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Santa's Favorite Cookies pack the festive flavor of hot chocolate in a delightful cookie form.
Chocolate chip might be the most iconic cookie, but Santa's Favorite Cookies are the holiday season in baked-good form! These are basically a cup of hot chocolate baked into a cookie. It doesn't get much more chocolatey than incorporating melted chocolate directly into cookie dough. Well, a sprinkling of white chocolate chips doesn't hurt either. And for the full hot chocolate experience, a melty toasty marshmallow on top. Santa's Favorite Cookies are destined to become your favorite, too!
Ingredients
- water to taste
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 (1.38-ounce) envelopes hot cocoa mix without marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks salted butter room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 24 marshmallows halved crosswise
Directions
- In a saucepan over low heat, add a few inches of the water and allow it to heat until it is simmering.
- In a heatproof bowl, add the bittersweet chocolate.
- Place the heatproof bowl over the saucepan with the simmering water and allow it to heat the bowl.
- Melt the bittersweet chocolate in the heatproof bowl, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir the melted bittersweet chocolate until smooth, remove it from the double boiler, and allow it to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, the hot cocoa mix, the espresso powder, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt and whisk to combine until there are no lumps.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and the sugar and using a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat until combined, light, and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time, to the butter mixture and beat until combined after each addition.
- Add the vanilla to the egg mixture and beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the melted bittersweet chocolate to the egg mixture.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the chocolate is fully incorporated and is smooth, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds-1 minute.
- Add the white chocolate chips to the cookie dough and fold to combine.
- Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate until it just begins to firm up, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls about 1 tablespoon in size.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies just begin to set, about 9-10 minutes.
- Place 1 of the marshmallow halves in the center of each of the cookies, cut-sides down.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies are set and the marshmallows are slightly melted into the cookie, about 2-3 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve.
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