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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!
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
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 244 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
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
Freezing: the cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw, then bake as directed.
Trouble Rolling the Dough: step 2 of the recipe is important, make sure you are really whisking your eggs and getting a very glossy look. It’s should look like a thick shiny chocolate brownie batter by the time step 2 is complete. If you are still having trouble. Start by adding 1/4 cup additional flour, then add more as needed. Some readers have used up to 1 cup of additional flour, but I have never personally found this needed.
This post was originally published on November 28, 2023
Did not turn out very well. I had to add quite a bit of extra flour to get them into a rolling consistency.
Hey there! Thank you for this feedback! Did you freeze the dough? xT
I just made these tonight. Followed the recipe exactly as written (no extra flour) and they came out AMAZING! I am a chocolate lover, and think these are my new favorite cookie. They are like a gooey brownie rolled into a cookie 🫶🏼
Thank you for giving this recipe a try Diane! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
Followed the recipe exactly and they came out just as they should! Honestly, I love chocolate everything, but these were a little too intense and kind of made me nauseous from how dense they were.
I really wanted to like these cookies! Took me a while to make them and I followed the recipe exactly how it said. They turned out tasting like brownies and didn’t look even close to how they look in the pictures. Pretty bummed.
Hi there! Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it! xT
I can’t wait to try this! Do you have any recommendations for making them gluten free? What would you recommend for the flour substitute?
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried that before but you could try it out with Bob’s red mill GF flour! xT
Whoa, chocolatey cookie!! Quite good, though.
Thanks Heidi! So glad you enjoyed these cookies! 🙂 xT
Tiegan these cookies are so delicious and can’t wait to share with my grands! One of my friends said baking these would be a fun experience after watching the new Wonka movie!
Wow thanks Kathy! Hope you had a fun day baking and watching Wonka! 🙂 xT
The flavor is divine!! It took me two tries to nail down the consistency, so I highly recommend bumping up the flour to 1 cup. So yummy.
Awesome!! Thanks Lisa! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed 🙂 xT
rich cookie for a true chocolate lover ! I followed the instructions and put the dough in the freezer as instructed – they turned out so good ! They don’t look as pretty as the picture but are truly delicious
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Krissy! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
These looked so good but the recipe was an absolute fail. Baking is a science and recipes are normally strict with their measurements. This one has a disclaimer at the end stating you may have to add up to one extra cup of flour?? This is the first cookie fail I’ve had, I don’t think I’ll be trying again.
Hey Dani! Thank you for this feedback, I really appreciate it! xT
Just made these and they’re perfection. Not sure about some of the other reviews bc mine look just like the picture. They kind of fall and crack. Look pretty & are delish!
Thank you so so much Monica! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
These cookies are amazing
Thank you so so much Michele! xT
Followed the recipe exactly as stated, including the chilling of the dough, but couldn’t achieve the look of the cookies in the pics. No crackly tops, no “puddles of melted chocolate.” Slightly disappointing, but still a very rich, chocolatey cookie. Not sure what adjustments I’d need to make to get them to look the same, but willing to try a half batch again if anyone had any suggestions.
I just came over here to comment but you summed up what I was going to say. Oh well, not sure if I’ll try these again or not.
These are amazing! They would be good with ice cream or milk! Thanks for sharing. ❤️
Thank you so so much! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Baked for the first time. Came out delicious. Although mine did not come out with the crackly top. I’m not sure what achieves that look but I followed the recipe. I ended up flattened my cookies out with a spatula when they came out the oven. This made them look a little more like the picture – made the dough spread apart and crack so the chocolate bits could peek out.
Thank you so so much! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Made these for my husband to take to work – subbed in GF 1:1 flour. His entire floor couldn’t stop talking about how good they were. H asked me to make them again next weekend.
Hey Courtney! Thank you so so much! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT