These marshmallow-surprise hot cocoa cookies start with a soft and chewy chocolate cookie made even richer from a helping of hot cocoa mix. Topped with a gooey marshmallow smothered in melted chocolate, they’re like a marshmallow-filled hot chocolate bomb, in cookie form!
One reader, Veronica, commented: “These might be tied for first place for my all-time favorite cookie recipe (the other being your salted dark chocolate cookies!). I love anything marshmallow, and these came out SO goodโrich and chocolatey with the marshmallow still soft and chewy in the middle. I made a single batch to test it outโI’ll definitely be making another batch for the holidays! โ โ โ โ โ “
My children love those hot chocolate bombs you see in the grocery stores around the holidays, a melt-away chocolate shell filled with marshmallows and hot cocoa mix, which transforms a mug of hot milk into sweet hot chocolate with marshmallows before their eyes. Because is there really anything more delightful than a surprise-inside chocolatey treat?
Today’s cookies are like the chewable equivalent of that experience. Now you can have your hot chocolate… and eat it, too!
Why You’ll Love These Cookies:
- Hot cocoa flavor in the extra chewy cookies
- Rich and chocolatey in every bite
- Cookies stay soft for days
- Gooey marshmallow hidden under a layer of melted chocolate
- Like the cookie equivalent of a mug of hot cocoa, or a hot chocolate bomb!
There are a few different parts to these fun cookies, so let me break it down first:
- Make the cookie dough and chill.
- Shape and bake the cookies.
- Place half a marshmallow on each cookie and return to the oven for 2 minutes.
- Melt chocolate and spoon over the marshmallow.
Start With the Hot Cocoa Cookie Dough
Have you ever used hot cocoa powder in cookie dough? I have a recipe in my book, Sally’s Cookie Addiction, for hot cocoa cookies. Today’s recipe isn’t quite the same, because I wanted to create an almost brownie-like cookie. The dough is similar to what I use when I make these Andes mint chocolate cookies, and overall, is pretty similar to my chocolate crinkle cookies, too.
Here’s what you need:
Unsweetened natural cocoa powder is ideal and if you’re interested in learning more, here’s my page all about Dutch-Process vs Natural Cocoa Powder. Cocoa is a very drying ingredient, so don’t leave out the 2 teaspoons of milk in the recipe. Any milk, dairy or nondairy, is fine.
For the hot cocoa mix: You can use pretty much any kind, but take a lesson from me and avoid the kind with mini marshmallows in the mix. Make sure you’re using the dry mix, and not liquid hot cocoa; the mix acts as a dry ingredient in the dough.
Success Tip: Chill The Cookie Dough
I’m a broken record again today repeating that you must chill this cookie dough for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days). Make the dough, place it in the refrigerator, and go about your day. Or if you’re whipping up a few different kinds of cookies for your holiday platters, use the time to make a no-chill recipe like shortbread cookies or spritz cookies.
The dough is pretty sticky right after it comes together. After refrigerating, though, the dough firms up and is much easier to handle and shape.
Roll the dough into balls. Each dough ball should be a heaping Tablespoon of dough, about 25-26g. Arrange on lined baking sheets:
Add the Marshmallow
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and lightly press half a marshmallow into the top of each cookie. (Tip: Using kitchen shears is the easiest way to cut sticky marshmallows in half.)
Return the cookies to the oven for another 2 minutes, just enough time to slightly melt the marshmallow. When you remove the marshmallow-topped cookies from the oven, lightly press the tops of the marshmallows down with the back of a spoon to flatten them out a bit.
Chocolate Topping
While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate for topping. For melting chocolate, I always recommend using pure chocolate baking bars, typically found in the baking aisle in 4-ounce (113g) bars, such as Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands. You can use semi-sweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate. I don’t recommend using chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers, which prevent them from melting into the correct consistency. (Save them for a batch of chocolate chip cookies!)
Spoon the melted chocolate over the tops of the cookies, to cover the marshmallows. The melted chocolate will set in about 30-60 minutes, and then you can stack, store, and transport them.
If you really want to go overboard with dessert (don’t we all?), serve the cookies with homemade slow cooker hot chocolate. Cheers!
P.S. You can do the same exact thing (marshmallow and chocolate topping) on these peanut butter cookies for a peanut butter s’mores-style cookie.
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page including:
- Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
- Vanilla Bean Biscotti
- Mint Chocolate Brownies
- Stained Glass Window Cookies
- Gingerbread House Recipe (with template)
and here’s my video tutorial & guide for how to freeze cookie dough.
