Irresistibly Fudgy Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies: Your New Favorite Recipe

Prepare for an explosion of chocolatey goodness with these **ultra-rich Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies**! Each bite delivers a decadent blend of deep cocoa, melty chocolate chips, and gooey mini marshmallows, creating a truly unforgettable experience. They’re like a warm, fudgy brownie magically transformed into a perfect cookie, and trust us, you won’t be able to stop at just one!

It’s no secret that a true chocolate lover always finds the answer in chocolate. And when it comes to satisfying that deep craving, these cookies hit every single note. They boast a deep, rich chocolate flavor and a wonderfully fudgy texture that’s remarkably similar to a dense, chewy brownie, all in a convenient cookie form!

Even the pickiest eaters in my household—my three little ones under the age of eight—couldn’t get enough of these incredible **marshmallow cookies**. Normally, pleasing them can be a Herculean task, but with these, they were all begging for more! That’s how you know you’ve struck gold with a recipe.

Trust me, these **cookies with marshmallows** are dangerously good. The perfect balance of sweet, rich, and chewy, they are truly irresistible. Bake a batch, enjoy one (or two!), then do yourself a favor and share the rest. Otherwise, you might just find yourself eating the entire tray! Let’s dive into how you can make these delightful treats.

Key Ingredients for the Perfect Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Crafting these heavenly chocolate marshmallow cookies requires a careful selection of ingredients, each playing a vital role in achieving their signature fudgy texture and intense chocolate flavor. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:

• Unsalted Butter: Always opt for unsalted butter when baking. This gives you precise control over the overall salt content in your cookies, allowing you to perfectly balance the flavors. Make sure it’s at room temperature for optimal creaming with the sugar, which creates a light and fluffy base.
• Granulated Sugar: While brown sugar often adds delightful caramel notes, for these intensely fudgy cookies, regular white granulated sugar is ideal. It allows the robust chocolate flavor to shine through without competition, contributing to that signature brownie-like texture.
• Dark Chocolate Chips (Melted): This is a secret weapon for achieving truly fudgy cookies! Melting a portion of the dark chocolate chips and incorporating it directly into the dough amplifies the chocolate intensity and creates a wonderfully dense chewiness. Melt them gently in a small bowl (microwave in 30-second intervals or use a double boiler) until partially melted, then stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly before adding to the butter mixture.
• Large Egg: The essential binding agent! A large egg brings all the ingredients together, adding structure and richness to the cookie dough, ensuring a perfect texture.
• Dark Cocoa Powder (Dutched Cocoa): If you want truly rich and intensely chocolatey cookies, Dutched cocoa powder is a game-changer. It’s treated to reduce its acidity, resulting in a darker color and a smoother, less bitter chocolate flavor compared to natural cocoa. Brands like Hershey’s offer dark cocoa powder, and a trip to the store for this ingredient is absolutely worth it for superior flavor!
• Baking Powder: Our chosen leavening agent. Baking powder helps these cookies rise slightly, contributing to their soft, chewy interior without making them cakey.
• All-Purpose Flour: These cookies don’t require a lot of flour, just enough to provide structure and ensure they spread beautifully in the oven without becoming too thin or cakey. Remember to spoon and level your flour for accurate measurement.
• Kosher Salt: Salt is crucial for enhancing the chocolate flavor and balancing the sweetness. If you only have table salt on hand, be sure to cut the amount in half, as table salt crystals are finer and more concentrated.
• Additional Dark Chocolate Chips: These extra chips are folded into the dough at the end, providing pockets of molten chocolate in every bite. While I’m a big fan of dark chocolate for its depth, semi-sweet chocolate chips also work wonderfully and are a popular choice.
• Frozen Mini Marshmallows: The star of the show! Freezing the marshmallows before adding them to the dough is a key tip. This helps prevent them from melting completely and disappearing into the cookies, ensuring you get distinct pockets of gooey, toasted marshmallow. If you don’t have mini marshmallows, you can cut up larger ones, but be warned, it can be quite sticky! Avoid packing too many into the cookie dough, as excessive marshmallows can cause the cookies to ooze into irregular shapes during baking.

How to Make Delicious Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies: Step-by-Step Guide

Making these **chocolate marshmallow cookies** is surprisingly straightforward, yielding impressive results with minimal fuss. Follow these detailed steps to bake a batch of pure bliss:

Before you begin baking, an important preparatory step is to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C). Also, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This is absolutely crucial, as the marshmallows tend to melt and become quite gooey in the oven, and a proper lining will prevent them from sticking to the pan.

1. Cream the Butter & Sugar

In a large mixing bowl, using either a hand mixer or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, combine the room-temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Beat them together on medium speed for approximately 3 minutes, or until the mixture becomes visibly light, fluffy, and pale in color. Proper creaming incorporates air, which contributes to the cookies’ final texture.

