I’m sharing one of my all time favorite cookies with you today, my hot chocolate cookies. When I first made these hot cocoa cookies, adding hot cocoa mix to a cookie seemed like it would taste good. But I didn’t quite expect for them to be SO delicious. These Hot Chocolate Cookies have since become one of the most popular cookie recipes on Love From The Oven. Hot Chocolate Cookies are perfect Christmas cookies and are great cookie for cookie exchanges.
Hot Chocolate Cookies
Really truly, these hot chocolate cookies are incredible. The flavor that the hot cocoa contributes is pretty amazing, they do not taste like “another chocolate cookie” if you will, they taste like a cup of hot chocolate.
Let’s face it, most of us have had all the “standard” cookies such as chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, snickerdoodles, oatmeal cookies, double chocolate chip cookies and cut out sugar cookies. So these bring a new and fun flavor to those holiday cookie platters.
Since I first made these cookies hot chocolate cookies, Kraft Kitchens have tested the recipe. Both Swiss Miss and Kraft Jet Puffed have shared the recipe on their packaging. Seriously, they are that good.
Marshmallows In Cookies
Keeping it easy is important to me, and these hot chocolate cookies are as easy to make as your standard chocolate chip cookie, so nothing fancy needed here.
Mallow Bits
I do recommend that you use the Mallow Bits in place of regular mini-marshmallows, as the mini marshmallows can create quite a mess. You should be able to find these freeze dried marshmallows in your grocery store, either by the marshmallows or near where they keep hot chocolate.
2021 Update: Find Mallow Bits or similar dehydrated marshmallows at Target, Amazon and Walmart. Also check your local grocery store.
2020 Update: I’m not sure if Kraft is no longer making Mallow Bits, but I have a hard time finding them online, though some of my local stores still carry them. Here is what appears to be almost identical freeze dried hot chocolate marshmallows.
There also are many colored freeze dried marshmallows on the market. Another great option is the Swiss Miss Marshmallow Lover’s Cocoa, which actually includes packets of marshmallows along with the cocoa.
Chilling Dough + Mallow Bits
A note on these, I’ve found that when chilling the dough for 30 minutes, sometimes it can cause the Mallow Bits to melt into the cookie when baking.
It’s not consistent, and I think it’s dependent on how fresh/dry the Mallow Bits are (it happens to me more when I’ve purchased from Amazon). One way to completely avoid this problem is to mix the Mallow Bits in AFTER you chill the dough.
If you are looking for a different cookie to bring to a cookie exchange or to bake for the holidays, I’d highly recommend these hot chocolate cookies. While the recipe calls for regular hot cocoa, for a twist I used a dark chocolate hot cocoa mix with this batch. I love to serve them with a mug of Peppermint Hot Chocolate!
There are so many new flavors of hot cocoas out there, feel free to get a little creative with these! One thing to note: do not use sugar free hot cocoa mix. They won’t turn out as well I’m afraid.
Check out all of the cookie recipes on this site. Don’t miss all of the recipes for Christmas Cookies here on Love From The Oven! Also grab a copy of my free Favorite Cookies e-Book Cookbook, it has all my favorite cookie recipes in a convenient cookbook download.
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- My Free Favorite Cookies E-Cookbook
Hot Chocolate Cookie Recipe
Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour*
- 4 packages hot cocoa mix** (or 3/4 cups hot cocoa mix – NOT SUGAR FREE VERSIONS)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup Mallow Bits*** (mini marshmallows do not work the same and can be a bit of a sticky mess)
Instructions
- Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with standing mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
- In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Gradually beat dry ingredients into butter mixture until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and Mallow Bits*. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop 2 tablespoons dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
I can’t wait for you to try these cookies! They’d be the perfect addition to a hot cocoa bar. Check out my post all about how to set up a hot cocoa bar, such a fun (and super easy) thing to do when it’s chilly outside! Also, start your day with my Hot Chocolate Pancakes!
White Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Chocolate Holiday Chip Cookies
How To Paint Sugar Sugar Cookies
Holiday Cookie Decorating Tips
Originally published October 2017
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
What kind of chocolate chips do you use?
These look delicious! Definitely adding them to my Christmas cookie list this year 🙂 do you think it would be ok to add Christmas m&ms or would that mess with them too much?
Thanks!
