Hot Cocoa Cookies

Hot Cocoa Cookies

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These Hot Cocoa Cookies are everything I love about a cozy winter dessert: rich chocolate flavor, a soft and chewy center, a little crispness around the edges, and a gooey marshmallow tucked right inside. Serve these on a cold winter’s night with a cup of hot cocoa, or bake them up for an impressive holiday cookie exchange or cookie box!

Made in partnership with Domino®, using Domino® Granulated Sugar Easy Baking Tub and Domino® Light Brown Sugar, these cookies have just the right balance of sweetness and chocolate flavor. A little powdered hot cocoa mix gives them that unmistakable hot cocoa taste, while the marshmallow melts into the center as the cookies bake.

And because I can never resist a little extra texture, each cookie is rolled in granulated sugar before baking. The result is a crackly, sugar-coated exterior that gives way to a soft, fudgy cookie and a melty marshmallow center.

Why you’ll love these cookies

They taste like hot cocoa in cookie form. Cocoa powder gives the cookies their rich chocolate base, while powdered hot cocoa mix adds an extra layer of that classic hot cocoa flavor.

The marshmallow is baked right into the center. Rather than topping the cookies with marshmallows, half of a large marshmallow is tucked inside each ball of dough. As the cookies bake, it becomes soft and gooey while staying nestled inside the cookie. You may even get a peek at some of that gooey marshmallow center as they bake, crack, and cool.

The sugar coating adds the perfect finish. Rolling the dough in Domino® Granulated Sugar before baking gives the cookies a delicate crunch and a pretty, crackled exterior.

They’re easy to make. There’s no complicated decorating or special equipment required. Just mix, scoop, stuff, roll, and bake.

A few tips for perfect Hot Cocoa Cookies

Don’t skip the sugar coating.

It may seem like an optional step, but rolling each dough ball in Domino® Granulated Sugar before baking is one of my favorite parts of this recipe. It gives the finished cookies a subtle crunch and helps create that beautiful, crinkled appearance.

Give the cookies some space.

These cookies spread as they bake, so place them at least 2 inches apart on your baking sheets. I recommend using parchment-lined aluminum baking sheets for the most consistent results.

Scoot them while they’re still warm.

If your cookies spread into slightly imperfect shapes in the oven, don’t worry! As soon as they come out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter, small bowl, or glass that’s slightly larger than the cookie to gently scoot it into a perfect circle.

This little trick is one of my favorite ways to make homemade cookies look bakery-worthy.

The perfect cozy cookie

There’s something especially nostalgic about hot cocoa and marshmallows, and these cookies capture that combination in a way that’s perfect for sharing.

They’re right at home on a holiday cookie platter, but they’re also simple enough to make whenever you’re craving something chocolatey and cozy. Serve them slightly warm for the ultimate gooey marshmallow center, or let them cool completely and enjoy them with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa.

However you serve them, these cookies are proof that you don’t need a complicated recipe to make something that feels special.