Hot Chocolate Cookies
With a brownie like cookie base, toasted marshmallow and topped with a Hershey Kiss, these Hot Chocolate Cookies are both cozy and delicious.
There are a few different ways to approach a Hot Chocolate Cookie, but mine have a blossom or thumbprint style chocolate cookie base, are studded with white chocolate chips, filled with toasted marshmallow and topped with a Hot Chocolate Hershey Kiss. The base of this cookie has nice dark chocolate flavor with an almost brownie like consistency, and great elements of texture with gooey toasted marshmallow and white chocolate chips. I didn’t want these cookie too sweet, as some hot chocolate cookies call for hot chocolate cocoa powder (you know the sweetened packets) but I didn’t like that approach. Here, we get that lovely chocolate flavor from both melted chocolate and cocoa powder, but without being over the top. Oh, and did I mention this cookie dough doesn’t require refrigeration before baking?? Yep, another awesome perk!
Ingredients Needed To Make Hot Chocolate Cookies
These cookies consist of mostly pantry staples including butter, brown sugar, vanilla, all-purpose flour and baking soda, but there are a few ingredients that may require an additional trip to the grocery store. The more outlier items are as follows: 4 ounces of quality dark chocolate, white chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and Hot Chocolate Hershey Kisses. If hot chocolate kisses can’t be found, any other variety will work well.
Working With Marshmallow
The best part of these Hot Chocolate Cookies is the toasted marshmallow, but working with marshmallow can be tricky. Further, these cookies do have a few steps and require some coordination. Below are a few ways to minimize the often mess that is working with marshmallow.
1.) As the recipe states, place the mini marshmallows into the oven half way through baking. This allows the marshmallow to grow and puff up while the cookies finish baking. This makes the marshmallows easier to work with.
2.) Once the cookies are pulled from the oven, immediately create a small well in each cookie. While doing this, allow the marshmallows to toast under the broiler until golden brown, but WATCH CLOSELY. The marshmallows will toast quickly and will burn if left even ten seconds too long. I use the bottom of a tiny jar to create the well in my cookies, but a shot glass or a small rounded spoon also work well.
3.) Once the cookies are ready to fill and the marshmallow is toasted, make sure your hands and the spoon scooping the marshmallow are greased with butter, shortening or cooking spray. I personally smear a little butter on my fingers and spoon when scooping the marshmallow. Scoop a tablespoon or so of toasted marshmallow onto the spoon and with your greased fingers, gently nudge it into the well of the cookie. Continue to grease as needed, and repeat.
4.) Work swiftly. The marshmallow gets firm and harder to work with as it sits. The marshmallow can always be put back in the oven if it cools too much, but work as quickly as possible.
5.) Place each kiss into the marshmallow right after it’s placed into the well. This allows the kiss to adhere to the marshmallow, making one cohesive cookie. Further, as stated previously, the toasted marshmallow will become harder and chewier as it sits, making the chocolate harder to place, so do it right away.
6.) Even with these tips and tricks, working with marshmallow isn’t foolproof and there will likely be some stickiness and mess. Have fun with it because after all…it’s just marshmallow.
Cookie Variations
Feel free to use your imagination with these cookies. I wouldn’t change the toasted marshmallow because it’s the best part, but feel free to substitute any type of chocolate chip instead of white chocolate, and further, there are a gazillion different Hershey Kiss choices to experiment with. I am currently working on a version of this cookie that involves a peanut butter cup in the center paired with toasted marshmallow…YUM!
If working with marshmallow feels too messy, try these recipes. Snickerdoodle Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Butter Cookies with Walnuts and Mini Chocolate Chips. All of these are delicious alternatives.
Final Tip
This recipe requires a bit of coordination and multitasking. It is my best recommendation to read through the entire blog post and recipe, getting any ingredients and materials organized before beginning. The cookies themselves are easy to make, but there is a timing component to toasting the marshmallow, making the thumbprints and placing the Hershey Kiss. Plan accordingly and set up for success.
Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 24 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped (I like to use Hot Chocolate Kisses)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Pour melted butter that has been cooled to room temperature into a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment. Add brown sugar and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add egg and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl as needed. Add vanilla and melted chocolate and mix until just incorporated.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat for an additional 15 seconds on medium speed. Add the white chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Scrape bowl as needed.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons of dough), scoop 12 balls onto a baking tray. Cover remaining cookie dough and set aside until ready to use. Bake cookies for 5 minutes. While the cookies are baking, place two cups mini marshmallows into a 8x8 baking pan. After 5 minutes of baking, rotate pan and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes. During the second half of baking, place the marshmallows into the oven allowing them to puff up and expand.
- Once the cookies are finished baking, immediately create a small well in each cookie. While doing this, broil marshmallows on high until golden brown. WATCH CLOSELY as they can burn easily. Once each cookie has a well and the marshmallows are toasted, use your hands and a spoon (greased will make this easier) to place a tablespoon or so of marshmallow into each well. Immediately place a Hershey Kiss into the marshmallow. Repeat for each cookie. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat process with remaining cookie dough.
Notes
For tips on working with marshmallow, please see blog post.
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