Giant Chocolate Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies

My thick and giant chocolate cookies are back once again! This time, I’ve packed them with all my favorite hot cocoa flavors – peppermint and marshmallow. My Giant Chocolate Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies are sure to be a hit this holiday season – for more than one delicious reason! Let’s cozy up with a yummy cup (or plate) of hot cocoa and dive right in, shall we?

Hot cocoa nostalgia

With the holidays around the corner, I knew I needed to add a giant cookie loaded with hot chocolate goodness to my repertoire. Living in Utah, we are no strangers to very cold weather. I remember spending so many winter days sledding on the hill next to our neighborhood. I didn’t care how cold my fingers got on the walk home because I knew the second I walked in the door, I’d be able to enjoy a creamy cup of hot chocolate. I’d cram as many marshmallows into my mug as possible, and loved stirring the warm chocolatey drink with a peppermint stick.

My favorite way to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa these days is with a scoop of peppermint ice cream! The hot chocolate immediately melts the creamy cold treat – leaving a lovely creamy peppermint flavor (kind of like root beer floats, but the warmer, tastier, version).

How to make giant chocolate peppermint hot cocoa cookies

These cookies are a lot like the rest of my giant cookies I love to share here! The ingredients are as follows:

ingredients for hot cocoa cookies

• Unsalted butter cold and cubed – don’t soften/melt them for this recipe.
• brown sugar – I prefer light brown sugar.
• granulated sugar
• large eggs – cold for this recipe.
• pure vanilla – use the good stuff!
• peppermint extract – go easy, this can be a strong one!
• cocoa powder – I love this Brute one from Amazon.
• hot cocoa mix – the better quality, the better the taste. I love this Ghirardelli brand.
• cornstarch
• baking soda
• salt
• all purpose flour – make sure to measure it correctly so that these cookies slightly flatten while baking.
• chocolate chips (mini or regular sized or mixed)
• crushed peppermint – you can crush your own candy canes or purchase them pre-crushed.
• mini marshmallows
• tiny marshmallows – these are the ones I use.
• sea salt – this is optional, but I love some sea salt with my chocolate cookies!

Directions for Giant Chocolate Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies

Preheat oven to 410 degrees and prep two large aluminum cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter for 1 minute until it’s light and fluffy, then add in the sugars and cream together for 3 minutes on high speed.

Scrape down the sides an add in the vanilla and peppermint extract, then add in the eggs one at a time; whip up well between each addition.

Add in the cocoa, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt (not the sea salt) and slowly mix together either by hand or on the very lowest speed. Do not overmix.

Reserve a little bit of the add-ins, then stir in the rest of them gently into the dough. Split dough in eight balls and place 4 cookie dough balls on each cookie sheet. Hand press on the reserved add-ins (press them below the dough line to prevent them being overexposed in the oven and burn, and sprinkle on the sea salt.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. They should be slightly golden, thick, tall, and gooey in the center. Let cool on the pan for 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes to finish setting up.

Mallows two ways

For these cookies, I knew I wanted to have that same peppermint flavor, with as many marshmallows packed in each bite as possible. To do this, I used regular mini marshmallows (which get deliciously toasty in the oven), and teeny tiny marshmallows, too! These ones are usually found in those individual packets of hot cocoa. I found a giant package of these in a local baking store, but I’ve found they can be easily located online. If you can’t find the smaller ones, no worries. But they sure make a fun texture in the cookies, so if you can, you’ll love how they taste with the chocolate and peppermint in these.

Peppermint Flavors

The peppermint flavor in these cookies is a double punch with the peppermint pieces (you can pulse candy canes together in a food processor, or you can find them pre-crushed right now around the holidays in the baking section), and the peppermint extract. Depending on how much you like peppermint, you can use as little or much as you’d like. I used a full teaspoon. Start at a half teaspoon if you’re nervous about it, and then add more at the end before forming the cookie dough balls. I found my extract in my local grocery store in the baking aisle. Look for peppermint, not mint! There’s a different flavor for each of them. The peppermint works best with this specific cookie.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

Here’s a few tips for making sure these cookies come out perfectly every time (which isn’t that hard because these are basically fool proof!)

• Yes, 410 degrees on traditional (not convection bake) oven setting is perfect. Seems high, but trust me, it’s essential to nailing the toasted outside & gooey inside texture.
• No need to mix together your dry ingredients beforehand. Just toss them right in and mix them together.
• Eggs need to be cold, and same with your butter.
• Make sure to completely cream together the butter and sugar before adding in the eggs and vanilla.
• Press the add-ins below the cookie dough line. That way they don’t burn in the oven.
• Reserve a few off the add-ins (chips, mallows, peppermint) to press onto the outside of the cookie for a better cookie-look. Although, they will taste exactly the same either way 
• I make mine the size of a baseball. They should flatten out slightly. If they flatten out all the way, your baking soda isn’t fresh enough. I’ve also noticed they flatten slightly as they cool, too. If you notice your first batch doesn’t flatten enough, then slightly press down on the next batch that’s headed into the oven.
• If you decide to make these cookies smaller, just make sure to bake them a little less time and keep a close eye on them in the oven. They should still have the gooey center and golden outside texture.
• No need to chill the cookies! That’s the best part!

That’s it! I hope you love these cookies as much as we did! They were extra tasty dunked right into hot cocoa, believe it or not! 🙂

Happy Baking,

xo,

Mandy