Hot Cocoa Cookies with Marshmallows

These Hot Cocoa Cookies are literally a cup of hot cocoa in cookie form.

You’ve got melted marshmallows tucked right into the center, surrounded by chewy chocolate cookie dough and melty semisweet chocolate chips in every bite… it’s unfair how good these are. 

Each bite is soft, rich, and warm with that deep cocoa flavor that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove all day.

The marshmallow melts just enough to get gooey and slightly golden, giving you that classic hot chocolate foam feel. 

And when those chocolate chips start to melt into the dough? Game over. Pair one with a tall cold glass of milk or a mug of hot cocoa for double the chocolate!

Key Ingredients

(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)

• Dutch Process Cocoa Powder gives your cookies that deep, dark, “hot cocoa at a fancy café” flavor. Because it’s alkalized, it’s smoother and less bitter than natural cocoa, giving the cookies a richer chocolate taste without that sharp bite.
• Heavy Cream adds fat and moisture, yielding softer cookies with a plush, melt-in-your-mouth center. It also helps keep the dough from drying out while chilling in the refrigerator.
• Vanilla extract doesn’t just add flavor, it rounds out the chocolate and enhances all those warm, cozy cocoa notes.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips gives you those melted pockets of chocolate that make every bite delicious. Semi-sweet balances the sugar and keeps things from tipping into “too sweet” territory.
• Jumbo Marshmallows are used to place into the center of the cookie. As it bakes in the oven, it turns all gooey and soft. Chocolate christmas cookies with gooey marshmallows in the middle?! Sign me up. 
• Espresso powder is going to give you that rich chocolate flavor. They’re still perfectly chocolatey without it, but I highly recommend for a deeper flavor.

How To Make Hot Cocoa Cookies 

Step 1: Add room temperature butter, cocoa powder, espresso powder, brown sugar, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes, until light and fluff. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Mix until combined.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Then add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Step 3: Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon cookie scoop) to scoop out a cookie ball. Flatten into a disc, then add the marshmallow into the center. Wrap the dough around the marshmallow so that only the top of the marshmallow is peaking out on top. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Pro tip (optional): Press chocolate chips into the top of the cookies for more chocolate action! Refrigerate for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.

Step 4: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake 6 cookies at a time, spacing about 3 inches apart, for 10-12 minutes, until edges of the cookies are set and the marshmallows are melty and golden brown on top. 

For the perfect shaped cookies: Fresh out of the oven, use the opening of a large cup or small bowl to swivel around the cookie in a circular motion. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Remove onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with a little bit of flaky sea salt for garnish.