(Mass Appeal) – A popular holiday party is a Christmas cookie swap! Want something that’ll be a crowd pleaser? Jessie-Sierra Ross, of the blog Straight to the Hips, Baby, has the recipe for you. She’s here to show us how to make “hot chocolate” chocolate cookies.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels 
  • 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
  • 2 large candy canes, crushed

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Reserve.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or, in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer), cream together the sugars, butter, shortening, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed. Beat for about 3 minutes, until fluffy.
  4. Lower the speed and add the eggs. Beat until incorporated.
  5. In batches, add the dry mix to the bowl and beat until incorporated.
  6. Stir in the chocolate morsels, crushed candy canes, and marshmallows.
  7. Cover the mixer bowl with plastic wrap and chill your dough in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Chilling will ensure a softer cookie!
  8. After refrigerating, scoop out 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of dough and gently roll in your hands. Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly with your palm and bake for 10-12 minutes. The outside edges should be just crispy, and the centers should still be soft.
  9. After baking, remove the sheet from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 1 minute. The cookies will spread a bit and because they are a soft-bake, they can look a bit misshapen! Don’t panic!
  10. TIP: After cooling for 1 minute, take a large mouthed mug or drinking glass, and place over the cookie. Gently circle the mug around the cookie to reshape them. This is a great trick for any soft-baked cookie!
  11. After reshaping, cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freeze for later.