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2. Add Melted Chocolate

Once your butter and sugar are perfectly creamed, add the cooled melted dark chocolate to the mixture. Beat on low speed until it is fully combined, ensuring no streaks of chocolate remain. Take a moment to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. This step is crucial for the deep, fudgy texture!

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3. Incorporate the Egg

Next, crack the large egg into the chocolate mixture. Beat until it is fully incorporated, ensuring no visible egg streaks remain. Stop the mixer and use your spatula to thoroughly scrape down the sides of the bowl. This ensures everything is uniformly mixed and contributes to a smooth, consistent dough.

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4. Add the Dry Ingredients

Now it’s time to add the flavor-packed dry ingredients. To the wet mixture, add the Dutched cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Begin mixing on a very low speed to prevent the flour from “poofing” out of the bowl and creating a mess. Once the dry ingredients are slightly moistened, increase the speed to medium and continue mixing just until a cohesive cookie dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.

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5. Fold in the Mix-ins

With your chocolate cookie dough ready, it’s time for the fun part! Gently add the remaining dark chocolate chips and the pre-frozen mini marshmallows to the bowl. Using a spatula or a sturdy spoon, carefully fold them into the dough until they are evenly dispersed throughout. Avoid overmixing, as this can crush the marshmallows and develop too much gluten in the flour.

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6. Scoop & Bake Cookies

Using a small cookie scoop (about 1.5 inches in diameter), drop six evenly sized cookie dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave ample space between each cookie, as they will spread considerably during baking. For that perfect finish and guaranteed marshmallow in every cookie, gently press a few extra mini marshmallows onto the top of each scooped dough ball before placing them in the oven. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. The cookies are ready when their edges appear set, but their centers still look wonderfully soft and slightly underdone. This is the secret to their signature fudgy texture!

Allow the cookies to cool completely and set up on the baking pan. This step is crucial! If you attempt to move them while they are still warm, their soft, fudgy centers and melted marshmallows will cause them to fall apart. Once fully cooled, they will firm up perfectly. Repeat the process with any remaining cookie dough until all your delicious chocolate marshmallow cookies are baked.

Expert Recipe Tips for Flawless Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Achieving bakery-worthy **chocolate marshmallow cookies** is easy with these insider tips:

• Give Them Space to Grow: These fudgy chocolate cookies love to spread! Avoid the temptation to cram too many cookies onto a single baking sheet. Give each dough ball ample room (about 2 inches apart) to ensure they bake evenly and don’t merge into one giant cookie.
• Trust the “Underdone” Look: A key to achieving that desirable fudgy, chewy center is to pull the cookies from the oven when they look slightly underbaked in the middle. The edges should be set, but the center will still seem soft and a bit doughy. Don’t worry, they will continue to set and firm up as they cool on the hot pan, resulting in the perfect texture.
• Patience is a Virtue (Especially When Cooling): This is vital for most cookie recipes, but especially so for these marshmallow-studded delights. Always wait for the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to move them to a cooling rack. Their structure is delicate when warm, and trying to transfer them too soon will likely result in them crumbling apart.
• Handle Sticky Situations with Care: Due to the gooey marshmallows, some oozing might occur around the edges of the cookies, which can cause them to stick a little to your parchment paper or silicone mat. A small offset spatula is your best friend here! Gently slide it under each cookie to loosen and lift it without damaging its shape.
• Marshmallow Placement for Maximum Gooeyness: To ensure every cookie has a beautiful, toasted marshmallow crown and a wonderfully gooey center, make sure to place a few mini marshmallows directly on top of each scooped cookie dough ball just before they go into the oven. This guarantees visible, melty marshmallow goodness.
• Avoid Over-Mixing: Once the flour is added, mix the dough just until combined. Over-mixing develops gluten, which can lead to tougher, less tender cookies.
• Perfectly Round Cookies: For perfectly round cookies, once they come out of the oven, use a large round cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) or the rim of a glass to gently swirl around the warm cookie. This helps to reshape any irregular edges into a neat circle.

Creative Substitutions & Delicious Variations

These **fudgy chocolate marshmallow cookies** are fantastic as is, but they’re also incredibly versatile. Feel free to experiment with these substitutions and variations to tailor them to your taste or dietary needs:

