Description
These Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies are a decadent and festive treat that’s perfect for the holiday season. They’re rich, chocolatey, and topped with gooey marshmallows and crushed peppermint candies.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped or broken into pieces
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, diced
- 1 1/2 cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 24 large marshmallows
- Crushed peppermint candy
- Optional: Drizzle the cookies with chocolate sauce or melted chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt Chocolate: Add the pieces of chocolate bar and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30-second intervals, stirring at each interval, until it’s completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and peppermint extracts until well combined. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: With the mixer set on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add Chocolate Chunks: Fold in the chocolate chunks and mix until they are well distributed.
- Chill Dough: Remove the dough from the mixer and cover it in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Shape and Bake: Once chilled, scoop dough out about 1 heaping tablespoon at a time. Shape into balls of dough and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake until slightly under-baked, about 9 minutes.
- Add Marshmallows: In the meantime, cut the marshmallows in half using kitchen scissors. Place peppermint candy in a resealable bag and crush them up with a rolling pin. Remove the cookies from the oven and place a marshmallow half, cut side down, on top of each cookie. Return to the oven.
- Bake and Finish: Bake for about 2-3 minutes or until the marshmallows are melted. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, then drizzle the cookies with chocolate and top with the crushed peppermint. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t Overmix: When mixing, don’t overwork the dough.
- Evenly Sized Cookies: To make evenly sized cookie dough balls, you can use a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop.
- Melting Chocolate: You can melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or in the microwave. If using the microwave, melt in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval.
- Chocolate: This recipe uses two types of chocolate: chocolate chunks and baking chocolate bars, which can be found in the baking aisle. Although the recipe asks for semi-sweet chocolate, you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
- Chilling Dough: Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to prevent the cookies from over-spreading.
- Storage: Store these holiday cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies for 2-3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180kcal
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
