Hot Cocoa Cookies With Cocoa Frosting
Get cozy this festive season with my decadent and adorable hot cocoa cookies! These cookies capture the rich chocolate flavor of hot cocoa and fluffy marshmallows.
They are soft with a slight crunch to them and of course, loaded with delicious flavors.
Make these a part of your next festive celebration or add them to the list at your annual cookie exchange. Trust me, your fellow bakers won’t be able to get enough of them!
Ingredients You Need To Make Hot Cocoa Cookies
There are a couple of ingredients for these hot cocoa cookies that need to be highlighted because of their importance or their availability.
Cookies:
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Egg Yolk
- Vanilla Extract
- Heavy Cream
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda
- Milk Chocolate Chips
Hot Cocoa Frosting:
- Heavy cream
- Hot cocoa mix (approximately 2 packets)
- Cocoa powder
- Mini Marshmallows for decoration
How To Make Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Cookie Dough: Cream together softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add egg, extra egg yolk, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Gradually mix in flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Fold in milk chocolate chips.
- Shape Cookies: Divide the dough, shape into discs, and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- Frosting: Whip together heavy cream, hot cocoa mix, and cocoa powder for frosting.
- Decorate: Transfer frosting to a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe a spiral pattern on each cookie, starting from the center. Sprinkle dehydrated marshmallows for a playful finish.
For more holiday baking ideas, check out my dessert section on my website. There you’ll find everything from Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bites to Molten Chocolate Lava Cookies.
Variations of This Hot Cocoa Cookies Recipe
There are many variations of these hot cocoa cookies that I am obsessed with! Every year I try something new.
Currently, my favorite variations are to incorporate a gooey marshmallow (slightly microwaved marshmallow) or marshmallow fluff into the cookie dough. When the cookies bake, they melt together with the marshmallow fluff to create a luscious silky texture.
Another variation I love is adding finely chopped nuts to either the hot cocoa cookie dough or hot chocolate frosting. Walnuts and almonds work best.
Tips For Making The Most Decadent Hot Cocoa Cookies
Always have prepared baking sheets before you start making the chocolate cookies. You can line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, a baking sheet (baking paper), or use a silicone baking mat. Don’t use cooking spray for this recipe.
When you make hot cocoa cookies, only use room-temperature ingredients. They mix together much more easily and will prevent a lumpy cookie dough.
Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop for uniform hot chocolate cookies. A quick spray with non-stick cooking spray prevents dough stickiness
After your hot cocoa cookies have been baked, leave them on a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature.
Place the frosting for the hot chocolate cookies inside a piping bag fitted with a star-tipped nozzle like this one. This creates a more festive look that looks adorable next to a cup of hot cocoa.
How To Store Your Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ensure cookies cool completely on a rack. For storage, layer cooled cookies between parchment sheets in an airtight container. Frosted ones last 3 days in the fridge; unfrosted, 5-7 days at room temperature.
FAQs On These Hot Chocolate Cookies
I highly recommend using Hershey’s Dark Cocoa Powder, but any other variety can be used. Just make sure that it’s unsweetened cocoa powder otherwise, your hot cocoa cookies will come out way too sweet.
You can easily find mini marshmallows in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Sometimes, they are stored next to the hot chocolate. If not, then your next best bet is to look at baking supply stores. Otherwise, you can order online, but remember that it might take a couple of hours (or days) to get to your door. I love these from Sarah’s Candy Factory, available on Amazon.
Hot Cocoa Cookies With Cocoa Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar⅔
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅔ cup milk chocolate chips
For the Hot Cocoa Frosting:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup hot cocoa mix (equivalent to 2 standard packets)
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Mini dehydrated marshmallows, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cookie Dough: In a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, extra egg yolk, vanilla extract, and heavy cream, mixing until well combined. Gradually add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda to the mixture, ensuring to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once combined, fold in the milk chocolate chips.
- Shape Cookies: Divide the dough into nine equal portions. Shape each into a disc of about ½-¾ inch thickness using the bottom of a flat drinking cup.
- Bake: Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Frosting: In the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer, whip together the heavy cream, hot cocoa mix, and additional cocoa powder until it forms a fluffy, thick frosting.
- Decorate: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the frosting in a spiral pattern on each cookie, starting from the center and working outward, leaving a small border. Sprinkle dehydrated marshmallows over the frosting for a playful finish.
I’m usually not one for baking, but this recipe was so easy to follow. The combination of chocolatey goodness and gooey marshmallows made these cookies a hit at my son’s birthday party.
These hot cocoa cookies were a hit with my kids! The frosting was so creamy, and they loved decorating the cookies with mini marshmallows. This recipe is definitely going in our holiday baking rotation.