Marshmallow-Surprise Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 20โ22 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These marshmallow-surprise hot cocoa cookies start with a soft chocolate cookie made even richer from a helping of hot cocoa mix. Be sure to use dry hot cocoa powder, and not a liquid beverage. Top with a marshmallow and melted chocolate. Don’t forget to refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g)ย unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cupย (100g)ย granulated sugar
- 1/2 cupย (100g) packed light or darkย brown sugar
- 1ย largeย egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoonย pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g)ย all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/3 cup (27g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (40g) dry hot cocoa mix
- 1 teaspoonย baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoonย salt
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) milk (any kind, dairy or nondairy, is fine)
Topping
- 10–11 large marshmallows, cut in half
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (see Note)
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, hot cocoa mix, baking soda, and salt together until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Finally, beat in the milk. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is imperative for this sticky cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop and roll dough, a heaping 1 Tablespoon (about 25-26g) each, into balls. Arrange 2โ3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for just 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and lightly press a marshmallow half into the tops of each cookie, cut side down. Return them to the oven and bake for 2 more minutes. Remove from the oven and, using the back of a spoon, gently press down on the marshmallow to slightly flatten it out.
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate: You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave, place the chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Microwave for 20-second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Spoon melted chocolate over each cooled marshmallow-topped cookie. (When covering with melted chocolate, I usually put the cookies back on a baking sheet, or you can just keep them on the wire rack.) Chocolate sets at room temperature in 30-60 minutes. Once chocolate has set,ย you can stack, store, transport, and gift the cookies.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (step 3). Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. Baked and cooled cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Keep in mind that after thawing, the chocolate may look streaky on top, or have condensation on the surface. Still fine to eat!
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Baking Sheets |ย Silicone Baking Matsย orย Parchment Sheets | Kitchen Shears | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional for melting chocolate)
- Larger Batch: The recipe is easy to double in 1 mixing bowl without overwhelming your mixer. Simply double all of the cookie dough ingredients. Extend the cookie dough chilling time to at least 3 hours.
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Do you know the difference between natural cocoa powder and dutch-process cocoa powder? Use natural cocoa powder in this dough. Unsweetened cocoa powder weighs less than dry hot cocoa mix, so that is why you see the weights so different.
- Hot Cocoa Mix: Be sure to use the dry hot cocoa mix, and not liquid hot cocoa. 1/4 cup (about 40g) is usually 1 standard packet. I usually use milk chocolate, but any kind works. Avoid the hot cocoa mix that has the little marshmallows in it. If you do not have hot cocoa mix, skip it entirely and increase the cocoa powder to 1/2 cup (45g).
- Chocolate: The best chocolate for melting and drizzling is the โbaking chocolateโ bars found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. I typically use Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands, either semi-sweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate if you can find it. They are usually sold as 4-ounce bars, so you’ll need 2 for this recipe. Do not use chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers, which prevent them from melting into the correct consistency.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can I use dutch-process cocoa powder? I do not have natural cocoa powder
Because we use baking soda in this recipe, we need a natural cocoa powder. If youโre interested in more about the differences between the two, you might find this post helpful: Dutch-process Vs Natural Cocoa Powder. Let us know how his cookies turn out!
This is the first time in over a decade of making Sally’s recipes that I was disappointed in the results! They came out so flat, not from spreading, but just deflated. I thought maybe I had caused them to deflate when I gently pushed the marshmallow down (as shown in the video) & they did puff back up after returning to the oven for the additional 2 mins of baking, but flattened again when cooling. So I made them a second time just to make sure I hadn’t done something incorrectly. ๐ For the second batch I weighed everything, new box baking soda, checked the temp of my butter w/digital thermometer, set the timer when creaming butter & sugar and kept the dough in the frig over night. I made sure oven temp was correct with an oven thermometer. 26 gm each cookie ball made 25 cookies exactly. I set the marshmallows on top, & didn’t press them down at all. In fact, the marshmallows looked just like the video when the cookies cooled. I went ahead and put the melted chocolate on some & let them set up before trying them. The entire cookie was chewy & the marshmallow was soft but over all the texture of the cookie itself was just a miss for my family. The hot cocoa flavor comes through nicely ! Glad I tried this recipe though! Thank you Sally & team for sharing so many unique recipes!
These are one of my new favorites!
Can I use chilled brown butter instead of room temp?
Hi Kaiyaa, you could use that, but you may need to add a little more liquid (milk) to the dough to make up for the moisture lost during the browning process. If the chilled brown butter has been in the refrigerator for a while and is particularly solid, let it sit at room temperature for a while before using, so it creams properly with the sugars. Hope they turn out great!
Thank you for this recipe!
Canโt wait to try it! Is it okay to bake the cookies from frozen?
Hi Jessica, yes – unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Read our tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
This is an amazing and tasty recipe that all of the family and friends love! The marshmallow in the center is gooey and absolutely perfect!! I expected the marshmallow to turn hard after a couple days, but it stayed moist and yummy! 10/10 cookie!!
Can I use wheat flour instead of all-purpose?
Also, I love your recipes!
Hi Manvitha, we haven’t tried, but would expect a much denser cookie if you do. We would recommend starting with half of each.
