Description
Delight in the festive flavors of Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies, featuring rich semi-sweet chocolate blended into a cocoa-spiced dough, topped with gooey melted marshmallows and drizzled with a creamy peppermint-infused icing. These cookies offer a perfect balance of minty freshness and chocolate indulgence, ideal for holiday gatherings or cozy winter treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 12 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces or chopped
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
- 1 1/2 cups (213g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups (280g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 24 large marshmallows
Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (21g) cocoa powder
- 4 Tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, diced into small pieces
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- Crushed candy canes, for topping
Instructions
- Melt chocolate and butter: Add chocolate and butter to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, blend brown sugar, eggs, peppermint extract, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
- Add dry to wet: On low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
- Chill dough: Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is firm enough to handle. Preheat oven to 325°F during last 15 minutes of chilling.
- Shape cookies: Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough, shape into balls, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, spaced 2 inches apart. Keep remaining dough chilled.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for about 9 minutes until slightly under-baked. Meanwhile, cut marshmallows in halves using kitchen scissors.
- Add marshmallows and continue baking: Remove cookies from oven, place one marshmallow half cut side down on each cookie, then bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until marshmallows begin to melt.
- Press marshmallows and cool: Gently press down on the melted marshmallows to flatten slightly. Cool cookies on the pan for several minutes, then transfer to wire racks set over baking sheets to cool completely.
- Prepare icing dry mix: Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Make icing base: Heat butter and half and half over medium heat, stirring frequently, cooking until butter melts and mixture simmers. Remove from heat.
- Combine icing ingredients: Pour over powdered sugar and cocoa mixture, whisk until smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Adjust consistency by adding hot water if too thick or more powdered sugar if too thin.
- Apply icing and garnish: Immediately spoon or drizzle icing over cooled cookies and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top before icing sets.
- Serve and enjoy: Allow icing to set before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape during baking.
- Slightly under-baking the cookies before adding marshmallows prevents them from becoming too soft.
- Use kitchen scissors to neatly cut marshmallows in halves.
- If the icing thickens too much, thin it gently with hot water for easy drizzling.
- These cookies store well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
