Hot Cocoa Cookies
Updated November 28, 2025
Quick Summary
These Hot Cocoa Cookies are soft, chewy chocolate cookies topped with melty marshmallows and finished with chocolate shavings. They taste just like a cozy cup of hot cocoa and are perfect for winter baking, holiday parties, and cookie exchanges.
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There’s something so nostalgic about wrapping your hands around a warm cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter day. The rich chocolate, the gooey marshmallows, it’s a simple comfort that never gets old and instantly takes me back to childhood snow days.
Now imagine enjoying all of those cozy hot cocoa flavors in cookie form. These Hot Cocoa Cookies start with a soft, chewy chocolate cookie base. Then, while they’re still warm, you nestle a fluffy marshmallow right into the center so it melts perfectly on top. A little sprinkle of chocolate shavings finishes them off and makes every bite taste like hot cocoa, but even better.
I’ve been making these cookies for years, and they’re always a favorite in our house. My boys know the moment the marshmallows come out, something good is happening. These cookies are festive without being fussy, simple enough for a weeknight bake, and special enough for any winter celebration.
Whether you’re sharing them at a cookie exchange, taking them to a holiday gathering, or enjoying them after a day in the snow, they bring all the cozy, chocolatey warmth of the season.
Ingredients with Helpful Notes
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level for accurate measuring so the cookies stay soft, not dense.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Regular unsweetened cocoa gives the cookies their deep chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda: Fresh baking soda helps the cookies rise and stay chewy.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate.
- Unsalted butter: Needs to be softened to room temperature for smooth creaming.
- Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and chewiness—key for the perfect texture.
- Granulated sugar: Helps the cookies spread and creates a balanced sweetness.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs mix in more evenly.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the chocolate flavor.
- Large marshmallows: Slice in half so they melt just enough without sliding off.
- Finely chopped chocolate (optional): A pretty finishing touch that adds more chocolate flavor.
Tips for Making the Cookies
- Whisk the dry ingredients separately so the cocoa powder mixes evenly and you don’t end up with pockets of dry cocoa.
- Cream the butter and sugars well until light and fluffy, this gives the cookies their soft, chewy texture.
- Don’t overmix once you add the dry ingredients. Stop as soon as everything comes together.
- Scoop evenly using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop for cookies that bake uniformly.
- Add the marshmallows at the right time. Bake the cookies most of the way, press the marshmallow on top, then finish baking for that perfect melty top.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes so they set before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Finish with chopped chocolate while the marshmallows are still warm so it melts slightly and sticks beautifully.
Hot Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 19 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally
- Finely chopped chocolate, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract, scraping down the side of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Scoop by the rounded tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, placing the dough balls about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Open the oven and carefully slide out the pan. Gently press one marshmallow half in the center of each cookie. Try to work quickly. Push the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional minute so the marshmallows can get soft.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Garnish with finely chopped chocolate.
Notes
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container in a single layer so the marshmallows don’t stick.
- They keep well at room temperature for 2–3 days.
- To freeze: Freeze the unbaked dough balls (without marshmallows) and bake later. Add the marshmallows during baking as directed for the best texture.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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These cookies look amazing! I totally want to make these for our neighbor gifts this year!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
These look so yummy! I want to make them ahead of time for the holidays. Do they freeze well?
These look so yummy! I want to make them ahead of time for the holidays. Would they freeze well?
I made this recipe because my husband loves hot cocoa. I am super excited these are easy to make and taste just like the wintertime fav beverage!!! I topped the marshmallows with chocolate sprinkles and what a family hit!!! What a marvelous treat!!!
I baked these this morning and they were delicious! The recipe was easy to follow as well. I’m looking forward to bringing them to a Christmas party tonight.
Glad you love the cookies! Thanks for letting us know!
We made these today & everyone loved them!!!!
Would it work to replace the 1/2 large marshmallow with a few small ones?
Sure!
I made these, They are so Yummy! They are a little to much chocolate for me but I think they are pretty good. The marshmellow did not melt alot for me. I left them in the oven for 15 min and then added the marshmellow for 2 min. I made a few changes like the time and added chocolate chips but The cookie is So YUMMY.
My daughter made these and they were a hit with all of our friends. She cut the marshmallows in half and then added chocolate sauce and crushed peppermint candies on top. So good!!
I would love to bake these with my daughter! Do these freeze well?
