Filled with yummy chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, these delightful Hot Chocolate Sugar Cookies are like a comfy cup of hot cocoa transformed into a warm, soft cookie!

Santa’s Favorite Hot Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Do you leave cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve? It’s such a cute tradition to do with kids, and such a delicious treat for tired parents the night before the big day! From experience, I can recommend this particular cookie.

I mean, if you’re making Santa a treat anyway, it might as well be one with meltingly delicious chocolate flavor, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows, amiright? Plus, this recipe is perfect for making with the little ones. There are just enough steps to make it fun, but it’s also really easy!

Why I Love These Christmas Cookies

So. Let’s talk chocolate.

If you’re like me, pretty much all chocolate is good chocolate! From the little generic Easter eggs to indulgent, luxury truffles, to bars of organic high-percent cacao, it’s all delicious to me! One thing I always look forward to when the weather turns frosty is hot chocolate!

It really has a vibe all its own, doesn’t it? And this recipe uses your favorite hot cocoa mix to get that special flavor! With its unique, creamy sweetness, hot cocoa mix elevates this recipe from just a sugar cookie, or even a chocolate cookie, to a special holiday treat.

Recipe Ingredients

• Butter: Yep, the good stuff! You’ll need two sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, at room temperature.
• Sugar: Using packed light brown sugar along with the regular sugar gives these cookies a boost of light, caramel-ish flavor, similar to the dough used for chocolate chip cookies.
• Eggs: You’ll need two large eggs. Room temperature is best, but cold will work. Still, when baking, you always want to have your ingredients at room temperature.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract, but vanilla flavoring will also work.
• Flour: All purpose flour is best for these cookies. A gluten-free AP blend can be substituted, but the texture will be affected.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: To get the perfect cookie texture!
• Hot Cocoa Mix: You’ll need 3/4 of a cup of your favorite hot cocoa mix. Yum!
• Salt: Just a pinch!
• Chocolate Chips: I recommend using semi-sweet, because the cookies themselves are quite sweet already.
• Mini Marshmallows: So delicious, and they really amp up the holiday feeling!

How to Make Hot Chocolate Sugar Cookies

• Cream Butter & Sugar: In your mixer’s bowl, beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

• Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, hot cocoa mix, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter and eggs mixture, and mix until just combined. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

• Chill Dough: Cover the dough and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Shape Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Take a 2-tablespoon portion of the chilled dough and roll it into a ball. Place on the baking sheet, and press down slightly to form a cookie. Top the unbaked cookie with a few mini marshmallows and extra chocolate chips. Repeat until all the dough is used.

• Bake: Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips for the Best Cookies

• Don’t Go Sugar-Free: While I usually recommend Sugar substitutes, using sugar-free cocoa mix for this recipe does not yield a result as tasty as regular mix, so I don’t recommend it.
• Center the Marshmallows: Keep in mind that the marshmallows will melt as these cookies bake, so avoid placing marshmallows on the edges of the cookies. You want to keep all that yumminess on the cookies, not the baking sheet!
• Get Creative! You can try using white chocolate chips, adding a touch of cinnamon to the dough, drizzling caramel over the finished cookies, and using them to make ice cream sandwiches or whoopie pies! There’s really no wrong way to enjoy these amazing little treats!

How to Make the Dough In Advance

• This dough is very easy to make ahead of time! Just follow the recipe to the point of chilling the dough, then wrap it well and chill it for three to five days before shaping and baking it.

Can You Freeze Chocolate Sugar Cookies?

• Yes! You can freeze the dough itself for up to one month, or bake, cool, and freeze the cookies for 1 month.

More Easy Desserts to Try

• Pumpkin Swirl Bread
• Pumpkin Bars
• Iced Zucchini Banana Bread