Hot Chocolate Cookies (with a gooey chocolate center)
These hot chocolate cookies (with a gooey chocolate center) are the quintessential December cookie. They use hot chocolate in the dough AND in the ganache center. Why? Because just making a cookie with a chocolate dough and adding marshmallows does not a hot chocolate cookie make! Now I sound like Yoda. The point stands! I love the flavor of the hot chocolate packets (specifically Swiss Miss) and I knew this cookie had to incorporate that. The cookie does not have any mix-ins in the dough itself (no chocolate chips, peppermint candies, or marshmallows) those are either stuffed inside or can be placed on top decoratively.
Tips for Stuffing Cookies
- DO use plenty of dough to surround the stuffing so the insides do not ooze out
- DO stuff the cookie while it is inside the scoop by creating a divot in the dough with your thumb! Make sure to smush more cookie dough on top of the stuffing to encase it in dough completely
- Do NOT put excess marshmallows or chocolate in the cookie or you will be left with a sticky mess that spreads all over the cookie sheet
Equipment
- stand mixer
Ingredients
Ganache Filling
- 2.5 oz dark chocolate bars chopped or use chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 packet of hot chocolate
- 1.5 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup cold salted butter cubed (227g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar 100g
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 305g
- ½ cup +1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder 60g
- 1/2 packet hot chocolate mix
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 bag mini marshmallows
Instructions
Make the ganache and freeze into balls
- Combine hot chocolate, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, butter, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the heavy cream and corn syrup to a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a non-stick spatula, stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil.
- Remove saucepan from stove and pour over the hot chocolate, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, butter, and salt in a large bowl.
- Using a non-stick spatula, stir everything together and then allow the mixture to sit so the heat of the cream can melt the butter and the chocolate.
- Mix again until all is homogenous and smooth. Pour into heat-safe container or place bowl in the refrigerator until set.
- Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon (your hands will get a little messy) spoon ganache out into 1 tablespoon-sized balls. Freeze for at least one hour until solid.
- This can be made up to a week ahead of time and kept for a month in the freezer!
Make the cookie dough
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, hot chocolate, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, cocoa powder). Use a whisk or a fork to mix and distribute everything evenly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine both sugars and butter. Beat on medium until light and fluffy- about 5 minutes. Make sure to intermittently scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix again to combine.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix until a thick dough forms.
Assembly
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough.
- Use your thumb to press an indent in the center of the scoop, making room for the ganache and the marshmallows.
- Place 5 mini marshmallows inside of the center. Press down into dough making sure NOT to penetrate the top of the dough ball. You need the dough to cover the marshmallow completely.
- Next, place a ganache ball on top of the marshmallows.
- Use more dough to cover the marshmallow and ganache and seal the cookie shut. If you do not properly seal the cookie, the insides will ooze out in the oven!
- Continue to scoop until all of the dough has been used.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 415 degrees.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes leaving at least 4 inches between dough balls on sheet. Let the dough balls that are not cooking, sit in the freezer while you wait.
- Remove cookies from oven and place decorative marshmallows or peppermint candies on top! Let cool until set (about 10 minutes). Enjoy!
Video
@lilypcrumbs When it comes to Christmas cookies, these are showstoppers. Perfectly thick, fudgy, and marshmallowy. S’mores cookies who?? #christmascookies #hotchocolatecookies #frozenhotchocolate
♬ Last Christmas (Pudding Mix) – Wham!
Thank you for your articles. I find them very helpful. Could you help me with something?
How do the fair after being frozen?
Just made the filling and making the dough tomorrow. The recipe says cold butter — is that correct? Or should it be room temp?
For the large cookie scoop, is that like a 3 TBSP scoop? Can’t wait to make these!
Hi! I read and reread, but I could not see where to add the vanilla in the ganache! I’ve had chocolate seize on me when I’ve added vanilla before, so it worried me!
My large cookie scoop holds about 4 tablespoons!
Making these now and I’m SO excited!
But I noticed it says vanilla extract in the ganache ingredients but there are no directions on when to put it into the ganache. Is it with the butter, chocolate chips, salt, and cocoa powder?
Gah! Total typo on my part.I am removing the vanilla from the recipe (normally I would add with the cream)
Hi, I’m so excited to make this! It says the recipe takes 1 day 35 minutes. Are we supposed to refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 day?
Apologies about that! Nope, no need to refrigerate for 1 day
How do they bake after being frozen?
they freeze very well! If you choose to freeze them, I suggest placing the scooped out dough balls onto a parchment sheet and then into a ziploc bag! Just bake them for an extra minute or two to compensate for the starting temp!
These were great! I had trouble with my ganache not setting up even though I froze it for several hours. It remained really sticky and impossible to handle. The cookies themselves though turned out great, I’m just going to skip the ganache center when I make these again for Christmas. Also, the instructions use cold cubed butter which did not work for me, I had to soften it. Overall, very yummy cookie with some tweaks!
Oh man! Sorry to hear about the ganache. Happy to hear you still liked the end result!
I am going to be making these next weekend for a cookie exchange and I am excited to try this recipe. I have a large container of hot chocolate mix and not packets- about how many grams of hot coco mix do you use in each part of the recipe?
I use the Swiss Miss packets which are 39 grams per pack!
This looks amazing! Do you have to use the dark cocoa powder? Would regular unsweetened
cocoa powder or dutch alter the flavor dramatically?
Yes! These dough balls can be frozen up to 3 months. I suggest scooping them out/rolling then placing on parchment paper and putting into a ziploc bag!
would making the dough balls (with everything inside) and then freezing work? Or is it better to do the roll out and wait to put everything inside once ready to bake?
Absolutely!
Hi there! You do not *have* to use dark cocoa! Dutch-processed would be great. The color may be lighter but no significant changes!
Is there a substitute for corn syrup?
Unfortunately,no 🙁