My vegan hot chocolate cookies feature a fluffy vegan marshmallow nestled inside a soft, chewy chocolate cookie, all finished with a luscious layer of melted chocolate. They’re the perfect treat to enjoy with a piping-hot cup of vegan hot cocoa!
The perfect holiday cookie doesn’t exi—
Or does it? Hot chocolate cookies have elements of all my favorite cookies. They’ve got chocolate, like my vegan double chocolate cookies and vegan crinkle cookies, because chocolate is essential. They’ve got a surprise in the middle, like my vegan thumbprint cookies and vegan peanut butter blossoms. And they’re flavored to mimic my favorite holiday drink, vegan hot chocolate. These cookies have it all!
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Seriously, though, they might be my all-time favorite cookies. The base is super chocolaty, with lots of vanilla and just a hint of cinnamon (my favorite hot chocolate addition). A fluffy vegan marshmallow gets embedded in the center, but it’s hidden under a layer of rich chocolate, so it’s like a special little surprise… even if you’re the one who baked them and already know it’s there.
My vegan hot chocolate cookies are all kinds of delicious. They’re fun to make and surprisingly easy. You’re probably going to want to bake batch after batch this holiday season.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Non-dairy milk. You can use any variety that you normally like to drink. Soy milk, almond milk, and oat milk will all work! Read my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help choosing one.
- Ground flaxseeds. You'll be combining these with some of the milk to create a flax egg, which is our vegan egg substitute for this recipe.
- Flour. I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose wheat flour, also known as white flour. I can't say how other varieties will work.
- Dutch cocoa powder. Dutch cocoa is alkalized, so it has a milder, more mellow flavor than regular cocoa powder. It's perfect for cookies that are intended to be reminiscent of hot chocolate.
- Baking soda.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
- Cinnamon.
- Vegan butter. Most grocery stores sell this in the refrigerated case, near the regular butter.
- Sugar. We're using organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Brown sugar. This also needs to be organic.
- Vanilla extract.
- Vegan marshmallows. But aren't all marshmallows vegan? Nope! Most are made with gelatin. Dandies and Trader Joe's brand are a couple of vegan options.
- Vegan chocolate chips. Most chocolate chips contain dairy-based ingredients, but there are plenty of vegan brands available. I used Enjoy Life brand. You could also chop up a vegan chocolate bar.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Make the flax egg. Combine some of your non-dairy milk with the ground flaxseeds in a large bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes for the seeds to gel.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer on high-speed to cream your vegan butter, sugars, and flax egg together.
Step 4: Mix the dough. First, add more non-dairy milk, then the vanilla, then the dry mixture, adding everything slowly and beating at low speed. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Step 5: Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for an hour. You want it to firm up just a bit, but still be soft enough to scoop.
Step 6: Get ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line some baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 7 & 8: Shape and bake. Use one heaping tablespoon per cookie, shape it into a ball, and arrange your dough balls at least 2-inches apart on the baking sheets.
Steps 9 & 10: Add marshmallows. Cut the marshmallows in half while the cookies bake. After 8 minutes, take them out of the oven and press a marshmallow half into each cookie. Pop them back into the oven for a few minutes.
Step 11: Cool. Place the baking sheets on cooling racks. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
Steps 12 & 13: Top with chocolate. Melt your chocolate in the microwave, zapping in 20 second increments and stirring well in between. Spoon a bit of chocolate over each cookie to cover the marshmallow. Let it set before serving.
Variations
- Spicy hot chocolate cookies. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and double the cinnamon for a Mexican chocolate-inspired cookie.
- Flavored marshmallows. Dandies brand makes marshmallows in flavors like maple and peppermint. They'd be delicious in these cookies!
- Toppings. Decorate your melted chocolate with chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or sprinkles before it sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can chill it for up to 24 hours, but you'll need to take it out of the fridge and let it sit out until it's easy to scoop, which can take up to 30 minutes.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I like to separate layers of cookies with sheets of parchment paper, as these cookies have tendency to stick together. You can also freeze them for up to two months.
Yep! Press three or four whole mini marshmallows into the top of each cookie, instead of half of a large one.
More Vegan Holiday Cookies
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dutch processed cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 10 tablespoons vegan butter, room temperature
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 15 large vegan marshmallows
- 1 (9 ounce/255 gram) bag vegan semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Whisk 3 tablespoons of the milk together with the ground flaxseeds in a large mixing bowl. Let the mixture sit for at least five minutes, to gel.
- While the flax mixture sits, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl containing the flax mixture. Use an electric mixer to cream the ingredients together until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Reduce the speed of the electric mixer to low, then slowly drizzle in the remaining 4 tablespoons of milk with the mixer running. Add the vanilla extract, then begin adding the flour mixture, adding it in about three or four increments and beating each one in thoroughly before adding more.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge. Chill for one hour, until the dough is firm but still scoopable.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons, rolling each scoop into a ball and placing them on the baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.
- Place the baking sheets into the oven and bake the cookies for 8 minutes.
- While the cookies bake, cut the marshmallows in half, lengthwise.
- After 8 minutes in the oven, the cookies should have spread out and puffed up. If not, give them a minute or two more. If they're ready, take them out of the oven but leave it on. Press a marshmallow half into the top of each cookie. Return the baking sheets to the oven for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place the baking sheets on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Once the cookies are cool, place the chocolate chips into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave them in 20-second increments, stirring well in between, until fully melted, which should take about 3 or 4 zaps.
- Spoon a bit of the melted chocolate over each cookie, covering the marshmallow. Let the cookies sit until the chocolate has fully set, about 30 minutes, then serve.
Notes
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I have never had s'mores before, but found vegan marshmallow and wanted to use them for baking. The cookies are very surprising (love the hidden marshmallow in the middle), with the right amount of chocolate and not too sweet (I was afraid it would be, with the marshmallow in the middle, but it’s far less sugary than most cookie recipes). I will definitely bake them again, also just because it’s so fun to watch the marshmallow puffing in the oven (would recommend doing it with children!). They taste best fresh, but still very good on Day 3 if you dip them in hot chocoloate/tea. Thank you for sharing it, it’s perfect for holiday baking !