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 soft and chewy cookies like these. The combination of peppermint and chocolate is a classic too – so I know they would have tasted delicious. Very jealous Amy that you got to devour these!
Thanks Thalia!
How long do these last in an air tight container? I want to make these for a cookie exchange on the weekend but I’m hoping I can make them a few days in advance.
Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Stacey! I’ve actually answered that already in the text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your loved ones think of these cookies!
Ooo I see it now. Thanks.
I Just made these to see how they turn out before the cookie exchange and the dough was very sticky,I could barely scoop the dough out into balls to put them on the pan,I had sticky dough everywhere . I followed the directions to a T and weighed out all ingredients. Did I miss something?
Thanks
My pleasure Stacey! 🙂 The cookie dough is actually supposed to be sticky! If it’s any drier, the cookies will turn out cakey or crumbly — instead of soft and chewy and brownie-like. I use a spoon and spatula to drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. The spatula really helps! 😉
OO okay great! Also do these cookies freeze okay? Thanks
Yes! They freeze (and ship!) quite well. 🙂
Has anyone froze these cookies? How are they when they are defrosted.
Good cookie, nice and chewy, but I think next time I will reduce the peppermint just a little. These are at York patty status, which is awesome, and I like it, but 1/2 tsp is more than enough. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Rachel! I’m so honored that you’d call this recipe a keeper. That’s the best kind of compliment! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
Definetly follow the mixing directions mine came out very cake like. Going to try a 2nd batch, I also doubled the first batch so not sure if that had anything to do with it. But taste good. I didn’t have marshmallows but had hot chocolate Hershey kisses so used those which also may have made a difference.
I’m honored that you tried making this recipe, Alisyn! That doesn’t sound like how these cookies are meant to turn out (they’re supposed to be soft and chewy, not cakey!), so I’d love to help figure out what happened with your batch. In order to do so, I have a few questions for you! 🙂
Did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section, other than doubling the batch and using the Hershey kisses?
How did you use the Hershey kisses? Did you chop them up to add to the cookie dough, press them into the centers after baking (like peanut butter blossom cookies!), or something else?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons, especially for the flour and cocoa powder?
How thick were your cookies after you flattened the dough in Step 3?
How long did you bake them?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
Hershey kisses were chopped up to be bite size, mixed into the batter.
I treated them more like PB cookies rolling batter into a ball and fork flattening they were fairly thick id say at 1/2- 3/4 inch.
All dry ingredients were measured with measuring cups using a spoon to fill measure cups. And then sifted.
I added vanilla and butter extract which still didn’t add to the moisture content. When I melted the butter it exploded in the microwave so maybe there wasn’t enough BUT I spooned it out with appropriate measure spoon.
But again didn’t follow the mixing directions. Didnt read the whole thing until after I ran into a problem lol
That will teach me!
Regardless they tasted good, for me I like more peppermint but ended up more cake like than another recepie I tried. (That one didn’t have such specific mixing instructions )
I just wanted to make sure everyone KNOWS to read directions fully and follow mixing instructions.
Thanks
It’s my pleasure, Alisyn! I’m happy to help. Thank you for sharing your answers — it’s very useful!
How did you mix the cookie dough together, if you didn’t follow my instructions? What did you do differently?
If your butter exploded in the microwave, then it sounds like you were using tub-style butter or margarine, rather than regular unsalted butter. (Regular stick-style butter doesn’t explode, but those other types do!) Is that true? What’s the exact butter (brand and product name) that you used?
When you used your measuring cups to measure the flour and cocoa powder, did you shake the measuring cups back and forth while spooning the dry ingredients into them, by any chance? And you did not dip them directly into the container of flour or cocoa powder, correct?
How much vanilla and butter extract did you add?
When you rolled the cookie dough into balls, did it stick to your hands?
How long did you bake your cookies, and how long did you leave them on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack?
I have a hunch about the culprits that caused your cookies to be cakey, but once I know your answers to these questions as well, that’ll tell me whether my guess is correct! 🙂