Gooey Marshmallow Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Fall always brings cozy baking days, and these Hot Chocolate Cookies are a perfect way to celebrate the season. With a deep chocolate base and a gooey marshmallow center, they capture the comforting flavours of sipping a warm cup of cocoa—only in cookie form. The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and quick techniques, making these cookies easy to bake any time the weather turns crisp.

These cookies are straightforward to make and rely on common ingredients. The combination of browned butter, cocoa powders and a touch of hot chocolate mix creates a rich, layered chocolate flavour, while the frozen mini marshmallows give each cookie a melty center without leaking out during baking.

Ingredients Breakdown

Butter: Browning butter gives a nutty, caramelized depth. After browning, re-weigh to 113 grams (about 1/2 cup), since some water evaporates. You can use melted butter instead, but the flavour won’t be as complex.
Sugars: Brown sugar keeps cookies soft and chewy; white sugar gives a slight crisp to the edges.
Egg: Acts as a binder and helps structure. Use a room-temperature egg for best blending.
Vanilla Extract: Enhances and rounds the overall flavour.
Cocoa Powders: A mix of regular and black cocoa yields a deep chocolate profile. If you don’t have black cocoa, regular cocoa will work.
Hot Chocolate Mix: Adds an extra chocolate note that reinforces the “hot chocolate” theme.
All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure—measure accurately (weigh if possible) to avoid dense cookies.
Baking Soda: Helps cookies rise and spread slightly for a chewy texture.
Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances chocolate notes.
Mini Marshmallows: Freeze before baking so they stay intact and produce a gooey center instead of seeping out. If you only have large marshmallows, cut them into small pieces and freeze those.
Extra White Sugar for Rolling: Rolling the cookie balls in sugar creates a delicate crunchy exterior that contrasts nicely with the soft center.

Instructions Overview

Brown the Butter: Melt and brown the butter for added flavour, then cool and re-weigh.
Mix the Ingredients: Combine wet and dry components, folding until just mixed to preserve the right texture.
Stuff with Marshmallows: Use frozen mini marshmallows so they stay gooey inside the cookie without leaking.
Chill the Dough: Chill portioned dough briefly so cookies hold their shape and don’t spread too much.
Bake: Bake until the centers are soft and edges are slightly crisp; finish by “scooting” if you want perfectly round cookies.

Scooting the Cookies

Scooting helps you get perfectly round cookies. Right after the cookies come out of the oven and are still soft, press a round cookie cutter or the lid of a mason jar over each cookie and gently swirl in small circles. This evens out rough edges and gives a neat, bakery-style finish. Work while the cookies are warm and pliable for best results.

Storage

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To help keep them soft, place a slice of bread in the container—the bread will help maintain moisture. Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months; freeze on a tray first, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature or gently warm in the oven.

If you make these cookies, I’d love to see your results—share a photo or video on social media and tag me. Happy baking!

Hot Chocolate Cookies

These hot chocolate cookies combine regular and black cocoa for depth and are filled with mini marshmallows for a gooey center. The exterior is slightly crisp while the inside remains soft and chewy.

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time10 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Course: Dessert

Keyword: chocolate, cookies, hot chocolate, hot cocoa

Servings: 18 cookies

Ingredients

140 grams butter a little less than 2/3 cup
Re-weigh after browning; aim for 113 grams total 1/2 cup
135 grams brown sugar 3/4 cup, packed
50 grams white sugar 1/4 cup
1 egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
165 grams all-purpose flour 1 1/3 cups
40 grams cocoa powder: I like to do half regular cocoa and half black cocoa 1/2 cup total
15 grams hot chocolate mix 2 tablespoons
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
30 grams white sugar extra for rolling, about 1/4 cup

Instructions

Brown the Butter:

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until it turns golden brown and releases a nutty aroma, about 5–7 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and cool slightly.
Re-weigh to ensure you have 113 grams of browned butter. If a little extra remains, discard it; if you’re slightly under, add a bit of unbrowned butter and stir to combine.

Prepare Ingredients:

Place mini marshmallows on a plate and freeze for 10–15 minutes while the butter cools.

Preheat the Oven:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix Wet Ingredients:

Whisk the browned butter with both sugars, scraping any browned bits from the bowl. Add the vanilla and egg, whisking until smooth and lighter in colour.

Add Dry Ingredients:

Sift in the cocoa powders, hot chocolate mix, flour, baking soda and salt. Fold with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix.

Prepare the Cookies:

Portion dough with a 2-tablespoon scoop and roll into balls. Flatten slightly, place 3–4 frozen mini marshmallows in the center, and seal the dough completely around them.
Roll each ball in extra white sugar to coat.

Chill the Dough:

Place up to six cookie balls on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate for 10 minutes to help them hold their shape while baking.

Bake:

Bake for about 9 minutes in the preheated oven. If you want perfectly round cookies, gently scoot them with a round cutter or jar lid while they’re still warm.
Cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Shelf Life & Storage:
- Storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. Adding a slice of bread helps retain moisture.
- Freezing Dough: Freeze prepared, unbaked cookie balls on a sheet until solid, then store in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Add 1–2 minutes to bake time when baking from frozen.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the oven. The marshmallow interior may be slightly chewier after freezing.
Substitutions:
- Cocoa: Use all regular cocoa if you don’t have black cocoa—black cocoa deepens the colour and flavour but is optional.
- Hot Chocolate Mix: Optional, but it adds a layered chocolate note. If omitting, add an extra tablespoon of cocoa and a teaspoon of white sugar.
- Marshmallows: Cut large marshmallows into small pieces and freeze before stuffing if minis aren’t available.
Browning the Butter:
- This step adds nutty, caramelized notes that complement the chocolate and marshmallow. If you prefer not to brown butter, use melted butter cooled slightly before mixing.