Why you’ll love these hot cocoa cookies
Hot cocoa is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season, and I’m so happy to see multiple dairy free options on the shelves now. Not only do they make great drinks when paired with dairy free milk, they also make great cookies!
These cookies are soft and chewy with rich chocolate flavor, topped with a perfectly toasted marshmallow for that classic cocoa experience. The secret is using real hot cocoa mix in the dough. I’ve tried making these without it, and while they turned out ok, the hot cocoa mix gives them that authentic hot chocolate flavor you’re looking for.
More holiday favorites: dairy free hot chocolate / dairy free cinnamon rolls / dairy free eggnog / microwave fudge
Ingredient notes:
- Dairy free butter – We always bake with Earth Balance buttery sticks. I find they are the closest to traditional butter. If you use a different brand, you may find that your cookies spread more or less, depending on the water content of the butter.
- Dutch process cocoa powder – This is the dark cocoa powder that gives these cookies their deep chocolate color and flavor. Regular cocoa powder will work, but the color won’t be as rich.
- Hot cocoa mix – Make sure you’re using dairy free hot cocoa mix. Target’s Good & Gather brand is dairy free, and so is the Starbucks hot cocoa mix. I don’t recommend using one with marshmallows for this recipe because it will change the ingredient ratio and could mess up your cookies. Feel free to use a flavored variety such as peppermint to amp up that holiday vibe.
- Marshmallows – You need a basic marshmallow size for this, and they will need to be cut in half width-wise. I think you could get away with a jumbo marshmallow if you want. They will just take up more of the cookie surface.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Weigh your ingredients – I’ve included both volume and weight measurements for this recipe, but I highly recommend measuring your dry ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. You’ll get more consistent results every time!
- Don’t over bake your cookies – They’ll look a little soft in the center when they come out of the oven to add the marshmallows, but that’s exactly what you want. They’ll firm up as they cool, and stay super soft inside.
- Don’t skip the sugar! – Rolling the dough in sugar adds a nice sweet crust on the outside and helps prevent the cookies from sticking to each other.
- Freeze the dough for later – Shape the cookie dough into balls and roll them in sugar. Place them on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-top bag. Bake straight from frozen—just add an extra minute or two to the initial bake time and add the marshmallows as directed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these without marshmallows?
Absolutely. They’re delicious plain chocolate cookies without the marshmallows. Just bake them for the full 12 minutes without adding a marshmallow on top.
What if I don’t have hot cocoa mix?
You can easily mix your own with sugar and cocoa powder. I recommend following this hot chocolate mix recipe.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes. You can absolutely freeze these cookies. I recommend freezing balls of dough over baked cookies for a fresher taste, but both methods will work. Just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time if baking from frozen, and if you’re freezing baked cookies, simply let them come to room temperature on the counter before serving them.
Why are my cookies spreading too much
There could be several reasons for this. To troubleshoot: Make sure you measured your flour and sugar correctly (preferably by weight), check that you baking soda and powder are not expired, and make sure your oven temperature is accurate.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dairy free butter - 113g
- 1/2 cup sugar - 100g + more for rolling
- 1/3 cup brown sugar - 73g
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour - 210g
- 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder - (18g)
- 2 packages hot cocoa mix
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 marshmallows - cut in half width-wise
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, gather and measure all of your ingredients before you begin.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and hot cocoa mixes in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to evenly combine.
- Beat the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the dairy free butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the egg. Mix to combine.
- Combine everything. Add the dry ingredients, about 1 cup at a time, and mix until the dry ingredients have incorporated into the wet. Scrape the sides of your bowl as needed. Repeat until the dough is fully combined and thick.
- Bake the cookies. Scoop dough into two tablespoon-sized balls and roll in remaining sugar. Place each dough ball onto the cookie sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Top with marshmallows. Working quickly to prevent heat loss, gently press a marshmallow half into the center of each cookie and return to the oven for an additional 2 – 3 minutes. The marshmallows should be puffed but not toasted.
- Cool and garnish. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.If desired, use a kitchen torch to slightly toast the marshmallow. Alternatively, you can use your oven broiler for about 30 seconds, but be careful not to burn them.
