Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe (2024)

Holiday cookie baking pals, please note the 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in the recipe are *divided* - 2 teaspoons for the cookie dough, and 1 teaspoon for the cinnamon sugar rolling mixture. I’m not sure why the NYT Cooking house style doesn’t always indicate dividing within their lists of ingredients, but I wouldn’t want anyone feeling Scrooge-y over cinnamon confusion!

Better assembly approach: portion out the just-mixed dough and form it around the frozen marshmallows. Bake directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time. Easier, simpler, & better shaped cookie. As others said, the cold dough is frustrating to work. It cracks, and if you don't seal the cracks over the marshmallows, the cookie unravels and becomes a blob shape (instead of roughly circular) and the marshmallows end up on top as they bake.

I've made this recipe twice now and the dough always gets too hard when I put it in the fridge. Then it just gets crumbly and breaks apart when I try to put the marshmellows in. Tried a third time, skipped the fridge step and voila.

I divided the room-temperature dough into 35-gram round portions, flattened them to fill with the room temperature marshmallows, then chilled them in the fridge, before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar and putting them into the oven. They came out looking identical to the recipe photo. I just didn’t want to frustrate myself with attempting to wrap cold dough around quick thawing mini marshmallows. I’m loving all of these unique cookie recipes that add some variety to the usual cookie lineup.

I prepped the whole cookie - with room temp dough, and room temp marshmallows, and then froze overnight. They were easy to assemble. Pulled them out first thing in AM, left them out for about 15 rolled in sugar and baked. They turned out beautifully.I decided to go for 1/4 tsp cayenne since I was giving them to a family with small children. The first bite - I was “not too much heat”, second bite I realized it was there. I was happy with the 1/4 tsp, it was just enough.

Super delicious, but way to spicy for my weak children! Next time, I'd do it with half (or less) of the pepper. Otherwise, a huge hit.

Cookies will keep about 10 minutes unguarded.

These are fairly fiddly to make. Frozen marshmallows thaw way before tray of cookies are filled. I'd try standard-sized marshmallows cut in half next time instead of minis; would be easier to insert. Flatten dough balls before refrigerating and only take out 2-3 at a time. The heat of your hand will allow them to form a cup to deposit marshmallows (5 was 1 too many to envelop). I'd also mix in a little sea salt into cinnamon sugar before rolling and stick in fridge for 20 mins before baking.

Mexican hot chocolate, like Abuelita, has its own sugar content not to mention cinnamon. You'd be altering the balance of ingredients. If you're just experimenting have at. When I bake I try to follow what's written the first go at a recipe (though there is no way I'm putting a half teaspoon of cayenne into a cookie dough!).

Made as directed minus cayenne. Cinnamon adds nice enough kick. Used Vegan frozen mini marshmallows from Whole Foods. Cookies look like picture and taste great. I portioned dough into scoops night before, refrigerated and took out 6 at a time. Smushed flat with palm of hand. Pressed 4 marshmallows in middle and then rounded into ball with the MMLows inside.

Would it be possible to freeze globs of marshmallow fluff instead of using marshmallows in this recipe? I'm vegetarian and veg marshmallows are hard to come by/expensive. Fluffernutter is vegetarian!

I accidentally added all the cinnamon into the recipe. They still tasted delicious! I appreciate a recipe where it still is fabulous even if you read the recipe wrong. Haha!

When does the other half of the dough come out of the fridge? Not mentioned in the recipe!

These are outstanding. I agree with an earlier poster. Assemble the cookies at room temp and then freeze. When I made a couple using the method in the recipe everything warmed up to quickly, so had to pop into the freezer for an hour or so. The other thing discovered is to not roll the entire ball in the cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar on the bottom caramelized, which made it difficult to off the baking sheet even with using a silicone.

Does this recipe work with vegan marshmallows instead? thanks.

I had a yield of 18 cookies. I froze the marshmallows but did not freeze the dough before scooping and shaping the balls with marshmallows inside.Froze cookies for about 1 hour before baking for 10 minutes.I would reduce the cayenne pepper by half next time and add a bit of sea salt or flake salt to the top of each cookie before it goes in the oven. We're a Morton Kosher Salt household so I cut the kosher salt by half which was fine.

I thought this was a fussy recipe for the taste it yields. I had leftover regular marshmallows so I cut them in 8ths and froze them. I used 4 pieces per cookie in the first half of the batch. Some came out pretty messy. So in the 2nd half I only used 3 pieces per cookie and after each ball was made I put it in the fridge until all were ready. The 2nd batch came out better. I won't make them again.

These were delicious--however, the stated baking time was far too long. I made 24 cookies (the high end of the suggestion) and froze the unbaked cookies. The low end of the suggested time for baking from frozen of 13 minutes resulted in absolutely hammered cookies, with the marshmallows completely melted and unseen. Even baking directly from frozen, 10 minutes (or even less) was the correct baking time to get those bits of marshmallow peeking through and visible.

I have now made these quite a few times with several variations. 1/4 tsp of cayenne seems perfect. King Arthur Measure For Measure gluten free flour subs in perfectly. I've found vegan marshmallows don't melt even without freezing but are a little less gooey. I do refrigerate the dough balls to "hydrate" per the video instructions, but use half vegan and half frozen regular marshmallows, four mini mallows total. I put the former dough balls in the fridge for ten minutes before baking.

Best cookies I've ever made. I followed the advice of most comments & rolled the cookies into balls w/unfrozen marshmallows then refrigerated for 2 hours & baked.

I cut the cayenne in half because I am sensitive to it. I still get the heat. Cooked perfectly in 10 min. Turned the tray at 5 min.

Chilled dough is difficult to work with. Stuff them, shape them, then freeze. If I’m baking a casserole, I pop 6 cookies on a qtr sheet pan at the end. Delicious. For the cayenne, 1/8 tsp was perfect for our taste.

Really delicious cookies, absolutely recommend making these! I followed user comments and didn't chill the dough or freeze the marshmallows which worked really well. If the dough gets too sticky, just pop it in the fridge for a couple of minutes

I had so much fun making these cookies. Took me back to my first experience with an easy bake oven watching with excitement as the cookies bloomed with creamy, gooey marshmallow lava. The flavor combination is perfection. This recipe is a KEEPER! 5*****

It’s delicious but the marshmallows melted in my cookies

These cookies were a hit at holiday parties! I skipped the marshmallows; they made the cookies spread unevenly and look misshapen. Without em, they make excellent chocolate crinkle cookie and are super pretty. Chill the dough, covered, to allow everything to hydrate. Scoop and freeze—bake from frozen and add 2-3 min baking time. And measure the cayenne with your heart.

I would agree with a lot of the others that the cold dough did become very crumbly and difficult to wrap around the marshmallows. Next time I make them the plan is to make the dough and freeze the marshmallows. Add the frozen marshmallows to the warm dough and bake immediately. I also found they needed about 2 minutes longer than it said. I made these for a party and they were incredibly popular!! I will say a handful of people thought they were too spicy so maybe keep that in mind.

These turned out a bit dry and hard to work with, so when reattempting, I would consider having a bit of milk on hand if the dough proves difficult.

Use brown sugar!

I think the half teaspoon of cayenne is just nuts. I used 1/4 teaspoon or ground chipotle pepper instead. It lends a slightly smoky taste to the chocolate and the heat is just a mild hint at the end. I also substituted turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw) for the 50g of granulated sugar that is mixed with cinnamon which the dough is rolled in prior to baking. It makes for an attractive and tasty adjustment.