Description
Delight in these rich and gooey Hot Chocolate Cookies featuring a tender chocolate dough studded with melty chocolate chips and topped with soft, toasted marshmallows. Perfectly indulgent for cozy moments, these cookies offer a perfect balance of chocolate intensity and marshmallow sweetness in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar, fresh and soft
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup chocolate chips, divided
Topping
- 10 full size marshmallows, cut in half across the middle
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup.
- Cream butter and sugars: Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar for several minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Add egg and vanilla: Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture, beating until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the unsweetened cocoa powder, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch to evenly distribute the leavening and flavor components.
- Combine wet and dry: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the butter mixture just until combined to avoid overmixing, preserving a tender cookie texture.
- Add chocolate chips: Reserve ¼ cup chocolate chips for topping, then fold in the remaining ¾ cup chocolate chips evenly into the dough.
- Form cookie dough balls: Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion the dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized mounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them apart. Make sure the dough balls remain rounded and mounded higher rather than flattened.
- Top with reserved chips: Press some of the reserved chocolate chips onto the tops of each dough ball to enhance chocolate appearance and flavor.
- Bake initial cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 7 to 8 minutes. The cookies should begin to spread with a central mound still visible; avoid overbaking at this stage.
- Add marshmallows and continue baking: Remove the baking sheets from the oven. Carefully press one half of a marshmallow onto the top of each cookie, gently pressing to slightly flatten the cookies. Return cookies to the oven for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. The edges should look nearly done but the center should remain slightly underbaked.
- Cool cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool completely; this lets the cookies firm up while keeping centers soft and gooey.
- Optional topping: While cookies are still warm, sprinkle the top with finely chopped chocolate if desired to add extra richness and a decorative touch.
- Repeat with remaining dough: Once baking sheets have cooled, repeat the scooping, baking, and topping process with the remaining dough until all cookies are baked.
Notes
- To measure flour properly, fluff it in the container before scooping, fill your cup heaping, and level it off with the back of a knife to prevent dense cookies.
- Adjust bake times depending on your cookie scoop size; larger dough balls may require slightly longer baking. Watch closely to avoid overbaking.
- If your kitchen is warm, chill the dough in the refrigerator between batches to help maintain shape and texture.
- Cookies are best served slightly warm so the chocolate chips are melty and marshmallows remain soft and gooey.
- Store cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days and freeze baked cookies or uncooked dough balls for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
