Hot Cocoa Cookies

With the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas and the fact that I’ve spent the last few days simply being lazy I forgot to share this fun post for Hot Cocoa Cookies.  My friend and the amazing apron queen Aimee from Aimee Broussard & Co. asked if our elf Zippy wanted to participate in her Elves’ 12 Days of Christmas Cookies series, and of course he said yes!  Due to our move, an ice storm and mis-communication with the post office our famous elf apron never arrived, but that didn’t stop Zippy from whipping up some yummy cookies.

Our elf Zippy is adventurous and full of silly antics.  He joined our family three years ago and has been conjuring up lots of fun since then. However, he has been given strict instructions from Santa himself to not cause trouble or make a mess, but a little mischief from time to time is o.k.  Zippy also loves to party and every year he throws our kids a North Pole Breakfast with special goodies and a few gifts straight from the North Pole. Zippy also loves chocolate, but then again what elf doesn’t. Which is why he helped himself to our vintage Little Lady oven and whipped up a batch of Hot Cocoa Cookies.

As I mentioned Zippy was expecting a custom apron made by the fabulous Aimee, but unfortunately it’s arrival was delayed and he had to break the “no mess” rule.  If there is one thing we learned, an elf apron is a must for keeping your shiny red uniform clean while baking cookies.

Zippy carefully mixed all of the ingredients.

He was a little impatient and kept peeking in the oven to see if they were done.

Elf’s usually love to share, but Zippy had a hard time resisting these decadent hot cocoa cookies and surrounded himself with his fresh baked goods.

He eventually decided to share and whipped up a big batch of these delicious, chewy, chocolaty and oh so yummy hot cocoa cookies just for us!

Hot Cocoa Cookies 

• 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar

• 3 eggs, at room temperature

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 30 marshmallows

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently, over medium heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla at low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture just until blended. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. (If making the dough a day ahead, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.)
4. Preheat to 325 degrees . Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Arrange about 16 balls 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet, flattening slightly. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack, about 12 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, snip 8 marshmallows in half.
6. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven; gently press a marshmallow half into each cookie. Bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to the racks; let cool.