Hot Cocoa Cookies are like a mug of rich hot chocolate with marshmallows but in delicious cookie form!
Perfect for Christmas or any other winter celebrations, these soft, chewy chocolate cookies are everyone’s favorite.

When I’m making cookies for Christmas, I always try to have my favorite classic cookies, like Snickerdoodles and Stained Glass Sugar Cookies. But I also need to try several new Christmas cookie recipes every year too!
Developing new holiday-themed cookies is one of my favorite things to do, and this recipe for Hot Cocoa Cookies is definitely a winner! I will be featuring these proudly on my cookie platters this Christmas, and I know you will be too!
Get ready to learn how to make these rich, chocolatey cookies. Each is stuffed with a whole fluffy marshmallow and topped with a delicious chocolate icing.
The best hot cocoa cookies also have holiday sprinkles on top to make them extra fun!
Join our Facebook Cookie Group! It’s a community of people who LOVE baking cookies! Join us to find new recipes, share recipes, or to ask cookie questions! 💕

Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Decadent Chocolate Cookies – While there are some very delicious toppings on these hot chocolate cookies, the base cookie underneath the marshmallows and frosting is also one of the best chocolate cookies I’ve had! It’s soft, chewy, and dense, almost like a brownie.
- Perfect for Sharing – This recipe makes 36 hot cocoa cookies, and can easily be doubled. It’s wonderful for sharing with family and friends or bringing to the annual cookie exchange party.
- Easy Step-by-Step Recipe: Just like all of our fun cookie recipes, this one is easy to follow with plenty of photos, tips, and baking tricks for you.
Key Ingredients

Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- The Dry Ingredients: Flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- The Wet Ingredients: Room temperature eggs, unsalted butter, brown and granulated sugars, and vanilla extract. There’s no need to soften the butter, as we will be melting it for this cookie recipe.
- Chocolate: To make these cookies extra rich, we’ll add melted semisweet chocolate to the dough. We’ll also stir in chocolate chips before baking them.
- Marshmallows: Use regular-sized marshmallows, cut in half, to top each hot cocoa cookie.
- For the Frosting: You will need heavy cream, butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar.
- Wintery Sprinkles: Optional, but super fun!
How To Make Hot Cocoa Cookies

- Melt the Chocolate: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the semisweet chocolate and butter together until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract into the pot with the melted chocolate mixture. Be sure that the chocolate has cooled, or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until a soft dough forms. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

- Portion and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough and roll it into ping-pong-sized balls with your hands. Then place the balls on the trays, 2 inches apart. Bake for 6 minutes.
- Add Marshmallow: Remove the cookies from the oven, and immediately place half a marshmallow, cut side down, into the center of each. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until the marshmallows are softened. Allow the cookies to cool completely before finishing with frosting.
- Make the Chocolate Frosting: Add the heavy cream, butter, and cocoa powder to a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the powdered sugar to the pan and mix until completely combined. Allow to cool slightly
- Frost and Decorate: Spoon a small amount of frosting over each cooled cookie, then add sprinkles to the wet frosting. Allow the icing to fully set before enjoying or storing the cookies.
Top Tips
- Chilling is important – This cookie dough will be sticky and difficult to work with if you don’t chill it before baking.
- You can chill for longer than an hour – Up to a day ahead of time if needed. If you do this, let the dough sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so so that it gets soft enough to work with.
- Try flavored marshmallows – Chocolate, peppermint, or cinnamon gourmet marshmallows would be delicious in these cookies!
- Mini marshmallows work too– Use three of them on each cookie instead of half of a full-sized marshmallow.
- Let the cookies cool before frosting – If they are too warm, the frosting will slide right off.

Storing Tips
Store hot cocoa cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. It’s important to keep these in a single layer, or they will stick together.
More Cookie Recipes For the Holidays
- Stacked Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Reindeer Cookies
- Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Rugelach
- Candy Cane Cookies
Recipe FAQs
Yes, chilled doughs like this one can usually be made well in advance. Store the dough in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months. It’s easier to store the dough already rolled into balls. Just allow the dough to thaw out before baking.
Powdered hot cocoa mix is a blend of cocoa powder, powdered milk, and sugar that you can mix with water to make hot chocolate. For recipes, you should use unsweetened pure cocoa powder.
You sure can! Just use 3 mini marshmallows for each cookie, pressing them in slightly so that they stay in the center. Once you add the chocolate frosting, it won’t matter what type of marshmallows are underneath!
These hot chocolate cookies are so good! Chewy inside with fluffy marshmallows and chocolate frosting, they taste just like a mug of hot cocoa, and I know you’re going to love them.
Leave a Review!