For many of our Thanksgiving breaks during my childhood, we loaded up our suitcases into the minivan, packed the backseat full of books, and drove 8 hours to my grandparents’ house in San Diego. We spent the majority of the week there, sometimes splashing in the waves on the beach, sometimes riding pedal cars on Coronado, and always playing a week-long game of Monopoly.
The day after watching the Macy’s parade and eating my weight in mashed potatoes (now replaced by these beauties), we popped on a holiday movie like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Around dinnertime, we drove around town looking at Christmas lights and singing carols along with the radio.
We usually wove around the neighborhood streets nearby, but one year, my grandparents suggested that we did something special and drove around the fairgrounds, where the city had set up an elaborate display of twinkling lights, including a long tunnel to start the racetrack. They choreographed all of the flashing lights to music that we could play through the car’s radio.
We tried to leave the house early, just as dusk began to set, but we still had to wait in a long line of cars at the fairgrounds. When we reached our turn and Dad started to hand over the money, the teenager accepting it asked if we’d like a sample.
“A sample of what?” Dad inquired.
“Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate!” the guy replied.
So we each took a condiment-sized cup filled with the drink and passed them around the car while we circled the track. With the light mint background and rich chocolate flavor, I think all of us agreed that we always wanted peppermint in our hot chocolate from then on! (And yes, I’ve never ordered plain hot chocolate since!)
These Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies are that exact same drink turned into dessert! Sweet mint, rich chocolate chips, and itty bitty marshmallows all mixed into my favorite chocolate cookie dough. They’re so decadent that we just might leave them out for Santa this year!
The recipe is very easy and straightforward. No butter and sugar to cream, no chilling required. From the time you start until you take your first bite, barely half an hour will pass!
To make the cookie dough really rich, we’ll use a 2:1 ratio of flour to cocoa powder. With that much cocoa powder, you get an intense chocolaty flavor, and it always fools people into thinking that the cookies are regular indulgent treats, not healthy or low calorie! We’ll also add cornstarch, which absorbs moisture in the dough and helps keep the cookies soft. Don’t skip it! A mere ½ teaspoon is all you need.
To make the cookies extra special, we’ll add in both miniature chocolate chips and itty bitty marshmallows. I used Kraft’s mallow bits, which I found on the hot beverages aisle near the coffee and hot chocolate. Only mix in half! Save the rest for pressing into the tops of the cookie dough just before baking. It gives them a cute and inviting look!
Do NOT overbake these cookies! You want to pull them out of the oven just a tad bit early; then let them cool longer on the warm baking sheet. This is my #1 secret to soft & chewy cookies. If you underbake them ever so slightly, it keeps the cookies soft for an entire week—if they last that long!
I ate one of these Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies as a pre-run snack a few nights ago before heading out around the neighborhood. The entire time I jogged, I could still taste a hint of that chocolate and peppermint flavor. I couldn’t wait to get home to eat more!
And now the whole batch is gone. Oops…
These soft & chewy cookies taste exactly like the drink! The itty bitty marshmallows are the perfect finishing touch. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week, if they last that long!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and peppermint extract. Stir in the brown sugar, smearing out any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the miniature chocolate chips and half of the mallow bits.
- Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops on the prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Press the remaining mallow bits into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: Don’t skip the cornstarch! It absorbs moisture in the dough and helps keep the cookies extra soft.
{low fat, low calorie}
i love this idea! yum!! peppermint hot chocolate is SO good.
Thanks Sarah! 🙂
Yes, peppermint hot chocolate is the ONLY way to go! unless there is caramel involved. 🙂 These cookies looks so soft and amazing!
Caramel in hot chocolate?? What have I been missing all of my life Karen?? We need to have a hot chocolate date sometime!
The best of all worlds. Peppermint hot chocolate when liquids are not handy!!! What a great idea.
Thank you! 🙂
What fun Thanksgiving week memories! Peppermint hot chocolate is a favorite at my house, too – how wonderful to make it into a yummy, healthier cookie! I always love your healthy baking tips – keeping cookies soft by adding cornstarch and slightly underbaking, making them taste extra chocolate-y and decadent with all that cocoa powder, and the addition of those wonderful little marshmallow bits (which I totally have to look for)! Fabulous post, as always, Amy! Happy Thanksgiving week!!! 😀
Aww thank you Shelley; you’re too sweet! 🙂 I’m obsessed with those itty bitty marshmallows! I found mine at Walmart, but I haven’t thought to look for them anywhere else. I’m not sure what grocery stores are closest to where you live, but I hope you can find some! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
What?! Why doesn’t this twinkling lights and radio match-up happen in my town? (Or does it? If it does, I’m TOTALLY GOING this year). Christmas lights are one of my favorite parts of the holiday. The other part? PEPPERMINT. Have I told you that? I hoard all the peppermint ice cream as soon as it hits the shelves. I would also hoard all of these cookies. Mmmmm.
These sound amazing! But one question– when you say to pull them out early, does that mean even earlier than the 9-11 minutes of cooking time, or is that the right time to leave them in? Thanks…
I’m sorry for the confusion Karen! 9-11 minutes is the correct time to leave them in. The cookies would “feel” done (a little firmer) around 11-12 minutes or more. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Thanks Amy! I can’t wait to make these this weekend!
You’re welcome Karen! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
I made these last night and they were a huge hit at our Hanukkah party tonight! Everyone loved them. They tasted better today than they did right after I baked them. The only problem I had was that the dough was so sticky that I couldn’t flatten the cookies out, so mine look a lot more lumpy/less inviting than yours do But they taste great and I am going to make another batch tomorrow for our work holiday party! Thanks for the easy and tasty recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Karen, and that’s so sweet of you to bake them for two different parties! 🙂 When I flatten mine, I generally use a spatula and press down lightly a few times. The cookie dough sticks much less to silicone than my fingers!
flavor is there, but not soft and chewy. Don’t know what I did wrong 🙁 will try again though!
I’m sorry the cookies didn’t turn out like you expected Amanda; that must be disappointing! If the cookies weren’t soft and chewy, I’d suggest two things. 1) Make sure both the flour and cocoa are measured correctly. Too much of either will dry out the cookies, so they’ll be more towards the dry/crunchy side. 2) Take them out of the oven about a minute or 2 sooner. This little trick always helps increase the soft and chewy texture! I hope your next batch turns out perfectly!