Description
These cookies turn hot cocoa into cookie form — rich, slightly chewy, and studded with chocolate and tiny marshmallow bits. They’re a holiday favorite and brilliant for making big batches for swaps or gift tins.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 to 3¼ cups all-purpose flour*
- ¾ cup (about 4 single-serve packets) hot cocoa mix** (NOT sugar-free)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup freeze-dried marshmallow bits (Mallow Bits)***
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with both sugars until the mixture lightens and becomes fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
- Whisk the flour, hot cocoa mix, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a separate bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the dough and chill it for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. If you’ve had trouble with marshmallow bits melting, hold off on adding them before chilling — see notes below.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. If you didn’t mix Mallow Bits in before chilling, press a few onto the tops of each dough mound now.
- Bake 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Notes & troubleshooting
- The dough will feel fairly stiff and dry — that’s normal. Resist adding liquid; the finished cookies are tender and not dry.
- Want flatter cookies? Use 3 cups flour. For thicker, taller cookies use 3¼ cups and chill the dough longer.
- Measure flour properly: stir the flour in its container, spoon into the measuring cup, and level off — don’t scoop directly.
- Use a straightforward hot cocoa mix for best results. Flavored mixes may include extras that change texture. Swiss Miss (dark chocolate variety, if available) is a common choice. Avoid sugar-free cocoa mixes — they don’t perform well here.
- If the cookies aren’t as dark as you expected, stir in 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (Dutch-process if you have it) for deeper color and chocolate flavor.
- Mallow Bits can be scarce; another option is to buy hot cocoa that already includes marshmallows and reserve those packets. If you notice the marshmallow bits collapse during baking after chilling, fold them into the dough after chilling or press them onto the tops of scoops just before baking.
Nutrition
- Calories: 157.26kcal
- Sugar: 13.55g
- Sodium: 150.58mg
- Fat: 6.65g
- Saturated Fat: 4.07g
- Carbohydrates: 22.93g
- Fiber: 0.44g
- Protein: 1.8g
- Cholesterol: 23.4mg