Warm up your winter or Christmas holiday with the Ultimate Hot Cocoa Cookies recipe! These rich, double-chocolate treats are loaded with melted chocolate chips and those signature mini dehydrated marshmallows that create sweet, gooey ribbons throughout the chewy cookie dough. Perfect for cookie swaps or a cozy night in, this easy-to-follow recipe ensures your cookies are soft, decadent, and taste exactly like your favorite mug of hot cocoa.
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Why You'll Want To Make Ultimate Hot Cocoa Cookies
- The Best Winter Treat: They capture the cozy, comforting flavors of a warm mug of hot cocoa, making them ideal for chilly evenings and the holiday season.
- Irresistible Texture: Using hot cocoa mix creates a deeply rich, chewy base, while the dehydrated marshmallows melt and caramelize to create a unique, gooey texture.
- Perfect for Gifting: These unique cookies are a showstopper at any holiday party or cookie exchange. Pack them in a cute tin for a thoughtful, homemade gift.
- Simple Ingredients: The recipe uses pantry staples, with the only specialty item being the dehydrated mini marshmallows, which are easy to find and absolutely essential for this recipe's success.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
How to Make Ultimate Hot Cocoa Cookies:
- Start by placing unsalted European style butter in a large bowl, and using a hand mixer, beat until light and creamy.
- Next, add granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy..
- Then, add the light brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy..
- Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined..
- In a separate bowl, add the flour and hot cocoa mix.
- Then, add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Then, whisk everything together until well combined.
- Next, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in several additions. Make sure to beat well after each addition. At this point, the dough will be very dry and crumbly, that's ok.
- Next, add the chocolate chips and dehydrated mini marshmallows.
- Use your hand mixer to begin combining the chocolate chips and marshmallows with the cookie dough.
- Then, switch to a plastic spatula or wooden spoon, and stir the dough to continue combining the chocolate chips and marshmallows into the dough.
- Knead the dough with your hands to finish combining the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Continue kneading until the dough forms into a ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350°F. Cut off pieces of dough with a knife. Then, use your hands to roll the dough into golf ball-sized pieces. Place eight balls of dough, two inches apart, on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Next, place several chocolate chips and mini dehydrated marshmallows onto the top of the dough balls and then flatten the dough balls a little with the palm of your hand.
- Bake the cookies in a 350°F oven for 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for about five minutes.
- After five minutes, transfer the cookies from the pan to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Ultimate Hot Cocoa Cookies are guaranteed to become a new favorite holiday recipe in your home. The combination of rich chocolate and gooey, melty marshmallows is simply irresistible, offering a comforting twist on the classic chocolate cookie. Grab your ingredients and get baking-you'll be enjoying the best chewy marshmallow cookies in no time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily! You can easily achieve the essence of hot cocoa with other ingredients. Using unsweetened cocoa powder and adding your preferred spices like cinnamon or nutmeg will deliver a rich, authentic cocoa taste.
You must use dehydrated mini marshmallows (the kind found in hot cocoa mix packets). Regular mini marshmallows contain too much moisture and will dissolve into the dough, ruining the texture. The dehydrated variety melts slowly and creates the signature gooey ribbons that make these cookies so special.
No. Sugar-free mixes often contain additional bulking agents and flavorings that may not work well in baking. Depending on the specific ingredients in your chosen sugar-free mix, there might be unexpected chemical reactions during baking, affecting the final texture and taste of your cookies.
Yes! Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined tray, then freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a zip-top freezer bag. They can be stored for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet and add 2-4 minutes to the baking time.
These beauties are best enjoyed fresh, but any leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying.
Absolutely! They are sure to put you on the nice list.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Chill Out: Chilling the dough is the secret to a thick, flavorful cookie. As the dough rests for 24 hours, the dry ingredients (like the cocoa powder and flour) hydrate, preventing the cookies from spreading too much and deepening the chocolate flavor. Do not skip this step!
- Festive Flourish: Before baking, press a few extra dehydrated marshmallows or chocolate chips onto the top of each dough ball. This ensures the finished cookie looks just as beautiful as it tastes, which is great for presentation during the holidays.
- Chocolate Chivalry: Don't be afraid to branch out beyond chocolate chips. Try chopped dark chocolate bars, cocoa nibs, or even white chocolate chunks for a twist.
- Get Creative: Add sprinkles, chopped nuts, or even crushed-up candy canes for a holiday-themed twist.
- Drizzle Delight: Drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate, caramel, or even white chocolate for an extra decadent touch.
Other Great Holiday Treats
- The Ultimate Hot Chocolate Dip
- Easy Christmas Snack Mix: A Symphony of Flavors in Every Bite
- Christmas Cookie Dip: A Delicious and Easy Holiday Treat
- Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Snack Cakes and Cake Balls
- Cookies for Santa Snack Mix
- Easy Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Christmas Corn Flake Wreaths: A Sweet and Easy Treat
- Easy Fudgy Slutty Christmas Brownies: Indulge in the Ultimate Seduction
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Ultimate Hot Cocoa Cookies
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- 3 half sheet pans
- Parchment paper
- 2 wire cooling racks
Ingredients
- 1 c unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c granulated sugar
- ⅔ c light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ c all-purpose flour
- ¾ c hot cocoa mix, without marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 c chocolate chips, plus extra topping for the cookies
- 1 c mini dehydrated marshmallows, plus extra topping for the cookies
Instructions
- Place softened unsalted butter in a large bowl, and beat it with a hand mixer until light and creamy.
- Add granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the light brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, hot cocoa mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then whisk everything together until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in several additions, making sure to beat well after each addition. At this point, the dough will be very dry and crumbly.
- Add the chocolate chips and dehydrated mini marshmallows. Then, use the hand mixer to begin combining the chocolate chips and marshmallows with the cookie dough.
- Once they are slightly combined with the dough, use a plastic spatula or wooden spoon, and begin stirring the dough to continue combining the chocolate chips and marshmallows into the dough.
- Then, using your hands, knead the dough to finish combining the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Continue kneading until the dough forms a ball.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it. It will be too hard to use a scoop to portion it out, so cut off pieces with a knife. Then, using your hands, roll the dough into balls the size of golf balls.
- Place eight balls of dough, two inches apart, onto a parchment lined large rimmed baking sheet.
- Place several chocolate chips and mini dehydrated marshmallows onto the top of the dough balls and then flatten the balls a little with the palm of your hand.
- Bake the cookies in a 350°F oven for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a wire rack for about five minutes.
- Transfer the cookies from the pan to the wire rack and allow them to continue to cool.
- Yield 24 cookies.
Laura says
Sounds very good but where do you find dehydrated mini marshmallows?
Susan Ensley says
Laura:
There's a link in the Frequently Asked Questions section to the ones I used, that I got from Amazon. Here's that link https://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-Hill-Farm-Dehydrated-Marshmallows/dp/B00GRW10FY/ref=sr_1_25?crid=2C6TAFUBNQ9IU&keywords=mini%2Bdehydrated%2Bmarshmallows&qid=1703358895&sprefix=mini%2Bdehydrated%2B%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-25&th=1
I hope this helps.
Happy Baking,
Susan