Too much of either of these or overmixing can lead to a dry cookie dough. If your dough is dry, add 1 tbsp of milk to the dough. This will help add some moisture back in.

Do I have to chill the cookie dough?

You don’t have to, but since we’re using melted butter in this recipe, I highly recommend it! By chilling the dough, it will make it easier to scoop and help prevent the cookie dough from spreading too much.

Can I halve this recipe?

Absolutely! You can easily make a batch of 6 cookies instead by simply cutting the ingredients called for in half.

How large is each dough ball?

For this recipe, I used a medium cookie scoop, but then weighed each cookie dough ball (using a kitchen scale) to ensure that they were all roughly the same size. Each dough ball should be between 101 to 103 grams.

Can I make my cookie dough balls smaller or larger?

You can definitely make them larger, just be sure to increase your bake time by 1 to 2 minutes. However, I don’t recommend making these cookie dough balls any smaller as you need enough dough to wrap around and cover the s’more.

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?

Yes! If you choose to use salted butter, omit the salt that is called for with the dry ingredients.

How to store

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature 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 at least 20 to 30 minutes so that they soften prior to consuming. Or, you can heat them up for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave so that the s’more center is super gooey.

These cookies are so dreamy and taste just like Thin Mints! The double chocolate cookie paired with a chocolate graham cracker and the peppermint bark square really is the perfect “winter” version of a s’mores cookie. Try them out and let me know what you think!

If you try this recipe, share and tag me on socials using @itsbrunchoklock or #itsbrunchoklock.