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Sweet Vanilla Hot Chocolate Molten Cookies. Homemade chocolate cookies that taste just like your favorite mug of creamy vanilla hot chocolate! These cookies, similar to a lava cookie, are made with real vanilla extract, semi-sweet chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and the real secret – big chunks of dark chocolate. A light sprinkle of sea salt after baking makes them perfect. When eaten warm, the puddles of chocolate melt into every inch of the cookie, making each cookie melt in your mouth. So delicious. And not too sweet, but just sweet enough. They’re the perfect holiday cookie to bake, share, and gift this holiday season!
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It’s finally here!! It’s time for all the holiday cookies!! And you all, I’ve been baking cookies for days. Between these cookies, the recipe I hope to share on Friday, and then the cookie box, it’s been one sweet cookie after another.
I’m not complaining; it’s been fun, and I’m excited to share each recipe with you all. Since I’m working on getting the cookie box posted relatively soon, I’ve been testing sweet recipes daily and even at night.
I love holiday baking, but it can be a lot of work! These hot cocoa cookies took a few days to perfect, but they were worth it – so excited to share!
The one thing about these cookies versus other hot chocolate cookies is that I nixed the marshmallows. But I promise you will not miss them. These are delicious hot cocoa cookies!
I took the idea from the nightly mugs of hot chocolate I make for Asher this time of year. She has a routine of showing up once it’s dark while my dad and I clean the studio. Her one request is a mug of steamy cocoa. She picks out her favorite Christmas mug, and then I make her the simplest hot cocoa. It’s perfect.
These cookies have everything in them that I use in Asher’s hot chocolate!
Details
Step 1:
Melt together the butter and chocolate chunks; the mixture will be thick.
Step 2: finish the cookie dough in the bowl of a stand mixer
Next, using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs up in a separate bowl with the sugar. This is the secret to the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookie. You have to use room-temperature eggs and really whisk them until you see plenty of bubbles on top.
You’ll notice I’m using a lot of vanilla, two tablespoons. The vanilla provides the cookies with a really nice flavor that can stand up to all the chocolate.
Now add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: the chocolate chunks
I use a large 6.3-ounce bar of dark chocolate.
Chop the bar into rather large chunks. The bigger chunks melt into puddles throughout the cookies. So yummy, trust me.
Step 4: freeze
Roll the dough into decently-sized balls. This is a sticky dough, so using a cookie scoop or a smaller ice cream scoop is easiest for this dessert.
Freeze the dough balls on the cookie sheet until firm. Don’t skip this step. You want the dough to be chilled so the cookies will bake nicely. This only requires 15 to 30 minutes in the freezer.
Step 5: bake
Bake until just set. Then a light sprinkle of sea salt (if desired), and you’re good to eat!
Warm hot chocolate cookies for all! And a dip through a little whipped cream is highly recommended – so yummy!
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Lastly, if you make these Vanilla Hot Chocolate Molten Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Hot Chocolate Molten Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In the microwave, melt the butter and chocolate chips together. 3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until bubbles form on top, about 2 minute. Add in vanilla and melted chocolate, whisking until the mix looks glossy. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Put the bowl in the freezer, let the dough sit for 30 minutes, until it is scoop-able. The batter should be like a thickened fudge. DO NOT skip this step. It's essential to the recipe.4. Line a small baking sheet or plate with parchment paper (anything that fits in your freezer). Using a 1/4 cup measure cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 15-30 minutes, until firm. DO NOT skip this step. It's essential to the recipe.5. Pull the dough balls out of the freezer. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the cookies start to set around the edges, the centers should be a little doughy. Let cool on the pan. 6. Sprinkle with sea salt. Eat warm or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Hot chocolate with whipped cream is wonderful for dipping (:
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Very easy, very delicious recipe that even a man can do. Trust me, the wife loves them and there have been a constant supply in our home since I discovered this recipe. Thanks for sharing and great job in developing the recipe.
Yay!! Love to hear this, Dennis! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment! Have a great Sunday! xT
OK, these are amazing! So delish!! Only thing is, when I halved the recipe, it came out really crumbly and not very vanilla-y, so I added an extra egg and more vanilla and it came out so delicious!! However, they didn’t spread as much as they did in the photo, but they still taste so delicious. They are the best!
