Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups with Marshmallow Topping

These hot chocolate cookie cups bring the flavors of a mug of cocoa into a little chocolate cookie. Each one has a soft cocoa cookie base, a melted chocolate center and a marshmallow topping finished with a light dusting of cocoa powder.

A mini muffin pan gives the cookies their cup shape. Add the chocolate while the cookies are warm, then return them briefly to the oven with the marshmallows on top. Serve slightly warm for the softest chocolate centers.

Why make these hot chocolate cookie cups?

• A chocolate cookie base and chocolate filling give you two layers of cocoa flavor.
• A mini muffin pan shapes the cookies without special molds.
• The marshmallow topping gives each cookie a hot-cocoa-inspired finish.
• The small portions fit nicely on a holiday dessert platter.

Ingredients

For the chocolate cookie cups

• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup (28 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• Nonstick baking spray, for the pan

For the filling and topping

• 4 ounces (113 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 12 regular marshmallows, cut in half crosswise
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for a light dusting

How to make hot chocolate cookie cups

1. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture just until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until the dough is easy to portion.
4. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
5. Divide the dough evenly among the 24 cavities, approximately 1 tablespoon per cavity. Press each portion down lightly.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops look matte and the edges are set. The centers should still be soft.
7. Immediately press a well into each cookie with the rounded back of a small measuring spoon. Do not press through the bottom.
8. Divide the chopped chocolate among the warm wells. Place one marshmallow half, cut side down, over each center.
9. Return the pan to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the marshmallows soften. They do not need to brown.
10. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, or until the cups are firm enough to lift out. Carefully loosen the edges with a thin silicone spatula or a tool safe for your pan.
11. Transfer to a wire rack. Dust lightly with cocoa powder before serving.

Tips for the best cookie cups

• Use a mini muffin pan. A standard muffin pan needs different portions and baking times.
• Grease the cavities thoroughly, including the upper edges.
• Press the wells while the cookies are hot and flexible.
• Keep the marshmallows centered so they are less likely to stick to the pan.
• Let the cookies firm up before removing them.
• Use plain unsweetened cocoa powder, not sweetened instant hot chocolate mix.

How to serve them

Serve the cookie cups slightly warm for softened chocolate centers, or let them cool for easier handling. The chocolate will firm as the cookies cool; these do not have a permanently liquid filling.

Arrange them in a single layer on a dessert platter. Add the cocoa dusting shortly before serving for the neatest finish.

Storage and make-ahead tips

These are best the day they are made. For this version, which uses solid chocolate rather than cream-based ganache, keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 days. Avoid stacking them directly because the marshmallow tops can stick.

For make-ahead preparation, bake the empty cookie cups a day ahead and store them airtight once cool. Add the chocolate and marshmallow topping before serving, warming briefly in the oven as needed.

Variations

• Milk chocolate: replace the semisweet chocolate with milk chocolate for a sweeter center.
• Mini marshmallows: use a few mini marshmallows instead of a regular marshmallow half.
• Peppermint finish: sprinkle with finely crushed candy canes just before serving.
• Chocolate drizzle: finish cooled cookies with a thin drizzle of melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to shape the dough into cups before baking?

No. Place the dough in the mini muffin cavities, bake, then press wells into the warm cookies.

Can I use chocolate chips?

Yes. Use the same weight of semisweet chocolate chips, although the center may retain more texture than finely chopped chocolate.

Will the chocolate center stay melted?

No. It is softest while warm and firms as it cools. For a creamy filling that stays softer after cooling, you would need a separately developed ganache version.

Can I use a standard muffin pan?

This recipe is designed for a mini muffin pan. A standard-size version requires a separate test for dough quantity, baking time and topping size.

Do I need to toast the marshmallow?

No. A brief return to the oven softens it. You do not need to broil the topping.

Why did my cookie cups break?

They may have been removed before they were firm, stuck to an insufficiently greased pan or had their wells pressed too deeply.

More Recipes : thinerecipes.com

Ellie

Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups

Mini chocolate cookie cups with a melted chocolate center, a soft marshmallow topping and a light cocoa dusting.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• INGREDIENT GROUP: COOKIE CUPS
• 113 g unsalted butter softened (½ cup)
• 100 g packed light brown sugar ½ cup
• 50 g granulated sugar ¼ cup
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120 g all-purpose flour 1 cup
• 28 g natural unsweetened cocoa powder ⅓ cup
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• Nonstick baking spray for the pan
• INGREDIENT GROUP: FILLING AND TOPPING
• 113 g semisweet chocolate finely chopped (4 ounces)
• 12 regular marshmallows halved crosswise
• Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Equipment

• 24-cup mini muffin pan
• Electric mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Small measuring spoon
• Wire cooling rack
• Pan-safe thin spatula

Method

 

1. Beat the butter and both sugars until creamy.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt separately.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined.
5. Cover and chill for 30 minutes, or until easy to portion.
6. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Thoroughly grease a 24-cup
7. mini muffin pan.
8. Divide dough evenly among cavities, approximately
9. 1 tablespoon each. Press down lightly.
10. Bake 10–12 minutes, until tops are matte and edges are set.
11. Immediately press a well into each warm cookie.
12. Divide chopped chocolate among the wells and top each
13. with a marshmallow half, cut side down.
14. Bake 1–2 minutes more, until marshmallows soften.
15. Cool in the pan about 15 minutes, until firm enough to remove.
16. Loosen carefully, transfer to a rack and dust with cocoa.

Notes

Untested development draft: verify before publishing.
Designed for a mini muffin pan, not a standard muffin pan.
Chocolate centers firm as they cool.
Best served the day they are made.
Store cooled cookies airtight at cool room temperature
for up to 2 days; do not stack directly.
Contains wheat, dairy and eggs. Check chocolate and
marshmallow labels for additional dietary information.
Nutrition has not been calculated.