I think they are best fresh because of the marshmallow. You can freeze them, the marshmallow will just won’t be as soft and gooey after being frozen…but my kids don’t complain:)
I made these using Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour and they are delicious! The dough was super sticky to the point of being hard to work with, and I’m wondering if that was due to the gluten free flour? But the end result was delicious! I garnished with crushed candy cane. One of my kids experimented and found that with room temperature cookies, 10 seconds in the microwave results in perfect marshmallow gooeyness.
Love this! If the dough is sticky, you can chill it for a bit.
So yummy! I wish I hadn’t cut the marshmallows first because we had a lot fewer cookies than marshmallows but these are an absolute delight and very easy. Thank you!
I can’t wait to bake these but do they really only store for two days?
I was wondering the same.
These cookies are so good! The only downside was that the dough came out pretty sticky for me so it was hard to roll into balls. Kept having to wash my hands. Topped mine with candy canes. Taste exactly like a cup of hot cocoa!
These are now Christmas cookie staple! So delicious – perfectly soft and chewy. Make sure to put the sticky side of the cut marshmallow down when inserting them.
Yay! They are fun and delicious!
These are easy to make and so cute! Whole family loved them!
sooo delicious! I added chocolate chips and it is legit like a cup of hot chocolate in a cookie = ] thanks for the great recipes!
These cookies are SO GOOD! Love them with the marshmallow, but I also use this as a base recipe for other toppings (m&ms, peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, frosted—anything)!
So happy you love the cookie recipe!
Looks great, but regular or Dutch processed cocoa?
Both will work! Use your favorite. Enjoy!
OMG! These are SO good!!
So fun to make, and they taste even better than they look, which is quite amazing!
My family LOVED these, and now I’m totally making these for dessert on Christmas Eve!
Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Happy Holidays
These are a winner, Maria! Everyone loved them!
Such a fun cookie! Glad you loved them!
Oh my gosh, I love these!! I love hot chocolate, so these were great. Loved the way they actually tasted like hot cocoa and the gooey marshmallow was delicious. I added a little more salt than necessary (on accident!) and left the cookies in the oven for two minutes after putting on the marshmallows. Soo good! I’ll be selling these and a few other treats with my friends at a Christmas market my school is putting on in December. I can’t wait! Also, I’m just a kid but this recipe was super easy. Thanks again!
You are welcome!
Made these today and they are AMAZING! They are now on regular cookie rotation at our house. I lightly torched the marshmallows when they came out of the oven, lending a campfire taste to them.
Yahoo!
Hi! I’m making these for Christmas and was wondering if I can make the dough two days ahead of baking then and store it in the fridge or if that would affect the cookies. Can’t wait to try!
Yes! Enjoy!
Really good recipe; I put mini marshmallows on top instead and they turned out amazing!
Perfect!
These cookies, we call them biscuits, are totally delicious. I cooked them for 12 minutes then added the marshmallow. I like crunchy biscuits that is why I cooked them longer.
Can you freeze these cookies to eat later?
Yes!
Did anyone have issue of the cookie spreading to much and very thin
Question – I made these before and they were a huge hit but now half my family, it seems, is dairy free. Is there a decent butter substitute I can use to make these non-dairy?
You can try a vegan butter but I haven’t used them before.
Incredible.
I don’t have a hand mixture so did it all by hand.
These ended up being the softest, most melt in your mouth cookies that I have ever had.
I didn’t do chocolate shavings but I did use my homemade chocolate syrup.
Crumble Cookie who??
I LOVE this!! So glad you loved the cookies!
Double the bake time. Baking for 8 minutes at 350 created warm dough balls with a slightly firm crust. They weren’t just soft, they were still jiggly. I removed my first batch from the oven at 8 minutes, realized that they were nowhere close to done, and put back in for 2 minute increments. I also increased the temperature from 350 to 375. After about 14 minutes, they were done and still soft. Per another reviewer’s suggestion, I gave the marshmallows 2 minutes instead of 1. They had puffed up a bit, but they were not melty.
If you increase the temp to 375, increase the bake time to 14 minutes, and increase the post-marshmallow bake time to 2 minutes, you’ll end up with delicious cookies that taste like a brownie.
I made a double batch of these yesterday, and they were a big hit. My only issue was that, since I made so many, I had to stack them to transport them, and the marshmallows stuck to the wax paper that was separating the layers. Any idea what I can do to prevent that?
The marshmallows are sticky. You might have to put them in single layers or just pull them apart a little.
so i havent made these yet, but i have a serious urgent question. Will these still be good they day after making them ? Im just wondering if it will affect the gooiness of the marshmello. If you could get back to me soon that would be great. Thank you !
I think they are good the next day! You can always heat them up for a little bit in the oven if you want the marshmallow super melty.