Hi Sienna,
Thanks so much for making these cookies and your feedback, so glad they were enjoyed! For a flatter cookie, try banging them on the counter! xT
Wow, great idea! Will definitely try!
The cookies are delicious even better when they are turned into whoppie pies
I recommend you make these
Hi Lee,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great Monday! xT
Cut the recipe in half since if was just me and my fiancé eating them. Followed everything to a tee and the cookies cooked in a dome shape. Not sure what I did wrong 🙁 The taste is amazing still!
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sometimes cutting a baking recipe in half doesn’t always yield the best results. I would try tapping the baking sheet next time for a flatter cookie. I hope this helps! xT
Hi, I’m about to make these and just realized the recipe calls for only 1/2 cup + 2T of flour?! That doesn’t seem like enough. Is that the correct amount? And it yields 18 cookies with only a little more than half a cup of flour? Just making sure before I get started! Thank you!
Hi Leah! Yes, that is the correct amount! You can add more flour if you’d like your cookies to be more dense! xT
Honestly THE BEST most fudgey delectable cookies ever. So good and would definitely make again.
Thank you SO much! I always love reading comments and seeing that the recipe was a success! Have a great day! 🙂 xT
Made these for Christmas and my husband dubbed them the best cookies I’ve ever made! I subbed a 1:1 gluten free flour for him and they were perfect!!
Hi Anna! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
For full transparency, I’d like to say that I haven’t actually baked these yet — I’ve just frozen the dough to bake at a later date. But what a great dough it was! For starters, it was very easy to make, basically just mixing ingredients and adding them together. Second, it was VERY easy to handle — not too sticky or too dry, and very forgiving when I made the dough balls wrong. And most importantly, it made my whole kitchen smell delicious! It smelled like brownies, but also vanilla — perfection! I used a mix of chocolate chips and chopped dark chocolate for both melting and incorporating into the recipe. Thank you, thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Hi Sienna! Thank you so so much for trying out these cookies! So glad you’re loving the recipe! xT
These sound amazing! But, is there any way to use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose+baking powder? Thanks!
Hi Sienna! I have only ever tried these with all purpose flour! So sorry! xT
SOOO good! I felt the need to comment after seeing other comments about them not turning out. I froze the dough a bit longer than called for each time. I added 2 packets (probably 2 tsp) of instant coffee granules to really bring out the chocolate flavor. I also continuously sprinkled extra flour on my hands when rolling the batter into balls before freezing for the second time which really helped with the stickiness and perhaps overall bake. I made these with King Arthur’s gluten-free flour and no one could tell – these were by far the favorite of all the Christmas cookies made this year, of both the kids and adults. People asked for the recipe and my fam is already asking me to make them again. Intensely chocolatey, sweet and salty with a great texture. Thanks for a new favorite cookie recipe Tieghan! 🙂
Thank you so much Allie! I’m so glad you’re loving these cookies! xT
Delicious! My dough was super sticky, and I didn’t read the note to add more flour in that case. They didn’t crinkle like the photo, but taste great. Maybe next an extra flour will fix that look.
Thank you sooo much for trying out this recipe! Hope your New Year is off to an awesome start! xT
Hmm not sure what I did wrong 😆, but mine came out dome shaped. I did skip the dark choc chunks since I only had semi sweet chips. Would this have made a difference? Also, I changed to make 9 cookies so recipe was cut in half since it’s just my husband and I eating them. Flavor wise, taste great!
These cookies are delicious! But, how can we get them to look exactly like your photo? They definitely don’t look like that.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Vana! Did yours spread and crinkle or did they not spread as much? Happy to help but just need some more info about how your cookies turned out! 🙂 xT
Ooo thank you for responding! They didn’t spread and crinkle 🙁
I made these dairy free with margarine, vegan chocolate chips and used a vegan salted caramel chocolate bar for the chunks (omitted the salt on top). The 1/4c scoop made them into these brownie like cookies and needed more time to bake, but they are a hit! Very gooey and soft. I froze the remaining batter and may play with the size when I bake the next batch.
Thank you for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed these cookies! 🙂 xT
Absolutely delicious. Like a molten lava cake in cookie form! I froze the dough balls and just bake a few at a time straight from the freezer so I can eat them fresh and gooey. It was a perfect Christmas Eve treat!
Hi Stephanie! So glad you loved these cookies! 🙂 xT