Hot Chocolate Cookies

Hot chocolate cookies are truly hot chocolate in cookie form as they use hot cocoa mix with chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and marshmallow bits. They’re soft, chewy, and full of rich chocolate flavor.

Are you a hot chocolate fan? Personally, I don’t think there’s anything better than cozying up with a cup of homemade hot cocoa on a cool night. In the past, I’ve shared recipes for my homemade hot chocolate mix (which you can totally use in this recipe), as well as stovetop hot chocolate and red velvet hot chocolate. But today we’re focusing on eating hot chocolate, not drinking it!

This hot chocolate cookie recipe is truly like hot chocolate in cookie form. In fact, it’s even made with instant hot cocoa mix for that quintessential hot cocoa flavor. What else do you need to make a batch? Flour, cocoa powder, both white and brown sugar, both baking powder and soda, salt, salted butter, eggs, vanilla, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows for the topping. I mean, it’s not hot chocolate without a marshmallow or two, right?

It takes just a few minutes and a little bit of mixing to make our cookie dough. We combine the dry ingredients separately, then cream together the butter and sugars. After that, we slowly add in the eggs and vanilla, the pre-mixed dry ingredients, and the chocolate chips. Place the dough on a baking sheet and then pop them in the oven for only 10 minutes. Then you add the topping and bake for 1 more minute so the marshmallow melts just a touch.

These homemade hot chocolate cookies are soft yet chewy and melt in your mouth, with a sweet and rich chocolate flavor. Basically, if you want to win over the chocolate lover in your life, you need to make a batch of hot cocoa cookies.

What You’ll Need to Make Hot Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

• all-purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• salt
• baking soda
• baking powder
• light brown sugar
• salted butter (softened but not melted)
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• vanilla
• instant hot cocoa mix
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• marshmallow bits

How to Make Hot Chocolate Cookies

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat brown sugar, butter, and granulated sugar until smooth creamy.

Add in eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.

Add the flour mixture and instant cocoa mix and mix until just incorporated.

Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallow bits using a rubber spatula. Cover the Hot Chocolate Cookie dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.  This will help the dough firm up, make it easier to scoop and help the cookies not to spread out too much while baking.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure the cookies are spaced about 3 inches apart. A cookie scoop is so helpful when you are making cookies and want to get your cookies to be uniform!

Place into the preheated oven on the center rack and bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until the edges are set but the centers look slightly underbaked. After baking you can top with additional chocolate chips and marshmallows if desired. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Serve with milk or indulge with a mug of hot cocoa. Enjoy!

Storage

Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Recipe Notes

• Feel free to use chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips. You can also use any flavor of chocolate: white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate included.
• Silicone baking mats are a great alternative to parchment paper.
• For a slightly thicker cookie, add an additional 1⁄4 cup of flour to the recipe. The texture of the cookie will be cakier if additional flour is added.
• Do not put regular mini marshmallows into cookie dough, as they will melt and burn while baking. You really do need to use the marshmallow bits for this recipe. You could add regular mini marshmallows after baking.
• Want to make your own hot cocoa mix? Check out this recipe.
• Instead of mini marshmallows, top each cookie with one regular marshmallow instead or a large marshmallow cut in half. You can even use flavored marshmallows if that’s more your style.
• You can use your favorite hot cocoa mix, you just want to make sure it isn’t a sugar-free version, as the cookies won’t bake properly.

A Few FAQs for Hot Chocolate Cookies

What is the texture of these hot chocolate cookies?

Soft, chewy, rich, and sweet. Topped with additional chocolate chips and mini marshmallows for extra taste and texture.

Can you freeze hot chocolate cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these chocolate cookies for up to 3 months. However, I recommend freezing the raw cookie dough instead, and then you can top them with fresh marshmallows, which will taste so much better! Place the cookie dough balls in an airtight freezer-safe bag and bake them from frozen (just add an extra minute or two to the cooking time).

Do I need to chill the cookie dough?

Yes, chilling the dough will make it much easier to work with .

Can I make hot cocoa cookies in advance?

Yes, your baked cookies can be made and stored at room temperature a few days ahead of time. Alternatively, you can store the unbaked cookie dough in the freezer (more on that above) or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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