Sure! I’m of the belief that mix ins in cookies are completely flexible!
I made these tonight. Every single one is gone already. Needless to say, everyone loved them. I didn’t bake them long enough at first. My oven temp isn’t the greatest. Even after having to go back in after cooling off a little, they were still wonderful. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed them! If you don’t have an inexpensive oven thermometer, I’d highly recommend one. I had an oven for years that would run both hot and cold, and it really helped make it easier to adjust accordingly.
Can you freeze these cookies after baking?
As with any drop cookies, these are fine to freeze.
Hi! I am a little new to baking and was wondering if the butter is unsalted or salted? I’m used to seeing cookies calling for unsalted, but I don’t want to make a mistake when making these. I am super excited to try them out!
Thank you,
Megan
You can use either. Honestly I have NEVER noticed any difference in flavor between the two, so I’m not all that picky about it. Hope you enjoy them!
These turned about yummy. Here are the ingredients I used. I used 3 packets of Dark Chocolate Cocoa and one regular. I also used a Tbl of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. The cookie color was dark. I used all the flour in the ingredients list. I also added another 1/4 cup of sugar as recommended by another reviewer. I added semi sweet choco chips and scooped the cookie dough into a parchment lined cookie sheet. About 1.5 to 2 Tbl in size. I then added Dark chocolate chunks pressed into the dough and covered with cling wrap. They did sit in my fridge for like a week (forgot to move them to the freezer). I baked a few off then to try. Added Sarah’s Candy Factory vanilla dehydrated marshmallow bits (got on Amazon) onto the dough ball before baking. Baked at 350 for 17 min. These made large cookies. Delish!
Cooling was my mistake, dough was hard as a rock after an hour in the fridge, so the cookies stayed ball shaped as they cooked :/ end result pretty dry! Really not sure what i did wrong! I think they might’ve been fine if i didn’t refrigerate them but that’s just my guess
Cookies came out completely flat and a harder chewy type cookie, not good chewy. I bake very consistently and I’ve never had that happen. Completely followed directions. Not only that, your recipe looks like actual cocoa cookies, not hot chocolate pks. I’ve never seen hot chocolate cookies super dark. Even the powder you put in the bowl is way darker than hot chocolate pks. I seen you note that we can add a little cocoa for the color but if that’s what you did for the cookies you picture then you should have it in the recipe. I tried different tests including adding even more hot chocolate and still no where near that brown. Still very flat even without the marshmallow. So I made chocolate chip cookie dough and pulled enough to the side for 3 cookies, added 3/4tsp of hot cocoa and those 3 went flat and bad chewy. The hot chocolate packs flattens the cookie. The regular chocolate chip are fluffy and beautiful.
I’m sorry these didn’t work for you. This recipe has been tested by Kraft Kitchens, and has been on the Mallow Bits and Swiss Miss containers for over five years. It’s also been wildly popular with readers for close to a decade, so I’d maybe double check your measurements and possibly use an oven thermometer to check your oven temp.
As far as the color, I actually addressed that in the notes. You must have missed it? Here, I’ll paste it for you…
“ **A simple hot cocoa mix works best with these. Flavored hot cocoa’s can have other ingredients that impact the recipe. I typically make this recipe with Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. The Dark Chocolate Swiss Miss is actually my favorite for these. I have not tested it with other flavors or brands. DO NOT USE SUGAR FREE HOT COCOA!
**It appears over the years, Swiss Miss has somewhat changed their hot cocoa formula, most likely to remove artificial colors or dyes. As such, the cookies don’t seem as dark brown as they previously have. If this bothers you, stir in a tablespoon of cocoa powder (even better if you have DARK cocoa powder).”
My cookies spread so thin and never “hardened” after baking and I’m not sure why!!! feels like maybe too much butter or sugar? They taste great but don’t store very easily! Any ideas??
Hmm, it sounds like there was a measurement off somewhere. This recipe is pretty solid, it was even tested by the Kraft test kitchens, so I know it’s solid. I would suggest double checking each measurement. I once had a friend make one of my recipes three times, failing terribly each time, then finally realized she was messing up one ingredient measurement each and every time.
I bought the mallow bits and was comparing the recipe with yours and found out that the recipe on the marshmallow bits was actually yours it was so cool and a little geek moment lol
It is! 🙂 It’s still a little geek moment for me every time I see it!