Hi Sally, I generally LOVE your recipes as you always give cup and gram measurements; very useful for people living in other countries where cup sizes vary between; 10 fl oz cup, 200mls and 250mls cups. I tried the Marshmallow-Surprise Hot Cocoa Cookies, but unfortunately, the large marshmallows sold in the UK must be around 4 times the size of US large marshmallows (we get mini 1cm, standard 2cm and large 4cm sizes). As the weights or measurements of the ‘large’ marshmallows weren’t given in the recipe I simply used the large ones, whereas I think what was meant as ‘large’, in the UK is simply the ‘standard’ size. It would have been really useful to put the approximate size or weight of the marshmallow in the recipe. I’m an experienced chef (Cordon Bleu, London, Full Diploma, 1979/80) so tend to download the recipes and not watch the videos, which I do admit, would have alerted me to the marshmallow size – I had thought that the videos were for those new to various baking methods, I’ll be a bit more circumspect next time! Note that this isn’t a complaint – I have followed your recipes for the last 6+ years and will continue to do so, but on this occasion it would have been helpful to have described the size (either weight or width etc) of the marshmallow used. Keep on spreading the word about baking though – I’ve passed on so many of your recipes to my children and grandchildren who love to bake with me when they visit!
These cookies are fun to make and come out amazing, everyone who I have made this for loves these cookies and it has a fun surprise to have a marshmallow center, I recommend making this!
These cookies are amazing! My family fought over them at our Christmas dinner, and now they’ve requested them for Easter as well. If I wanted to do a vanilla/white chocolate version for Spring, do you have a recommended cookie base recipe?
Hi Jamie! You could try using our sugar cookie recipe (omit the sprinkles) or even our chewy chocolate chip cookies (omit the chocolate chips) for a vanilla base. Let us know what you try!
I made these cookies today they are really good. My grandson did a little dance after he ate one. You always have the best recipes. Last year I started weighing out the ingredients and it has made such a difference with my baking. You have inspired me to be a better baker.
I followed the recipe exactly! Chilled the dough overnight, weighed each cookie . Melted the chocolate chips very slowly and carefully in microwave. These cookies are perfectly scrumptious! They were a wonderful addition to my holiday baking. My family loved them so much they asked me to make them again a month later.
I made those last night, I chilled the dough for a day and baked as directed. I also used a kitchen scale for all the ingredients hoping it would be as accurate as it can be. The cookies came out rather thin and crispy. I was expecting them to be more soft and fudgy. The flavor is good but flattening the marshmallows after baking was almost impossible, so sticky it kept sticking to the spoon! Some cookies ended up with barely any marshmallow.
Any tips on how to change the texture?
Hi Nadia, if your cookies are spreading and turning out thin and crispy, it’s possible that your butter was too warm/soft to start, or the dough could have benefited from a little more flour–sometimes that’s the case when there’s extra humidity in the air. Hereโs more on proper room-temperature butter, as well as 10 tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Thank you for giving these a try!
can i add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients/dough??
I do love this recipe, I made milk chocolate ganache for top. These are rich and delicious. I believe I would crush peppermint candy and sprinkle a small amount on top for color and to break up the richness of the chocolate. It’s definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Last year I made these cookies and while the flavor was great, they flattened considerably and weren’t very aesthetically pleasing. This year I was determined to correct my mistakes and erred on the side of a longer chill time for the dough – roughly 3 hours. I also put the dough back in the refrigerator between batches.
They turned out incredibly! They look beautiful and they taste just as good as I (and my family members) remember. Thank you Sally for another fantastic recipe!
This one is a disappointment for me. The chocolate on top is just so hard and one-note. I would suggest converting the top to something more fudgy and less hard with some sweetened condensed milk and maybe a flavor like almond or peppermint or mocha. The texture of these tops is just a little weird for me.
Could I use homemade marshmallows in the middles?
Absolutely.
So tasty thank you! Delicious chocolatey brownie like cookies and really nice chew from the marshmallow.
Mine didn’t change shape at all in the oven but tasted good in a ball as well!
Loving all your recipes so far ๐
Sally, your recipes are where I go to during the holidays. These cookies did not disappoint. My grandchildren came by yesterday and devoured the whole batch! I am making more right now. Thanks again.
Turned out great!
So tasty! I added flaky salt on top
I am a big fan of marshmallows and these cookies it the spot. I made the first batch as directed and the second I made the cookies somewhat smaller and used a whole marshmallow on its side and only drizzled the chocolate on the melted marshmallow. This was just a preference. All in all these will be one if the holiday regulars. Thank you!
This is the best cookie – and possibly the best dessert – that I’ve ever had. Make sure you put the marshmallows cut side down on the cookies or else you get a goopy mess! Might be worthwhile to add that tip to the recipe notes ๐
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but these turned out so flat! I was really disappointment. I chilled the dough like the recipe recommended. I ground up my own cocoa beans to make cocoa powder and I’m wondering if that’s where I went wrong. They still tasted good, but the texture wasn’t right.
Mine came out flat as well! I chilled them overnight, shaped them, then put them back in the fridge for another 20 minutes. Not sure what went wrong.
I made these this afternoon. They came out so good! I will definitely make this recipe again โบ๏ธ