How To Make Hot Chocolate Cookies With Basically Any Recipe

Hot chocolate and cookies are great on their own, but for a truly next-level experience, consider fusing them into a treat that brings the best of both worlds to your plate. We've asked culinary expert Hetal Vasavada how to create cookies which truly capture that hot chocolate flavor profile. Vasavada is the author of "Milk & Cardamom" as well as the new cookbook, "Desi Bakes." She is also assisting Challenge Butter in its efforts to support the Challenge For A Cure initiative, which raises money for pediatric cancer research.

Luckily for us, Vasavada had a simple swap in mind. "I like to substitute a portion of the flour with hot chocolate mix," she says. As with any swap or substitution, if you want to avoid changing the recipe too much, keep the amount substituted relatively low — about 10% of the flour weight is a good rule of thumb.

This trick does require one slight adjustment, as Vasavada flags. "Keep in mind that cocoa powder is drying and requires a lot more hydration than flour does, so be sure to increase the butter by 1-2 tablespoons to account for that." However, apart from that, it's endlessly versatile. You can use the tip in drop cookies, sugar cookies, sandwich cookies, shortbread, whatever type you prefer — it can even be used to whip up unforgettable chocolate pancakes. Also, keep an eye on the sugar content of your chosen hot chocolate mix. If it contains a lot, you may want to dial back the sugar in your cookie recipe to balance it out.

This swap works so well because not only does the mix add some chocolate flavor, but since most hot chocolate mixes include milk powder to make the beverage tasty, it will add some richness and creaminess to your cookies. If there's a particular type of hot chocolate you love, feel free to incorporate elements of it's flavor profile as well — for example, many of the ways to upgrade hot chocolate, like adding peppermint extract or white chocolate chips, can level up your cookies too.

Though Hetal Vasavada's tip is effective on its own, those who really want to double down on the hot chocolate inspiration might consider wrapping their hot chocolate mix-enhanced dough around mini marshmallows to bring in some of those flavor notes. And, if you're making drop or thumbprint-style cookies that are receptive to this treatment, you could also fill your mix-enhanced dough with a dollop of chocolate ganache sprinkled with mini marshmallows. For texture, consider topping your cookies with a half marshmallow that you've bruleed or sprinkling them with crushed candy canes for a peppermint twist. Finally, for those who are true hot chocolate enthusiasts and want to pair their cookies with the real thing, we recommend our decadent hot chocolate recipe.