If there is one cookie you will make this holiday season, promise me it will be Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies! These are the cookies I looked forward to my Mom baking every holiday season! I’m carrying on the tradition and sharing them with you here today! These cookies are soft and fudgy, topped with a fluffy marshmallow half, and generously frosted with a decadent homemade chocolate icing with a hint of almond extract! They truly are like eating a cozy cup of hot cocoa! Grab some sprinkles, round up the kids! Get in the kitchen and create some holiday memories with the ones you love!
Here’s What You’ll Need To Make Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies!
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- One Large Egg
- Whole Milk
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Sea Salt
- Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder~ Such as Hershey’s Brand
- Vanilla Extract or Amaretto {if you’re feeling fancy!}
- A One-Pound Bag of Large Marshmallows
- Powdered Sugar
- Almond Extract
- Decorative Sprinkles
- A Bottle of Bailey’s {For sipping on while you make the cookies! Optional, but highly recommended!}
Pour a glass of Bailey’s and let’s get baking!
I have a few tips for ensuring Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies are absolutely perfect and delicious!
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature for the cookies and the frosting. I set my butter out the night before I am baking.
- Bring the egg to room temperature by placing it in a small bowl and pouring hot {not boiling!} tap water over it. Let it hang out in the “hot tub” for 10 minutes and proceed with using it.
- Don’t skip sifting the all-purpose flour/cocoa mixture for the cookies.
- And don’t skip sifting the powdered sugar for the frosting. Unsifted powdered sugar will create a lumpy icing.
- Place the halved marshmallows onto the baked cookies with the cut side down. The cut side coming in contact with the hot cookies creates “marshmallow glue” that keeps them from sliding off the cookie when frosting.
- Don’t overbake the cookies! They truly bake for eight minutes before topping with the marshmallow! Any longer and the cookie will go from fudgy to dry.
- Don’t leave the marshmallow-topped cookies in the oven any longer than a minute, or they will slide off the cookie or puff up and look wonky!
Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies do not take a long time to cool after coming out of the oven. While the second round of cookie trays is in the oven, you can start making the frosting! Frost the first round of cooled cookies while the second round cools completely. Sprinkle the frosted cookies with decorative sprinkles within a few minutes of frosting them, so the sprinkles stick. The frosting does firm up after a few hours. The cookies can then be packaged up for storage or gift-giving without marring the frosting.
Can I freeze Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies?
You bet!! I put them in a large Tupperware container, separating the layers with sheets of wax paper. They freeze beautifully for up to three months!
I love to gift trays of cookies and homemade treats to friends, family, and neighbors during the holiday season! Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies are always a hit with everybody we gift them to!
Here are more edible gift recipe ideas!
- Homemade Peppermint Mocha~ Make the Peppermint and Chocolate Syrup recipes. Transfer them to decorative bottles and nest them in a rustic box or tray with coffee beans, mugs, candy canes, and some Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies!
- A batch of Cranberry White Chocolate Scones paired with some cute teacups, a favorite loose tea blend, and a tea ball!
- A batch of Triple Chocolate Nutella Granola, a jar of the Yummiest Pumpkin Butter Ever!, a loaf of artisan bread, and a bag of gourmet coffee beans!
I know you and your loved ones will enjoy Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies as much as we do! I wish you all a beautiful holiday season! If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me to see it! I would love to see them!
{This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase the product via the link provided, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you! Thank you for helping support my work here at Yums & Kisses!}
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Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: one hour
- Yield: 65 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies! A favorite wintertime beverage in the form of a quick and easy decadent holiday cookie! A fudgy cookie is topped with a fluffy marshmallow and frosted with a rich yet not-too-sweet chocolate icing. A dash of sprinkles adds some fun and makes this delicious treat perfect for holiday gift-giving!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder {such as Hershey’s brand}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Amaretto
33 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally
Sprinkles of your choice, optional
For the Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
10 Tablespoons natural cocoa {such as Hershey’s}
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
pinch of sea salt
Instructions
To Make the Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line several cookie trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda over a large bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, on medium speed, mix the butter and sugar until light yellow and fluffy.
- Add the room temperature egg. Mix until fully incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Mix again to incorporate any ingredients that may have climbed up the bowl.
- Combine the milk and vanilla extract {or amaretto, if using}.
- Alternate adding a little bit of the flour mixture and then the milk, repeating until both are used up. Mix just until incorporated, and no dry streaks of flour are showing.
- Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, measure 15 portions per baking tray.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately top each baked cookie with a marshmallow half, cut side down.
- Return the trays to the oven for one minute.
- Remove and place the trays on cooling racks. Allow to cool for several minutes and remove to cool completely on the rack. Continue baking until all the batter is used.
- While the cookies finish baking and cooling, make the frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa over a large bowl
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar mixture and begin mixing on the slowest speed. Begin drizzling in the milk and extracts. The mixture will start out looking soupy and lumpy. That’s ok. Keep going.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the ingredients are fully incorporated and fluffy.
To Assemble the Cookies:
Using a small offset spatula, frost each cookie with a generous amount of frosting. While the icing is still damp, top with the sprinkles of your choice. The frosting on the cookies will firm up after a few hours so that you can package them up without marring the frosting.
Notes
- Customize Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies to your taste! Use peppermint extract in place of the almond extract if you want a cookie reminiscent of a peppermint patty. Sprinkle the iced cookies with crushed candy canes for an extra festive look!
- Top the baked cookie with the marshmallow half cut side down. The exposed marshmallow half creates the glue that holds them in place on the cookie after baking.
- Cookies may be made in advance and frozen for several weeks.
- There may be a small amount of frosting leftover. Yay! Frosting shots for everyone!
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: hot cocoa cookies, hot cocoa, marshmallow, christmas cookies, frosted cookies, chocolate marshmallow cookies