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 good—rich and chocolatey with the marshmallow still soft and chewy in the middle. I made a single batch to test it out—I’ll definitely be making another batch for the holidays! ★★★★★“
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.
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.
Marshmallow-Surprise Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 20–22 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) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/3 cup (27g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (40g) dry hot cocoa mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon 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. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on 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 350°F (177°C). 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 2–3 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, 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 | Silicone Baking Mats or 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 “baking chocolate” 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
Is it ok to sub raw cacao powder for the cocoa powder? Thanks!
Hi Dawn! Cacao is more bitter, we would stick to cocoa powder for these cookies.
This look amazing
This recipe looks delicious! I am going to be trying it this weekend. Would melted dark chocolate work for this recipe? I have dark meltable chocolate already. If not, though, I will absolutely buy the others you recommended. Thank you! Every recipe I make from your blog always gets rave reviews 🙂
Hi Giuliana, that will work just fine!
I made these for my family recently and they were delicious! Just as good the next day as they were freshly made. Such an easy to follow recipe with impressive results. Can’t wait to try it with different flavored hot coco mixes!
Great recipe. Easy to follow. My taste tester said oh wow these are good. Can I have another one?
What happened? I followed the recipe and instructions. my cookies are flat like pancakes
Hi Jacki, was your butter a bit too soft by chance? Here’s more on proper room temperature butter, as well as 10 tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Thank you for giving these a try!
Mine are super flat too. I was so excited to add this recipe to my Christmas trays, but these were a disappointment.
Mine were also very flat despite following all instructions. Unsure why.
Also pancakes here – butter was definitely not too soft. Tasted good but they were not visually pleasing unfortunately.
These were so yummy! I’ve been baking my way through your cookie palooza and my brother said these are his favorite (he also said that yesterday about your peppermint snow drops )! I did use mini marshmallows because that’s what i had and came out great! Thank you for another delicious recipe ❄️
So glad you’re enjoying this year’s cookie palooza, Jen!
Perfect recipe. They came out exactly as pictured, the family loves them. Fun winter cookies!
I’ll be making these cookies in memory of my mother. In 1961, our family of seven drove to Texas to spend Xmas with our cousins (family of six). My mother baked for weeks ahead & the luggage rack on our station wagon was stuffed with cookies. Mom said she made 1000 cookies! This cookie was one of my favorites. Thank you for bringing back this memory.
Can you recommend cookies that can be shipped overseas and stay fresh
Hi Jam, here’s everything you need to know about shipping cookies, including our recommendations on which cookies are best to do so. Hope this helps!
Can I store these cookies in the freezer
Hi Claudia, yes, you can. See recipe Notes for full freezing details. Enjoy!
So excited to try this! Absolutely love your recipes <3 Wondering about baking the marshmallow into the cookie itself rather than it being on top? Or using marshmallow fluff instead for that effect?
Hi Jess, marshmallows have the tendency to disappear into cookies when baked inside. You can try freezing the marshmallow halves first, and then stuffing it inside. I’m just unsure of the results. Marshmallow fluff will do the same thing. Let me know if you test anything though!
I made this recipe today and it was a hit! My only issue was that my cookies kind of split on the outside a bit too much on some of the cookies. Gently pressing down the marshmallows made them split even worse. I made them as written, but is there something that I could possibly do differently next time to prevent this? Thank you as always for the delicious recipes! I look forward to Cookie Palooza every year!
Hi Rachel, I find they crack on the edges if over-baked. Try adding the marshmallow a little sooner; that should help. I’m so glad you already tried these and liked them despite the appearance. 🙂
Oh, thank you! I made 24 cookies, so they were a bit smaller. Perhaps that’s why I overbaked them. I appreciate the tip! PS. They are already a hit at work! 😉
Like another person said, my cookies cracked too. I tried baking for 2 minutes less the second time and they still cracked :(. The cookies barely spread out which may be part of the problem? Are they maybe too tightly packed/rolled? Too cold?
