Hot Cocoa Cookies

Like the classic winter drink, but in cookie form, Hot Cocoa Cookies are intensely chocolate-y and filled with gooey marshmallow. These hot chocolate cookies are the perfect companion for a mug of hot chocolate or a glass of milk.

2025 Update: This recipe was originally shared in December 2015. The recipe has been updated significantly and the post includes new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I hope you love them!

Whenever someone mentions Hot Cocoa, I’m transported back to one chilly winter evening when my family was visiting Ohio.

We were at my aunt and uncle’s house for a long weekend. My grandmother, who lived in West Virginia, had come in town, too, and we were all spending time together.

I don’t remember the specifics of evening other than it was cold enough that Memother decided we all needed hot cocoa. Not the boxed kind that’s incredibly easy to mix up.

Nope. She wanted to make hot cocoa from scratch.

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So she did.

I couldn’t have been older than 10 or 12, but I remember standing next to the stovetop as she carefully explained the method. She measured milk and cream into a large saucepan before adding some cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon sticks and vanilla.

Then we stood around, chatting while we waited for the cocoa to simmer, even though we all know a watchpot never boils. And then when it did simmer, we let it go for a long while, making sure it never boiled or bubbled over.

It felt like it was taking forever, but Memother assured me it was well-worth the effort.

Unsurprisingly, Memother was right.

The cocoa was absolutely worth the wait.

When she deemed it perfect, we removed the saucepan from the heat, then we carefully ladled the steaming liquid into mugs. We topped them with marshmallows, then we shared the hot drinks with our family members.

We settled in for some quality time on the screened-in porch, and I still remember the first sip of Memother’s hot cocoa. It was nothing short of magical, and I savored that entire mug as we all spent time together that evening.

That trip was a long time ago, but every time hot cocoa is mentioned, I remember the time I spent with Memother in my aunt and uncle’s kitchen.

And for today’s recipe, I wanted to create a riff on cocoa… in cookie form.

Why I love this recipe:

This Hot Chocolate Cookie recipe is one of my recent favorites, and as of December 2025, the recipe has been updated and tweaked to be the best it can be.

These chocolate cookies are studded with mini chocolate chips and have swirls of marshmallow fluff running through them. (Please note that the original recipe involved halved marshmallows and forming a thumbprint… I personally think the fluff makes this recipe that much more delightful.)

The end result is a cookie that has wonderful flavor and a delightful chewy texture.

These Hot Cocoa Cookies are soft and gooey in the center, but crisp up on the exterior. The marshmallow fluff adds gooey sweetness – and doesn’t get funky when they cool off. (Regular marshmallows firm up once they cool, and I’ve realized that the fluff is just… better for this application if you don’t want to bite into a tough marshmallow.)

The chocolate is dense and rich, and the mallow adds a lovely fluffiness.

They are, quite simply, hot cocoa in cookie form. But no, they do not involve a packet of hot cocoa mix or hot chocolate mix… we’re making these babies totally from scratch!

And it makes me so happy to share this recipe with y’all today because it brings back a lovely memory with Memother.

More cookie recipes to try: Peppermint Dark Chocolate Cookies | Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Bourbon and Walnuts | Potato Chip Cookies | Shortbread Brown Butter Cookies | Gingersnap Cookies

Let’s talk about The Sweetest Season and Cookies for Kids Cancer!

The Sweetest Season is my annual holiday cookie week.

In 2011, I decided to share my favorite Christmas cookies… then invited other bloggers to join me. The celebration grew, we changed the name to make it more inclusive, my friend Susannah stepped in to help and the rest is history.

And now, every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes.

This year, we’re raising money in support of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.

Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers. More than 35 treatments available to kids battling cancer today were stemmed from these grants.

We’d love for you to help us raise money for this cause! You can donate through our fundraising page.

Currently, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO. This means OXO will match every dollar up to $100,000 raised through the end of 2025. So whatever money we raise will automatically double!

