These hot chocolate cookies taste like a warm mug of cocoa, only better! Rich & chewy hot cocoa cookies are the perfect treat for snowy days or as a part of a Christmas cookie spread.
Hot Chocolate Cookies
The holidays are infamous for the “cookie table” — that place at the party where there is an array of baked goods to tempt you as you mingle with friends and family.
These hot cocoa cookies are a guaranteed standout among the crowd of cookies on the table! They’re soft and chewy, just like fudge brownies, and coated in a rich fudge icing – with a soft creamy marshmallow in the middle!
This is one Christmas cookie that is definitely worth the splurge!
In fact, we love these cookies so much that this recipe inspired us to make Hot Cocoa Pancakes too!
Related: How to have an awesome Christmas on a budget
Hot Cocoa Cookies Ingredients
I’ve provided this quick list of shop-able ingredients for your convenience; disclosure policy here. A free printable copy of this recipe, with full ingredient amounts, is available at the bottom of the post.
- Unsalted sweet cream butter
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Jumbo marshmallows
Hot Chocolate Icing Ingredients
- Powdered sugar
- Unsalted sweet cream butter, melted
- Cocoa powder
- Hot water
- Vanilla extract
- Christmas sprinkles
Kitchen supplies used
- Non-stick silicone baking mat — we use these reusable baking mats in almost all of our recipes! They are washable so you can use them again and again and you don’t need cooking spray.
- Medium cookie scooper — this handy gadget helps create more uniform cookie sizes for more even baking.
- Stand mixer — an essential tool in the kitchen! We bout ours refurbished to save a lot of money.
- Non-slip mixing bowls — definitely helpful when you’re cooking with kids!
- Small plastic squirt bottle — makes icing cookies a breeze!
How to Make Hot Chocolate Cookies
First, watch our quick (1 minute) video demo to see how we made these decadent hot cocoa cookies. Then keep reading for photo step-by-step directions.
Click video to play:
Don’t these hot chocolate cookies look amazing?! Let’s make them!
First, you need to make three bowls of ingredients:
- Bowl 1 = Chocolate sauce (chocolate chips + butter)
- Bowl 2 = Dry ingredients
- Bowl 3 = Wet ingredients
When chocolate sauce is cooled to room temperature, beat into your bowl of wet ingredients. Then gradually mix your bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients.
Scoop the dough (will be a thick brownie-like texture) into a bowl. Cover bowl and place into the fridge for 4 hours.
Scoop a small amount of batter into hands and roll into a ball (about the size of a ping-pong ball).
Place dough balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart:
Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes.
While cookies are baking, cut the marshmallows in half.
Remove cookies from oven and place a marshmallow into the center of the cookies. Lightly press marshmallow into cookie to secure:
Return cookies to the oven and bake for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
When cookies are cooled to room temperature, it’s time to decorate!
Whisk together icing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
TIP: If the icing seems too thick, add about 3 tbsp of hot water to thin it out – continue whisking until icing is smooth.
You can spoon icing over cookies, or use a squirt bottle as shown below. A bottle like this helps make your cookies look super neat and tidy!
Gently press sprinkles into the icing before it sets.
We recommend icing each cookie one by one, that way the icing won’t harden before you have a chance to put sprinkles on.
Related: Try our Hot Cocoa Cookies with our Oreo Creme White Hot Chocolate! What a treat!
More Christmas Recipes
- Christmas Puppy Chow
- Christmas Wreath Cupcakes
- Christmas Tree Oreos
- Mini Santa Belly Cakes
- Kid-Made Mini Gingerbread House Cakes
- Oreo Gingerbread Truffles
- Rudolph Cupcakes
- Copycat Starbuck Cranberry Bliss Bread
- Grinch Jello Shots
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Hot Cocoa Cookie Recipe (Printable Copy)
If you like this recipe, rate it! We’d also love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Hot Cocoa Cookies (with VIDEO)
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 3 eggs large
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 large marshmallows cut in half
Chocolate Icing Ingredients & Toppings
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted sweet cream butter melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
To make the cookies
- In a double boiler, melt together the butter and chocolate, stirring frequently. Once melted, set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- In a standing mixer, beat sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined. Pour in cooled chocolate and continue mixing. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and continue mixing until batter is well combined.
- Scoop the dough (will be a thick brownie-like texture) into a bowl. Cover bowl and place into the fridge for 4 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone baking mat.
- Scoop a small amount of batter into hands and roll into a ball (about the size of a ping-pong ball).
- Place dough balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes.
- While cookies are baking, cut the marshmallows in half.
- Remove cookies from oven and place a marshmallow into the center of the cookies. Lightly press marshmallow into cookie to secure.
- Return cookies to the oven and bake for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
To decorate
- Combine all icing ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until combined.
- If the icing seems too thick, add about 3 tbsp of hot water to thin it out - continue whisking until icing is smooth.
- Spoon icing on top of the marshmallow of a couple cookies, then coat with sprinkles before the icing sets.
- Repeat icing and sprinkling on the rest of the cookies, only a couple at a time. (If you pour the icing on all the cookies at once it may harden before you have a chance to put sprinkles on every cookie).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to pin our Hot Cocoa Cookies on Pinterest:
More of our favorite Christmas cookies:
- Cowboy Caviar - March 24, 2023
- Bunny Bait - March 22, 2023
- 20 Thrifty Kitchen Hacks - March 21, 2023
Ann says
Wow, these look so enticing! The result looks so powerful. The perfect cookies to linger over with a cup of tea or coffee. They’re so rich, soft, and chewy! Can’t wait to give these a try and share with my family and friends. Gonna follow your recipe precisely. The info you provide will surely help me a lot. Hope everyone will enjoy the cookies. Thank you for this fantastic idea. I’m your fan!