Hot Chocolate Bomb Cookies
Chewy and chocolatey, these ultra fun cookies will be the star of the cookie plate this year.
Makes21 (3 1/4-inch) cookies
Prep40 minutes
Cook36 minutes
This recipe is from our Cookie Time Machine — a trip through the most iconic cookies of the past 10 decades, paired with 10 fresh twists for right now. Click here to see the most important cookies of the 1920s through today — and gaze forward with our Cookie of the Future!
I mean, what’s a girl to say? These cookies are the BOMB. They give off serious brownie vibes, due to their deeply chocolatey flavor and chewiness — and would in fact be fantastic by themselves. However, once the dough is portioned, wrapped around a frozen marshmallow, and rolled in nonpareils, all bets are off, as these just might be the best cookie — and certainly the most fun — at the cookie swap. As the cookie bakes, the marshmallow melts and turns molten and wow! Regular ol’ hot chocolate bombs, eat your heart out. When you break one of these cookies open, the marshmallow-pull situation is off the charts. And marshmallow pulls, in case you were curious, just might be the new thing for 2022. Just sayin’.
The cookies are assembled in a bowl with a whisk and a spatula and call for melted butter and shortening (so no softening of butter needed). Pro tip: Stop melting the butter and shortening when chunks of each are still visible. This way, when you whisk them together, the mixture will cool down more quickly and the dough will more easily wrap around your mallow without needing to be chilled first. These bombs do need to be chilled or frozen before being baked off, about one to three hours, depending on if you use your freezer or refrigerator, so plan accordingly. And the roll in nonpareils is not only mandatory, but the added crunch they bring, as well as the colorful pop, also make this cookie party-worthy.
A final note about my beloved marshies: They are mercurial when baked. Some marshmallows will stay humped and at the ready post-bake; others will collapse and leisurely ooze when bitten. There’s no controlling them. Believe me, I’ve tried. It’s a marshie world, friends, and we’re just living in it.
The Classic
For the classic 2000s cookie recipe, check out the Chocolate Brownie Cookies.
Our Three Most-Loved Cookie-Baking Tools
Before you preheat the oven, gear up with these cookie-making essentials.
- The Sheet Pan Every Kitchn Editor Owns: This sturdy, won’t-ever-warp pan is great for cranking out a ton of picture-perfect sweets. Bonus: It comes in great colors, which makes baking even more fun.
- Our Tried-and-Tested Favorite Cooling Rack: We love these racks for their criss-cross design, which adds stability, makes sure your precious treats won’t slip though, and prevents the rack from wobbling or warping.
- The Little Spatula That Every Baker Needs: This thin-but-sturdy spatula is great for gently loosening your cookies from the pan and transferring them to the cooling rack. It’s particularly handy for moving small or delicate treats.
Hot Chocolate Bomb Cookies Recipe
Chewy and chocolatey, these ultra fun cookies will be the star of the cookie plate this year.
Prep time 40 minutes
Cook time 36 minutes
Makes 21 (3 1/4-inch) cookies
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup
cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 21
regular-sized marshmallows
- 1 3/4 cups
all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup
Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon
baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1 cup
granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
- 1
large egg
- 1/4 cup
light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup
rainbow nonpareils
Instructions
Place 1 stick unsalted butter and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until mostly melted with just a few clumps of butter or shortening remaining, 30 seconds to 1 minute total. Whisk until completely melted and smooth. Let cool briefly while you freeze the marshmallows and whisk the dry ingredients.
Place 21 regular-sized marshmallows in a single layer on a large plate or pie plate and place in the freezer.
Place 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Add 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to the melted butter and shortening and whisk to combine. Add 1 large egg and 1/4 cup light corn syrup and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and gently fold until just combined.
Place 3/4 cup nonpareils in a small bowl. Divide the dough into 42 portions (about 1 tablespoon each). Roll each portion into a smooth ball and place on a sheet of parchment paper.
Pick up a dough ball and flatten in your hand into a 2 to 2 1/2-inch round. Top with the cold marshmallow (keep the remaining in the freezer). Top with a second dough ball and press it around the marshmallow. Roll the ball in your hands until the marshmallow is completely covered in dough and the ball is smooth, smoothing over any wrinkles or cracks through which a melty marshie might want to leak.
Roll completely in the nonpareils and place the rolled ball on a baking sheet, large plate, or pie plate, whichever will fit best in your freezer or refrigerator. If you use plates, you will need two. Repeat forming the remaining cookies. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or freeze for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Transfer 7 cookie balls to each baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until the cookies look dry and set (the marshmallow may ooze out a little), 4 1/2 to 7 minutes more.
Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets (they will initially be puffy but will fall slightly as they cool). Gently remove the cookies with a flat spatula (they will stick a bit where the marshies have oozed) and bake off the remaining 7 cookies on a cooled baking sheet with a new sheet of parchment paper.
Recipe Notes
Storage: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.