Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies capture the warmth of a mug of hot cocoa in a delicious cookie. These chewy, fudgy chocolate cookies are infused with peppermint, filled with a gooey marshmallow center, and finished with a chocolate dip and crushed peppermint for a festive touch.
Why you’ll love Hot Cocoa Cookies:
- Fudgy Double Chocolate Cookies – Rich, chewy cookies with cocoa and chocolate chips for deep chocolate flavor.
- Gooey Marshmallow Center – Each cookie hides a whole marshmallow that melts to a soft, pillowy center.
- Peppermint Crunch – Crushed candy canes mixed into the dough and sprinkled on top add a bright, minty finish.
Ingredient Overview:
- Butter – Salted butter gives the best flavor, though unsalted is fine if you prefer.
- Milk – 2% milk works well, but any milk will be suitable.
- Peppermint – Use crushed candy canes, mini or large, for texture and flavor.
- Marshmallows – Regular-size marshmallows are used for the centers.
- Flour – Spoon and level flour for accurate measurement or weigh it: 135 g per cup.
- Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet chips balance the cocoa without making the cookie overly sweet.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Chocolate chips – Swap with chocolate chunks, milk or white chocolate chips if preferred.
- Marshmallows – Use 1 cup mini marshmallows or marshmallow bits in the dough, vegan marshmallows, or omit and press a chocolate piece on top after baking.
- Coating chocolate – Dip the cookies in dark, milk, or white chocolate according to taste.
- No peppermint – Omit the peppermint for classic chocolate-marshmallow cookies.
How to Make Hot Cocoa Cookies:
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract and mix until combined. Stir in the milk. Add the dry ingredients—flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt—until a slightly soft dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed candy canes last.
Step 2: Portion and Stuff. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to make it easier to handle. Scoop dough into balls (about 60–65 g each). Flatten a ball, place a regular marshmallow in the center, then fold the dough around it so the marshmallow peeks out slightly.
Step 3: Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll each stuffed dough ball in granulated sugar and space them on lined baking sheets—about six cookies per sheet. Bake 10–11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underbaked; they will firm up while cooling. If the cookies spread unevenly, use a round cutter to gently nudge them into a neater round shape while still warm.
Step 4: Cool and Decorate. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Once cooled, dip the tops in melted semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkle with extra crushed candy cane pieces for a festive finish.
Serving + Storing:
These cookies are best enjoyed warm with a cup of hot cocoa. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–5 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you plan to freeze, freeze unfilled dough balls or baked cookies in a sealed container for longer storage; thaw and refresh as needed.
Expert Success Tips:
- Butter temperature: Use butter that’s at room temperature but not overly soft—your finger should leave a slight indent, and the butter should still feel slightly cool.
- Cool slightly before moving: Cookies are fragile straight from the oven—let them rest on the sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a rack.
- Accurate oven temperature: Ovens can run hot or cold; consistent temperature yields the most reliable results.
- Measure flour carefully: Spoon and level or weigh flour for best texture and structure.
FAQs:
Yes. Form the dough balls and freeze them for 1–2 months or refrigerate for 1–2 days. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge, then flatten and add the marshmallow before baking.
Smaller cookies won’t have enough dough to fully enclose a standard marshmallow, so keep the size as directed for the best marshmallow center.
Yes, this recipe scales well if you need fewer or more cookies.
Hot cocoa mix contains added sugar and other ingredients, so it won’t substitute 1:1 for unsweetened cocoa powder. You can try replacing a small portion (for example, 2 tablespoons) of cocoa with hot cocoa mix, but results may vary.
Special Tools:
- Cookie scoop – A larger scoop creates bakery-style cookies and helps make uniform portions.
- Baking sheets – Heavy, even baking sheets or pans give consistent browning and spread.
More Cookie Recipes to Love:
- Bakery-Style Monster Cookies
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies
- Key Lime Slice & Bake Cookies
- Blueberry Lemon Cookies
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
- Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies
- Cherry Pie Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
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Peppermint Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup salted butter, softened (226 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (210 g)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (107 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract paste (or 1 1/8 tsp peppermint extract)
- 3 tbsp milk
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled (325 g)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (60 g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (196 g)
- 1/2 cup crushed candy canes (about 7 large candy canes)
For Stuffing & Decorating:
- 20 regular-size marshmallows
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted (113 g)
- 2–3 large candy canes, crushed, for topping
Instructions
- Make the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high until light and well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract and mix until just combined. Mix in the milk. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and mix until a slightly soft dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed candy canes.
- Chill the Dough: Chill the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle. Scoop into balls weighing about 60–65 grams and place in an airtight container. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
- Fill & Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Flatten each dough ball, add a marshmallow to the center, and fold the dough to enclose it, leaving the marshmallow slightly exposed. Roll each ball in granulated sugar. Place 6 cookies per sheet and bake 10–11 minutes, one sheet at a time, until edges are set and centers look a touch underdone.
- Cool & Decorate: Let cookies cool on the sheet 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. If desired, dip tops in melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy cane pieces.
- Serve & Store: Serve warm for the best texture. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–5 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie • Calories: 376 kcal • Carbohydrates: 47 g • Protein: 5 g • Fat: 20 g • Saturated Fat: 12 g • Sugar: 27 g
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline.