Hot Chocolate Cookies
Secret Recipe Club is going through a transition period right now. So you might not see as many posts this month as you normally do for SRC. I decided I definitely wanted to participate even though it was optional in January. Once again, I was lucky enough to “meet” a new Blogger. Kate blogs over at Kitchen Trial and Error.
After browsing through her archives, I once again had a handful of recipes that looked appetizing. I chose the Hot Chocolate Cookies because they seemed fitting this time of year. They’re basically chocolate cookies, filled with a variety of chocolate chips, but instead of using cocoa powder, you use hot cocoa mix in the cookie dough. I used this Ghirardelli Double Chocolate mix, because it’s really good (not as good as Homemade Hot Cocoa, but definitely a close second).
I used a total of four different kinds of chocolate chips. I just pulled out a bunch of bags that were almost empty and finished them off. I ended up using 3/4 cup of both white chocolate and milk chocolate chips, then 1/4 cup of both bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips. I loved how each of these cookies was jam packed with a ton of chocolate chips and every bite brought a new combination of chocolates.
I am submitting this for January’s What’s Baking, hosted by Melissa of I was Born to Cook. This month’s theme was Snowday Treats!
Hot Chocolate Cookies
Yield: 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups flour
4 ounces hot chocolate mix (not sugar free)
1 tsp Kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups of chocolate chips - any variety
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa mix, salt, and baking soda together. set aside.
In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a bit at a time, until incorporated.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough for one hour.
Preheat your oven to 350F. line two baking sheets with parchment paper. drop by rounded teaspoons on about 2 inches apart.
Bake them one sheet at a time, for about 10 minutes. let cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe from Kitchen Trial and Error
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I love freezing dough but somehow most ends up in my tummy unbaked when I do that 🙂
What a great gift! I’m thinking that would be wonderful for all sorts of occasions. Thanks for the idea!
These are adorable and I love that idea! Two questions, though: 1) Were these as good as the cookies from the other recipes? and 2) When you freeze them, do you bake right from frozen?
Great questions Carly – As far as comparing them to the other cookies. I enjoyed the chocolate M&M cookies the best, but they were REALLY chocolatey. The other non-chocolate M&M cookies were a bit more chewy and they had nuts in them, so they had a different vibe. This recipe was more of a classic M&M cookie for sure.
As far as baking from frozen, you can def just go straight from freezer to oven. Bake them ~13 minutes instead of ~11 and take them out when they look done.
these were delicious!
they look so cute all frozen up 🙂
I love the pink and red M&Ms. Thanks for the idea of freezing the cookie dough.
I was going to ask you the same thing as Carly, well the first question. These cookies are cute. Your freezing method reminded me that I have a bunch of sugar cookies still in the freezer! Do you know how long cookies can stay in the freezer?
I don’t know how long they will last in the freezer. I have a tendency to forget about things in my freezer… I’d guess a couple months? Anyone have ideas?
What festive little cookies 🙂 I love them! I also like the fact that you froze them. I bet they were delicious. Make sure to enter the All Through the Year Cheer event for Valentine’s Day 🙂
I think that sounds like a great way to spend valentine’s day. It can be intimidating the way it’s so hyped up. The cookies look very festive, love ’em!
We don’t do “valentine’s day” either since my MIL was born on the 14th and daughter’s birthday is the 15th – besides, its more important to say you love someone everyday, not just one day out of the year. Love the idea about freezing the cookie dough in preshaped form and giving that away. Wonderful idea!
I am looking for cookies that travel well for my soldier adopted through Soldier’s Angels and these look like a winner!!
Mmm, these were so tasty! Happy Valentine’s Day!
These are just too cute!! I love M&M cookies too!!
http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com
Just had to add my two cents on the idea of giving cookie dough frozen and ready to be baked – genius! For some reason, I’ve never thought of that, even though I’ve given cookies frozen to people to be defrosted when they’re ready to eat. I love the dough idea!
YUM-these look absolutely delicious! I love the pink and red M&Ms!