Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Updated October 16, 2025
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist:Samantha Seneviratne.
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus 2 hours chilling
- Prep Time
- 30 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour, plus 2 hours chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 ½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour
½ cup/51 grams cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
½ teaspoon ground cayenne
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups/305 grams light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mini marshmallows, frozen solid
¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar
Nutritional analysis per serving
25 grams carbs; 19 milligrams cholesterol; 142 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 5 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 83 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 16 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cayenne and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
- Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until creamy, 2 more minutes. Add flour mixture. Beat on low until no dry spots remain, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
With a 2-tablespoon (1-ounce) cookie scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop dough into mounds on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight. Freeze marshmallows, if you haven’t already.
- Step 4
When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Add granulated sugar and remaining teaspoon cinnamon to a small bowl.
- Step 5
Remove half of the dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes if the dough is very stiff. Take a mound of dough and flatten slightly in the palm of your hand. Pile 5 frozen mini marshmallows on top of the flattened dough, then bring the outer edges over the marshmallows to envelop them. Roll into a ball and then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on the baking sheet, 3 inches apart.
- Step 6
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until cookies puff slightly and bits of molten marshmallow peek through the surface. Cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough and marshmallows. Cookies will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Balls of dough (not coated in cinnamon sugar) can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. To bake, thaw for 5 minutes at room temperature, roll in cinnamon sugar and bake for 13 to 15 minutes.
Private Notes
Comments
Holiday cookie baking pals, please note the 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in the recipe are *divided* - 2 teaspoons for the cookie dough, and 1 teaspoon for the cinnamon sugar rolling mixture. I’m not sure why the NYT Cooking house style doesn’t always indicate dividing within their lists of ingredients, but I wouldn’t want anyone feeling Scrooge-y over cinnamon confusion!
Better assembly approach: portion out the just-mixed dough and form it around the frozen marshmallows. Bake directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time. Easier, simpler, & better shaped cookie. As others said, the cold dough is frustrating to work. It cracks, and if you don't seal the cracks over the marshmallows, the cookie unravels and becomes a blob shape (instead of roughly circular) and the marshmallows end up on top as they bake.
I divided the room-temperature dough into 35-gram round portions, flattened them to fill with the room temperature marshmallows, then chilled them in the fridge, before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar and putting them into the oven. They came out looking identical to the recipe photo. I just didn’t want to frustrate myself with attempting to wrap cold dough around quick thawing mini marshmallows. I’m loving all of these unique cookie recipes that add some variety to the usual cookie lineup.
This is one of my favorite and most requested cookie recipes. A few tweaks: I use 3 tsp of cinnamon in the batter and an additional tsp to roll in. Did this by accident and they were so good I see no reason to correct. Sometimes I remember to add a little espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor. I cut the cayenne to 1/4 tsp and that meets the palettes of more people, including kids. I always roll them with marshmallows and sugar before chilling - dramatically easier. I generally make them in 30 g balls but have also made 20 g minis with 3 marshmallows to great effect. I’ve also added a few dark chocolate chips when I roll them and so far no one has complained.
Would dehydrating my marshmallows first do the same job as the freezer?
When i was baking, there was no need to freeze the marshmallows. it actually was much more enjoyable when it was fresh, not frozen. The cookie gained unique textures- chewy, crunchy, sticky, i could go on and on. The marshmallow baked fully and it felt like you eere chewing something sticky, but also fluffy. The best cookie ever!!!