Each year when the snow starts falling we hurry to the store to stock up on hot cocoa. Stephen and I usually pick out a few new flavors along with the classics. One of our new favorites is salted caramel. We’ve tried both the Ghirardelli brand and the Starbucks, they’re both really good! I’m kind of addicted to the combo now! I wanted to bake a batch of cookies the other day and just happened to have everything I needed to make these salted caramel hot cocoa cookies. I started off by mixing up a bowl of chocolate hot cocoa dough in my stand mixer. While the cookies baked I made a saucepan full of the most beautiful amber color caramel I’ve ever seen! As soon as the cookies came out of the oven I covered them in marshmallows, miniature chocolate chips, caramel and sea salt. They were warm, rich and gooey- my kind of cookie! Definitely perfect for dunking in a hot glass of cocoa! Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick) salted butter - room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup hot cocoa mix*
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp salted butter - room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream - room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the vanilla extract, milk, and egg, mixing until combined.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, hot cocoa mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing on low to combine.
- Place balls of cookie dough (approximately 1½ tablespoons in size) onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set on the edges and barely firm in the centers. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately top with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Let the cookies cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, to make the caramel sauce, heat the granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The sugar will begin to form clumps and eventually melt and turn brown. Once the sugar has melted completely, add the butter. The mixture will bubble—continue stirring for 2 minutes or until the butter has completely melted, then add the cream. Boil for 1 minute, remove from the heat, and add the salt. Allow the caramel to cool for 8-10 minutes before using. Drizzle over the cooled cookies and garnish with a sprinkle of finishing salt.
NOTES
Nutrition
Recipe source: Life Made Simple
Do these cookies ship well? How long do they last?
I haven’t tried shipping them. With a gooey top, not sure how they would hold up. We eat them all week long.
curious about 2 things.
1. What is Hot Cocoa Mix? Is that just regular hot chocolate mix or is it something spicy?
2. What is the asterisk for beside the “Hot Cocoa Mix”? I looked to find the matching reference to it, but didn’t see anything. What is the * denoting?
? What did you use for hot cocoa mix ? Thank you for your time . Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Either my homemade mix or Ghirardelli 🙂
These are gorgeous! I will be making them soon!