Hot Chocolate Cookies

   Hello there. How are we today? I'm feeling cold.
   I know it's spring, but seriously, a lot of days you need to be sitting right in the sun to be warm. If you're in the shade, or in the house, you're freezing! So, although hot-chocolate cookies seem like a lovely winter treat, they really hit the spot on any cool day! 
   Made with hot-chocolate mix, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows, these cookie honest-to-goodness taste like hot chocolate....only cold. They are super-yum. 

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 Cup butter, room temperature

• 1 Cup white sugar
• 2/3 Cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Cup of hot chocolate mix. If using packs, this is about 4-1 ounce packs. This time I used a combo of hot chocolate packs, and then I topped it off with some homemade hot chocolate mix (equals parts sugar and cocoa)-you can see the multi-coloured, multi-layered hot chocolate mix in the measuring cup pictured below
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 3/4 Tsp baking powder
• 2 Cups chocolate chips

Method:

1. Place mini mallows into the freezer. Yup, do it. :)  If you don't freeze them they just vanish in the cookies. Seriously...they just melt into nothingness.... :( 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and get some cookie sheets ready (use parchment if your baking sheets aren't the best, the mallows can be pretty sticky once cooked and melty!). Set aside
3. Cream butter using your arm power, an electric mixer, or a stand mixer. Add the sugars and continue to cream together 
4. Beat in eggs then the vanilla until combined
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, hot chocolate mix, salt, baking soda and baking powder
6. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in small amounts until its all been incorporated
7. Fold in the chocolate chips
8. Now fold in your marshmallows from the freezer
9. Using a 2 Tbsp scoop, or just using a regular tablespoon spoon, make balls of dough, and place onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tried to work quickly(ish) so your mallows stay as frozen as possible
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just set and golden brown. The cookies will still be soft. They will continue to cook as they cool so don't bake them until they look really "done"-you'll ruin them! 
11. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan

   I bought new cookie sheets and they are the BEST! So, I didn't have to use parchment paper. 
   You can see that the cookies are still poofy and soft-looking out of the oven. This is how they should look! They will flatten and cook a little more as they cool. You can also see the many hot chocolate mixes I used for this batch!

   Well, alrighty. 
   I hope everyone has a good weekend, doing what you're doing! Today is a p.a. day for the kids, I have rehearsal tonight, then a full dress rehearsal on Sunday evening. We have a paid preview on Tuesday, then we open on Thursday! Ahhhhhh!!!!! I'm a little nervous/excited. I can't believe the show is opening next week; it feels like we just did auditions a month ago, not 5 months ago! 
   Anywho, happy weekend to all, and to all a goodnight! :)