These Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe are so full of flavor. Easy to make and the absolute best, the texture is true bliss: soft and chewy like an absolutely perfect chocolate crinkle. Like any good hot chocolate, the cookies are topped with mini marshmallows which brown to gooey stretchy perfection. A perfect Christmas Cookie, they are fun to put on cookie plates for neighbors or coworkers!
This chewy fudgy deliciousness is mostly enjoyed in the wintertime, but my son begs me to make them year-round!
This recipe was inspired by Jeni's Mexican hot chocolate ice cream and my love for cookies. Pair these with our Chai Cookies, White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies and Molasses Crinkle Cookies for entertaining or neighbor gifts. You'll have a well-rounded variety with a lot of fun flavors.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy - as busy moms ourselves, quick and easy is an absolute must at our house, and these fit the bill! They look and taste incredible, but are made in under 30 minutes.
- Kid Friendly - these cookies are my youngest child's absolute favorite and he requests them year round! He loves to help make them, especially adding the marshmallows on top.
- Classic with a Twist - everyone loves hot cocoa. Hot Cocoa Cookies, then make them Mexican chocolate? Absolutely amazing! They are a fun way to make normal chocolate cookies special.
- Party and Cookie Plate Friendly -These cookies are actually better tasting cooled than warm, making them perfect to take somewhere. These are crowd friendly and are often the first treat gone at a party! They are also easy to make beautiful and pinterest ready.
- Warm and Cozy - these are also so warm and cozy, with their hot cocoa flavor and their gooey stretchy marshmallows and their hint of spice. YUM.
Ingredients
- butter - I use unsalted
- sugar - regular granulated
- eggs - large
- vanilla - real vanilla is recommended over imitation
- flour - regular all-purpose
- cocoa powder - unsweetened
- baking soda- make sure it's fresh!
- cinnamon
- cayenne pepper
- salt - regular table salt
- chocolate chips - I use semi-sweet
- marshmallows - miniature
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350*F. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a large bowl and hand mixer: Start by creaming the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed for 1 more minute. Then add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt and mix just until combined. Measure in the chocolate chips and stir using a spatula, just until combined.
Spoon dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. The dough mounds should be about 1.5 tablespoons in size and 1.5" apart. Place in the refrigerator for about 8-10 minutes. After refrigerating use your finger to make an indent in the center of each dough mound. Dampen your finger slightly to prevent it from sticking. Finally place 3 mini mallows or ⅓ of a large marshmallow in the indentation. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the top is matte and the edges are set. Be careful not to overbake!
Hint: After a LOT of testing, we found that three mini mallows worked much better than large marshmallows, as far as looks and aesthetics are concerned.
Substitutions
- Without Chocolate Chips- Sometimes I prefer these without chocolate chips! Simply leave out the chocolate chips if you don't want them.
- Marshmallow Bits - to make these even more fun, add in 1 cup of Marshmallow Bits for even more of that hot cocoa feel.
- Hershey's kisses hot cocoa cookies - instead of marshmallows on top, top with a hershey's kiss or even a hershey's hot cocoa kiss! We recommend pairing this with the marshmallow bits variation.
Variations
- Mild - take out the cayenne pepper for non-spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Extra Spicy - we like these extra spicy and sometimes double or even triple the cayenne pepper.
- Peppermint - these are really fun as Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract (not oil or flavor, or you'll get different results) at the same time as the vanilla, then omit the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add 3 chopped up candy canes to make them extra special!
- Peppermint (alternative) - leave out the cinnamon and cayenne and substitute the chocolate chips for Nestle Peppermint Chips.
Equipment
These cookies can absolutely be made without an electric mixer. The texture might turn out a little different, as you won't be able to properly cream together the wet ingredients.
Storage and Freezing
The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance, store in the refrigerator. If freezing the dough, form into dough balls before freezing. Place frozen dough balls on cookie sheet and allow to thaw for 20 minutes before baking. May need to bake longer.
These store well in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You're in luck if you have leftovers, because these taste great the next day!
Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. These cookies are delicious frozen! Place in the freezer while still slightly warm. When thawing they will be soft and chewy.
Top Tip
While placing the mini marshmallows, make sure to have them all super close together in the indentation, or even on top of each other. This keeps them looking nice and from spreading wherever they want.
Recipe
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ just gives the slightest hint of a kick of spice, whereas ½ teaspoon is more noticeable.
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed for 1 minute.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt and mix on low just until combined. Measure in the chocolate chips and stir using a spatula, just until combined.
- Spoon dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1.5 tablespoons in size. Place in the refrigerator for about 8-10 minutes.
- After refrigerating use your finger to and make an indent in the center of each dough mound. Dampen finger slightly to prevent from sticking. Place 3 mini marshmallows or ⅓ of a large marshmallow in the indentation. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the top is matte and the edges are set. Be careful not to overbake!
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Make your favorite chocolate crinkle cookies then add marshmallows on top!
Use your favorite chocolate crinkle cookies recipe, then add cinnamon, and a touch of cayenne pepper to the dough, then marshmallows on top!
JCW
These were so soft and chewy and slightly gooey. The texture reminded me of brownie cookies. The pop of cayenne pepper was so good! The perfect amount!
Nicole
My family loves this Mexican Hot chocolate Cookies recipe. It is so easy to make and just the best! Those mini marshmallows on top or just perfection. We like the extra spicy version and also the peppermint version.