Hot Chocolate Roll-Out Cookie Recipe

One of best feelings during the winter months is cozying-up with a warm cup of hot chocolate, sheltered from the bitter cold temps outdoors. One of the worst feelings during the winter months is sweating in a sweater because you drank a hot beverage while overestimating the appropriate amount of layers. Finding that balance can be tricky.

I have a recipe that could help find that balance without the sweaty side effects. These hot chocolate roll-out cookies are flavored with actual hot cocoa packets to give cookies that chocolatey, creamy flavor. It also incorporates tiny morsels of chocolate chips and marshmallow bits to add interest for your eyes and your tastebuds.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 envelopes Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix‍
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits

Instructions

Step 1

In a mixer, cream together butter and the two sugars. Mix until fluffy and well incorporated.

Step 2

Add egg, vanilla extract, and hot cocoa mix envelopes. Mix until it is all well incorporated.

Step 3

Add flour, mixing a cupful at a time, to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. After everything is well mixed, the dough should be non-greasy to the touch.

Step 4

Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallow bits.

Step 5

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. (I love my Joseph Joseph rolling pin because the guides take the guess work out of wondering if your cookies are the correct thickness and evenly rolled out.) After rolling, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.  

Step 6

Once the dough is well chilled and hard to the touch, cut out shapes and place them on a parchment paper-lined, light-colored baking sheet.

Step 7

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Remove from the oven before the first indication of the edges turning brown. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Note

There is one thing to note for this recipe. The marshmallow bits do have a tendency to melt away and leave holes in the dough after baking. However, I just fill the empty holes with fresh marshmallows as the cookies cool. Problem solved. :)

Step 8

Remove cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula and place on a cooling rack for a few hours before decorating.

These hot chocolate roll-out cookies may look little rough around the edges, which is to be expected when you stir in the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits. However, feel free to leave those two ingredients out entirely if you would prefer a smoother cookie surface to decorate. The flavor would still be quite tasty!

To see how I decorated these cookies, head on over to Sweet Sugarbelle's blog. I'm guest posting there to show you how to make these coordinating hot chocolate mug cookies!