If you love the cozy taste of a cup of hot chocolate but you’re in the mood for cookies, I’ve got the perfect treat for you! In this recipe I’m going to show you how to make Hot Chocolate Cookies—perfect for any occasion!

Hot Chocolate Brings Back Memories of Childhood
I don’t know about you but when I think of hot chocolate, a couple of specific memories come to mind.
My mama always made homemade hot chocolate. She would start with whole milk, then add a bit of cocoa powder and sugar. Once they were all fully incorporated she would add a dash of pure vanilla extract.
Every year my home church would perform a live nativity scene on the church lawn. Folks came from all over the city to watch. Inbetween performances the cast members would gather in the fellowship hall to warm up with hot cocoa and warm-from-the-oven cookies.
That was a long time ago, but those memories are as fresh as if they’d just happened. So, when I started seeing recipes for Hot Chocolate Cookies in my social media feed I knew I had to give them a try.
What Make Hot Cocoa Special?
Hot chocolate is a warm, mild, creamy and rich. If you’re like I am, you load up your cup with marshmallows for added flavor and texture.
I wanted to emulate that yumminess in cookie form so I decided to skip the recipes I found online and concoct one of my own. I started with the most basic of all cookie recipes, the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
I knew that I would need to change things up a bit, so I added three packages of hot cocoa mix. I went with the marshmallow version.
Can I Bake with Marshmallows?
You might be tempted to stir mini-marshmallows into your Hot Chocolate Cookie dough. Resist that temptation.
If you go that route you’ll end up with a sticky, gooey mess. . .and not in a good way.
Instead, let’s talk about a couple of other options. As I mentioned above, you should use a hot cocoa mix with dehydrated marshmallows included.
Then, about a minute or two before your cookies are finished baking, add half of a whole marshmallow on top. I didn’t happen to have whole marshmallows, so I set 3-4 mini marshmallows on top for the final couple minutes in the oven.
What Kind of Chocolate Should I Use?
This is what sets my cookies apart from most. I opted for white chocolate chips. I wanted a really, really mild chocolate and white is definitely the way to go for that.
I wanted white for a second reason, though. Half of the experience of hot chocolate is those white marshmallows. I decided the white chocolate chips would psych me into thinking I was getting more marshmallows.
I’m pathetic, I know.
Enough about my moral failings. Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need to make these delicious cookies.
Hot Chocolate Cookie Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry or refrigerator.
- room temperature butter (salted or unsalted butter, your choice)
- brown sugar
- white sugar
- vanilla extract
- room temperature eggs (large eggs are best)
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- hot chocolate mix (with marshmallows)
- white chocolate chips
- marshmallows (large or mini)
How to Make these Simple Hot Chocolate Cookies
These came together so quickly, so easily, that I was surprised I hadn’t made them before!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place parchment paper on cookie sheets. Make sure you have a cookie scoop or spoon handy.

Cream room temperature butter until light and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
Add sugars and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.

Add eggs and mix until creamy.

It’s time to add the hot cocoa mix. Mix well on low speed.

Add your dry ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. Fold in white chocolate chips.

Scoop cookie dough balls and place on cookie sheet. (Be sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.)
I use Nordic Ware pans, along with the perfect parchment sheets that are pre-cut to fit the half-sheet perfectly!
Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up.


Place in preheated oven and bake for 9 minutes. Remove and add marshmallows on top of the cookies. (Lightly press them in.)

Place back in oven for 2 minutes, long enough for the marshmallows to stick to the top of the cookie. Remove and place on wire rack to cool.

Transfer cookies directly to wire rack as soon as they're able to be lifted with a spatula.

Serve with milk. (Yum!)

Store leftovers in airtight container in a single layer or wrap in plastic wrap.
What to Expect from These Cookies

It's like a mug of hot chocolate. . .in a cookie!
I love the mild chocolate flavor in these chewy chocolate cookies. And those white chocolate chips are the perfect complement to the cocoa flavor. My favorite part? The fluffy marshmallows on top. I'm so glad I decided to add those.
One bite of a warm cocoa cookie and you’ll feel transported back in time. Whether you do—or don’t—add marshmallows on top, you’ll still have that experience you enjoyed as a kid.
These are the perfect cookies for a cold winter's night. . .or a warm summer day! They're also going to be perfect for Christmas cookie swaps, so add this recipe to your list, along with my Old-Fashioned Butter Cookies, my Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Easy Royal Icing, or my Heavenly Snickerdoodles.
Variations on this Recipe

I can think of so many ways to change these up. Here are a few:
- Skip the marshmallows and sandwich two of these together with marshmallow fluff. (Yum!)
- Use milk chocolate chips in place of white chocolate.
- Use semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you prefer a richer chocolate experience the semi-sweet chips (or chunks) will be better for you.
- Add vanilla marshmallow bits (not the same as mini marshmallows)
- Add an additional tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the mix.
- Add chopped andes mints. Peppermint hot chocolate, anyone? These would be delicious, (very much like my Double Mint Chocolate Cookie recipe).
- Add Nutella to the center of these cookies. (Hazelnut and chocolate together. . .delicious!)
Other Cookies from Out of the Box Baking
No matter what you’re hoping for, we’ve got you covered here at Out of the Box Baking. Here are some of our most popular cookies.
Easy Twix Cookies from Scratch: If you love a good shortbread crust and you’re also a huge fan of caramel and chocolate, have I got a treat for you! These easy Twix cookies come together quickly and require very few ingredients!
Easy Pecan Pie Cookies: In this post I’m going to show you how to make a simple pecan pie cookie, perfect for a quick treat! This recipe will be particularly exciting during the holiday season.
Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies: If you’re looking for a fluffy, crisp, old-fashioned Sugar Cookie, do I have a treat for you! This is a simple sugar cookie recipe, packed full of flavor, and straight from Grandma’s cookbook!
White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways): If you love peppermint but you also enjoy the creamy texture of white chocolate, this is the recipe for you! These yummy cookies combine those two favorites! And just for fun, I’m going to teach you how to make these cookies two different ways.
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter: My Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies with brown butter provide a true sensory overload! They have an intoxicating aroma, nutty and sweet, and trust me when I say that they taste even better than they smell! I promise. . .you’ll swoon!
I hope you enjoyed the recipe for this hot chocolate cookies recipe!
See this recipe at
Busy Monday
Follow this link for a comprehensive post listing more of my fall cookies and bars, perfect for autumn!
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.

Easy Hot Chocolate Cookies
If you love the cozy taste of a cup of hot chocolate but you’re in the mood for cookies, I’ve got the perfect treat for you! In this recipe I’m going to show you how to make Hot Chocolate Cookies—perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks room temperature butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 room temperature eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 packets hot cocoa mix (with marshmallows)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup marshmallows (large or mini)
Instructions
How to Make these Simple Hot Chocolate Cookies
These came together so quickly, so easily, that I was surprised I hadn’t made them before!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place parchment paper on cookie sheets.
Cream room temperature butter until light and fluffy.
Add sugars and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
Add eggs and mix until creamy.
It’s time to add the hot cocoa mix. Mix well.
Add your dry ingredients. Be careful not to over mix.
Fold in white chocolate chips.
Scoop and place on cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 9 minutes. Remove and add marshmallows on top.
Place back in oven for 2 minutes, long enough for the marshmallows to stick to the top of the cookie.
Remove and place cookie sheet on wire rack to cool.
When cookies have cooled enough to be handles, transfer them directly to the wire rack to finish cooling.
Store in an airtight container. Cookies will stay fresh up to five days. You can freeze them tightly wrapped and they will be good for two months.
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