So the other day on the ‘gram I put out a few polls with several recipe ideas, asking what I should make next. Well if you hadn’t guessed it by now, I had a huuuge wave of support for Hot Chocolate Cookies! Which I was pretty stoked about, because I’ve had an idea for Hot Chocolate Cookies, that I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. So as soon as I saw the support for Hot Chocolate Cookies I jumped into making the recipe.

It only took my like 7,682 tries to get the recipe right! Okay not quite that many, but it took several rounds of tweaks and adjustments to get the cookies right where I wanted them. See what makes these cookies so delicious is the hot chocolate powder. I wanted the base ingredient for these cookies to actually be hot chocolate instead of flour. Which is why these cookie are so good, because they are packed with hot chocolate! It’s also why it took so many attempts to get them right.

Flour adds structure to cookies, and since I replaced most of it with the hot chocolate powder, I had to figure out the correct ratio of supporting ingredients, so the Hot Chocolate Cookies would have enough height without being crunchy, would be chewy but not tough, flavorful but not over the top, and fun without compromising on flavor… I.e. At first I tried making them with marshmallows to make them “cute,” but when I put them on the outside of the cookie they were too chewy, almost crunchy, and when I put the marshmallows inside the cookies, they just melted right in. So I decided these were better without marshmallows!

Tangent aside, after about a thousand and a half tries, I finally got the cookies right where I wanted them. Fudgy, chewy, hot chocolaty and absolutely delicious.

Even better, despite how many tries it took to get the recipe right, these cookies are actually the EASIEST cookies to make. They’re easier than my chocolate chip cookies! Which is practically crazy because my chocolate chip cookies can be made incredibly quick… but chocolate chip cookies call for a stand mixer, and all you need to mix these Hot Chocolate Cookies is a good ole spoon!

The last, important tip I will give before jumping into the instructions is to use Starbucks Hot Cocoa Powder. I created this recipe with that hot cocoa powder, and as the ratio of ingredients varies from one brand of cocoa powder to the next, if you use a different hot chocolate mix, the variance in the ingredient proportions may alter the outcome of the cookie. So to guarantee a delicious cookie, I recommend using the same cocoa powder I used, so you get the same perfectly rich and delicious Hot Cocoa Cookies!

How to make Hot Chocolate Cookies

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1. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the Starbucks Hot Cocoa Powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add in the warm milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop out the cookie dough and use your hands to roll them into cookie dough balls about 1″ in diameter.
5. Place six cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes.
6. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
7. Enjoy the chocolaty goodness.