Fudgy and gooey chocolate cookies full of intense chocolate flavor, melted marshmallows and peppermint pieces make the best Christmas dessert.
It’s beginning to smell a lot like… cookies! I made this batch of Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies for Matt’s co-workers as a holiday treat, but struggled not to eat many, many of them myself. Even L got to try a few bites and was not happy when I told him they were all gone. Sorry, buddy! I know the feeling.
Actually, these are similar (er, almost the same) as my other Hot Cocoa Cookies. But I didn’t feel like those photos did the cookies justice and I wanted to make another version that just screamed holiday flavors. Plus, the people in Matt’s office have been big fans of some other peppermint chocolate desserts and I knew these would be a hit.
A few things to note about these cookies: 1) They are big! They spread a lot during baking and get just a little bit gooey (in a good way) from the marshmallows so make sure to leave plenty of space between them for baking 2) They are ultra rich. If you love chocolate, like really love chocolate, like I do, these will make you very happy. 3) As a result of the gooeyness, be careful when storing them. I had no problems when I layered them with parchment paper before freezing.
- 113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 170g (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 200g (7 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 160g (~1 cup + 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 2g (3/4 teaspoon) baking powder
- 2g (1/2 teaspoon salt)
- 150g (~3 large whole) eggs at room temperature
- 215g (~1 cup) granulated sugar
- 235g (~1 cup, packed) light brown sugar
- 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 90g (1⅓ cups) mini marshmallows
- 105g 2/.3 cup peppermint crunch baking pieces
- 100g (~1/2 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside
- Place semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate with butter in a microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave the ingredients for a minute and stir; microwave again for 30-second increments until everything is almost melted; stir the remaining lumps until smooth (alternatively, you can melt the butter and chocolate in a heavy duty pop over medium heat stirring constantly); set aside
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) and set aside
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine eggs, sugars and vanilla; beat on high speed for about 5 minutes or until mixture is light and pale in color
- Reduce the speed of your mixer and add in melted chocolate
- When that is well-combined, stir in flour mixture but do not over-mix; stir in marshmallows, peppermint pieces and chocolate chips
- Use a large cookie dough scoop and place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, 2 inches apart (cookies will spread while baking)
- Bake cookies for 12 minutes and set aside on a wire rack to cool
Recipe can be doubled
Store cookies at room temperature up to 5 days in a ziplock bag or freeze for up to two months; separate layers of cookies with parchment paper to avoid sticking
Hot cocoa cookies are my favorite. I love all that marshmallow gooey texture. I like your holiday version! Thanks for sharing.