Last week was all about incorporating some eggnog into festive holiday treats and today is all about hot chocolate! While there is nothing better than warming up with a cozy mug of hot cocoa on a cold day, there is more you can do with that giant can of Swiss Miss or Nestle Tollhouse mix. 

Speaking of brands--what is your favorite brand of hot cocoa mix? I was fortunate most of my life to live in the Idaho/Utah area where the Stephen’s brand is available and prevalent and I think it is just the best! You can try flavors like mint chocolate truffle (my all-time favorite!), white chocolate raspberry, roasted hazelnut and toasted coconut. They are all divine. Have you tried this brand before? 

Anyway, I love how people just get so creative with one ingredient and come up with all sorts of ways to enjoy that flavor. I was surprised to see how many different treats and items people came up with incorporating hot cocoa mix. You can make everything from pancakes to cheesecakes; from milkshakes to cookies. Today we are going the cookie route with some delicious hot cocoa cookies from lovefromtheoven.com.

These cookies are different than your average chocolate cookie. You really can tell that they are specifically hot cocoa cookies, it’s very interesting. They are a hit at cookie parties this time of year (trust me, I just brought them to one and everyone wanted the recipe) and they look fabulous on a holiday cookie plate for neighbors and loved ones. 

They are just as easy as any chocolate chip cookie recipe you would normally make, you just need to remember that you cannot use sugar-free hot cocoa powder or they will not turn out properly. You use “Mallow Bits” instead of regular mini marshmallows, as those make a huge, sticky mess when baked. Mallows Bits are freeze-dried marshmallows that you normally find in hot cocoa mixes. You can buy them in the grocery store next to the hot cocoa sometimes, or of course you can find them on Amazon. You can add these to the very tops right before baking, along with some dark chocolate chunks for the ultimate, divine chocolate cookie experience.

Don’t you just want to make a batch of these and cozy up with a nice cup of cocoa on the next snow day? Sounds heavenly, right?



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Notes:

*NOTE: This is a somewhat dry cookie dough. Don’t freak out if your dough is thick and dry, and don’t add additional liquid to it! It’s a dry dough!

*For a flatter cookie, use 3 cups flour as listed in recipe. For a more compact and taller cookie, use 3 ¼. Either way, make sure when you measure flour you stir it then spoon it into your measuring cup, then level off. Never scoop your flour with the measuring cup and remember to level off!

**A simple hot cocoa mix works best with these. Flavored hot cocoa’s can have other ingredients that impact the recipe. I typically make this recipe with Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. The Dark Chocolate Swiss Miss is actually my favorite for these. I have not tested it with other flavors or brands. DO NOT USE SUGAR FREE HOT COCOA!

***I’ve found that when chilling the dough for 30 minutes, sometimes it can cause the Mallow Bits to melt when baking. It doesn’t always happen--I think it depends on how fresh/dry the Mallow Bits are. One way to completely avoid this problem is to mix the Mallow Bits in AFTER you chill the dough. You can just press them into the dough, since it’s a stiff, thick dough. We like to press them into the tops of the dough once we’ve scooped it.