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Sheet pan or cookie sheet
• Nonstick baking mat
• Kitchen scale
• Mixing bowl
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Piping bag
• Rubber spatula
• 1-tablespoon cookie scoop
• Wire rack, for cooling

Here’s what you’ll need to grab from the grocery store:

• Unsalted butter — this is the fat base of our cookie. You could swap if with a vegan butter, if desired, for a similar result.
• Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is the sweetener for our cookies. There is no substitute, so please don’t ask if you can use brown sugar here. It will change the texture.
• Eggs — these serve as a binder for the cookie batter. I like to use large eggs.
• Pure vanilla extract — this will help the other ingredients sing. Use the real deal stuff and not the imitation kind.
• Dark chocolate — you may use dark chocolate chips or a bar, depending on your tastes. I melted two bars to get the amount I needed for this and used intense 82% cocoa bars for that, but you can use something less intense.
• All-purpose flour — we keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but the regular kind works, too. We have not attempted to make this recipe with gluten free flours or other substitutes.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder — this is going to add extra chocolatey kick to the cookies and make them even better.
• Baking soda — this is our leavener. Make sure yours is fresh. This is not the same thing as baking powder.
• Kosher salt — I like to use a medium-grain kosher salt. You could use the same size of a sea salt, too.
• Mini chocolate chips — in my original recipe, I used dark chocolate chunks but switched these over to miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips. Use whatever chocolate chips or chunks make you happy. Bittersweet, milk and dark chocolate all should play nicely here.
• Marshmallow fluff — you need an entire jar of this! Trust me… it’s worth the slight hassle to add it to the cookies.

How to make Hot Cocoa Cookies

Cream the butter and granulated sugar together until smooth in a large bowl. You may do this with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

This will take 3-4 minutes and the mixture will be a very pale yellow color.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.

Mix until well combined and fragrant.

Pour in the melted, slightly cooled chocolate. (Please note that you should do this in a microwave-safe bowl, then let it cool some before you drizzle it into the batter.)

Stir until the chocolate is incorporated with the other wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together to incorporate.

Pour the flour mixture (AKA the dry ingredients) into the wet, and mix until just combined.

Measure the chocolate chips into the batter, and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula.

Line a small sheet pan with parchment or wax paper.

For this recipe, we scoop the cookies and then chill them, so you need a surface prepared that fits in your fridge.

Prepare the marshmallow fluff. Transfer the entire jar into a pastry bag, and seal well. Snip the tip, too. This is going to help you get the fluff into the center of each cookie with less mess.

Scoop the cookie dough. Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop. Fill the scoop halfway, then gently squeeze marshmallow fluff into the other side.

Use a rubber spatula or a spoon to top the fluff with additional cookie dough, then gently scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Chill for at least two hours. You could also freeze and bake them off later.

Once the chill is over, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

Remove the cookies from the fridge, and gently shape into cookie dough balls with your hands. I’ve found that spritzing my hands with nonstick cooking spray helps immensely.

Place the cookie dough balls onto a prepared sheet pan. Space them out at least 3 inches from each other, as these cookies spread as they bake and become HUGE.

Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes or until the edges are set and the marshmallow fluff begins browning slightly, then remove from the oven.

You may clean up the edges using a spoon to gently reshape them into circles.

Remove from the oven, and cool slightly, then enjoy!

How to store:

Store the leftover cookies on a plate covered with plastic wrap or airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. They will become stickier as they sit.

Reheat for 10-20 seconds in the microwave before eating if you want both the chocolate and marshmallow to be gooey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to the best hot chocolate cookies:

• Don’t skip the pastry bag step with the marshmallow fluff. Your kitchen, hands and life will be so much less sticky with this technique. (Thanks, again, Megan!)
• Let them cool for at least 2 hours… or longer. As long as they’re covered up in your refrigerator, they will keep. So make the dough in advance and bake them off when you see fit.
• Serve them alongside a Hot Chocolate Bar (or your favorite hot cocoa or hot chocolate recipes.)

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