Hi Liane! It sounds like there could be too much flour in your dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Dear Sally
The last few recipes that I have printed have left blanks for the words that are in dark print which is basically the ingredients. That has not happened before. Can you fix this problem.
Thanks Mary Ann, this was brought to our attention yesterday and we’re working on it today. Sorry for the trouble– some weird glitch!
If you double the batch and chill for 3 hours, should I let the dough sit on the counter for awhile before baking? How long would you recommend?
Elissa, that’s not necessary. Since there’s more volume, it won’t be as stiff after 3 hours compared to a single batch.
One more follow up question, would you recommend rolling these into tall balls instead of round? Would that help ensure that they don’t flatten?
Hi Elissa, that may keep this dough from spreading too much. We would stick with dough balls here.
Hi Sally,
I’m excited to make these! Question- can I freeze the dough and then make the cookies? With the busy holiday season I’m hoping freezing the dough will with planning ahead!
Yes, absolutely! Here’s our guide to freezing cookie dough.
Question…. I read I your notes that for the chocolate topping can be either semi sweet or milk chocolate but they need to be baking bars. I have been unable to find these bars in milk chocolate. My question is , can I use the “baking wafers” . I know you mentioned not to use chips but i wasn’t sure if the melting wafers are the same as chips.
Hi Susan, baking/melting wafers work for the chocolate topping; you can absolutely use those.
I made these today.
So much fun to make!
I will be making these for the nurses at work and serving them with a massive supply of hot chocolate!
Quick question: can I use Ghirardelli melting wafers instead of the baking bar chocolate for the topping? Thanks!
Ghirardelli melting wafers work well here.
Ok thanks! Everything I’ve ever made from Sally is terrific!
Could I just make the base cookie recipe without the marshmallow/chocolate toppings ? Can I add chocolate chips? I got a hot cocoa chocolate chip mix at the grocery I wanted to use and this base recipe seems like it may work well. Thanks!
That should work just fine, Lexie! Let us know if you give it a try.
This is Great!! I Love Baking!!! It is my first e Mail recipe I I recievef from you Thank you!!
Can you use almond bark?
Absolutely.
Your holiday cookie series is something I look forward to every year! I always try a few of the recipes to join the holiday must have staple cookies. These cookies are going to the top of my list.
Thank you so much, Julie! It’s easily my favorite series/tradition on the website.
I make my own marshmallows – do you think those would work or do you recommend store bought instead? Thanks. I’m really looking forward to trying these out as well as yiur red velvet kiss cookies and chocolate peppermint ganache thumbprint cookies.
Hi Laura, homemade marshmallows should work just fine, as long as they aren’t too tall/thick. Let us know how you like the cookies!
These look fun! I’m wondering if I could use mini marshmallows for the surprise, since that is what I have in my pantry right now?
Absolutely. The tops will just look a little bumpier.
I am going to make these today. I love your cookie palooza because I know every recipe is going to be perfect. Thanks for taking all the guesswork out of my baking. Do you think your amazing ganache recipe would be ok to use instead of the baking chocolate? Your ganache is 5 star! Many thanks for making me a better baker!
Hi Lin, you can certainly do that instead. The ganache will be a little messier, and doesn’t quite set/harden like the regular chocolate does. So, keep that in mind. Let me know what you try; I hope you love these as much as we did!
We have food allergies in our house, so we have to make our own hot cocoa mix. Do you think a homemade mix would be a good substitute?
Hi Joanna, you can certainly try it OR skip the hot cocoa mix completely and increase the natural unsweetened cocoa powder to 1/2 cup (45g). That has been tested and works.
Target brand hot cocoa mix is dairy free if thats what your after (and the only one we know of) I know because we have dairy allergies in our home.
I cannot wait to make these with my grandson on Thursday. I have one question, is it possible to use my homemade marshmallows in these? Thank you
Hi Terri, I can’t see why not! As long as they aren’t too tall/thick.
This looks SO YUMMY!!! I love Cookie Palooza!