• Gluten-Free Alternative: For those avoiding gluten, simply swap out the all-purpose flour for a high-quality 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour for consistent and delicious results in most baking recipes.
• Dairy-Free Option: To make these cookies dairy-free or vegan, replace the unsalted butter with your favorite dairy-free or vegan buttery sticks. Ensure you choose a brand you know and trust for baking to maintain the desired flavor and texture.
• Chocolate Variety: While dark chocolate chips provide an intense cocoa experience, you can easily switch them up! Try milk chocolate chips for a sweeter, creamier profile, semi-sweet chocolate chips for a classic cookie taste, or even white chocolate chips for a beautiful color contrast and different flavor dimension. A mix of two types can also be delightful!
• Add a Nutty Crunch: Introduce a delightful textural contrast by folding in about ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate chips and marshmallows. The nuts add a wonderful crunch and a hint of earthy flavor that complements the rich chocolate.
• Marshmallow Customization: If you’re out of mini marshmallows, you can absolutely cut up larger marshmallows into smaller pieces. Just be aware that this can be a sticky task! A quick tip is to lightly grease your scissors or knife. Remember the warning: do NOT add too many marshmallows to the cookie dough, as an excess will cause them to ooze out excessively during baking, potentially ruining the cookie shape. Alternatively, if you simply prefer a rich, fudgy dark chocolate cookie without the added goo, you can leave the marshmallows out entirely!
• Flavor Boosters: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for a classic touch, or a hint of espresso powder (1/2 teaspoon) to deepen the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee. For a holiday twist, try a touch of peppermint extract.
• Top with Sea Salt: A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the warm cookies immediately after baking can elevate the flavors, creating a gourmet sweet and salty contrast.

Storing and Freezing Your Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

These **chocolate marshmallow cookies** are best enjoyed fresh, but they also store beautifully, allowing you to savor them for longer or prepare them in advance. Here’s how to properly store and freeze them:

How to Store Baked Cookies

Once your delectable marshmallow cookies have cooled completely to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container. They will maintain their freshness, fudginess, and chewiness for up to 4 days at room temperature. There’s no need to refrigerate them; in fact, the refrigerator can dry out cookies and make the marshmallows hard.

How to Freeze Baked or Unbaked Cookies

Freezing is a fantastic way to enjoy these cookies whenever a craving strikes!

• Freezing Baked Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely before freezing. Once cool, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze for about 30 minutes until solid. Then, transfer the frozen cookies to a heavy-duty zip-top bag or an airtight freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Beyond that, you risk them developing freezer burn and losing their optimal flavor and texture. To enjoy, simply thaw them at room temperature or warm them slightly in the microwave for a fresh-baked feel.
• Freezing Unbaked Cookie Dough: For future baking convenience, scoop the cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined sheet pan or plate. Place them in the freezer until they are completely solid (this usually takes 1-2 hours). Once frozen, transfer the individual cookie dough balls to a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container. The unbaked dough can be frozen for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to bake, you can bake them directly from frozen. You might need to add an extra 1-3 minutes to the baking time, depending on your oven and the size of your cookies. This is a perfect way to have fresh, warm cookies on demand!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

• Why are my cookies flat? Flat cookies can be caused by several factors: your butter might have been too warm (melted butter spreads too quickly), your baking powder might be old (check expiration date), or you might have over-mixed the dough (which develops gluten and makes cookies tougher and flatter). Ensure your butter is truly room temperature (soft but not greasy) and measure ingredients accurately.
• Can I use regular cocoa powder instead of Dutched? Yes, you can use natural (regular) cocoa powder, but be aware that the flavor and color will be slightly different. Dutched cocoa is darker and has a milder, less bitter chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa is more acidic and might result in a slightly lighter color and a more intense, sometimes fruitier, chocolate taste. The recipe should still work, but the final product will have a subtly different profile.
• Why do you freeze the marshmallows? Freezing the marshmallows is a fantastic trick! It helps them maintain their shape and prevents them from melting completely and disappearing into the cookie dough during baking. Instead, they become wonderfully gooey and slightly toasted on the outside, creating those irresistible marshmallow pockets.
• How do I get perfectly round cookies? For those picture-perfect round cookies, once they come out of the oven and are still warm, take a large round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass (larger than your cookie). Place it around each cookie and gently swirl it around. This pushes the edges back in and creates a beautifully round shape.
• Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time? Absolutely! You can prepare the cookie dough (without the marshmallows and chocolate chips, if you prefer to add them fresh) and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. When ready to bake, let it come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes, then stir in the mix-ins and proceed with scooping and baking.
• My marshmallows oozed out completely! What went wrong? This usually happens if you’ve added too many marshmallows to each cookie dough ball, or if the marshmallows weren’t sufficiently frozen. Overcrowding the baking sheet can also contribute, as insufficient airflow can trap heat and melt marshmallows faster. Make sure to only add a few per cookie and freeze them well.

More Indulgent Cookie Recipes to Try!

If you’ve fallen in love with these **fudgy chocolate marshmallow cookies**, you’ll surely enjoy exploring more delightful cookie recipes. Here are some other favorites from my kitchen:

• Classic Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
• Decadent Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
• Sweet & Chewy Coconut Pecan Cookies
• The BEST Chewy Oatmeal Cookies You’ll Ever Make