Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Hi hi! Just popping in here to share this recipe for Hot Chocolate Cookies with you! A super fun project to do with the Holiday Season approaching, these Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are super easy to make. The cookies don't need any chilling time before baking, so you can throw together the mixture in just a few minutes.

These are often my go-to if I need to make something in a hurry that I know everyone will love! I stepped it up a wee bit and added a layer of homemade marshmallow between the cookies, for a Hot Chocolate inspired sandwich cookie. If you haven't made marshmallow before, it can look intimidating, but I promise it is super easy and fun to make, and once you have it nailed, the flavour options are endless!

I got all the things that I needed to make these Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from my local ALDI, which is my one-stop shop for all my baking essentials! I don't have a car here in the city, so I rely a lot on online ordering for groceries. As a baker, my staples are generally pretty heavy, so I am super grateful for how easy it is to order from ALDI and get everything dropped off safely in the lobby of my apartment.

Side shot of mound of marshmallow on cookies

Steps for making Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

These cookies are super easy to make! Here's the steps involved:

Mix up the Sugar Cookie Dough - This dough comes together super quickly. Butter and sugar are creamed together, an egg and a yolk are added, and then dry ingredients go in. So, so easy. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.
Scoop out the dough - I use a cookie scoop for this which makes the process quick and helps make sure the cookies are all the same size. The cookie dough is scooped, then rolled into a ball and rolled in some granulated sugar.
Bake the Cookies - The cookies are baked until they have flattened out and puffed up slightly. They will come out of the oven looking puffy but don't worry - they deflate as they cool. You can use a cookie cutter a little larger than the cookie to scoot any sneaky ones back into a perfect circle if needed.
Make the Marshmallow - Marshmallow has a few steps but is easy to make. Gelatin is bloomed with some cold water, then a hot sugar syrup is whipped into it. Your mixer does most of the work!
Fill the Cookies - The marshmallow gets put into a piping bag, and piped onto one of the cookies. It is then topped with a second cookie to make the perfect sandwich! If you don’t have a piping bag you can use a big resealable bag with the end snipped off, but make sure that you add a rubber band around the top so the seal doesn’t pop open while you’re piping!

Ingredients in Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I got all the ingredients that I needed from ALDI - they are making it super easy for you this holiday season, with curbside pickup or ordering on Instacart.

I love getting my holiday baking staples from ALDI. They have high-quality and affordable products, and they always have everything that I need to stock my pantry. Here's what I used for these Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies:

Baker's Corner All-Purpose Flour - I have this on hand at all times. It's super affordable so I always have at least 3 bags as backup!
Baker's Corner Baking Cocoa - Cocoa is always on the list of things to stock up for before you do your holiday baking. I used cocoa in the sugar cookies for that super nostalgic hot chocolate taste.
Countryside Creamery Unsalted Butter - Like the flour, you can never have enough butter on hand. I am sure my Instacart shopper wonders what on earth I am up to when I order butter, but I always get at least 8 boxes every time I make an order.
Sugar - I used both Simply Nature Organic Light Brown Sugar and Baker's Corner Granulated Sugar in the sugar cookies. Brown sugar makes the cookies soft and chewy, and the granulated sugar helps them to spread out to perfectly thin cookies, which are great for sandwiching.
Eggs - I used a whole egg and a yolk in the cookies. I wanted them to be nice and chewy, and the extra yolk helps with this.

ingredients for hot chocolate sandwich cookies

A few wee tips for Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

If you can, make these by weight. I have included cup measurements in the recipe, but the spread of these cookies relies on having the ratio of butter to flour to sugar correct, so grab your kitchen scale if you have one! A scale is particularly helpful for when you are making marshmallow, as you can just squeeze the corn syrup right into the pot without having to get everything sticky by putting it into a measuring cup.
If you do use a measuring cup for corn syrup, spray the cup with a little baking spray first. This will help it slide right out instead of sticking to everything.
I have used a little instant coffee in these (you can also use espresso powder). It is only a little amount but coffee really helps bring out the chocolate flavour. You can leave it out if you like or if you don't have any instant coffee on hand! Make sure it's the fine instant coffee and not the freeze dried version.
Get everything ready for the marshmallows - have everything set up because once you make it, you will want to work fairly quickly before it sets.
I like to use a disposable piping bag for the marshmallow as it gets super sticky! You can also use a resealable bag with the end snipped off - it will need to be a large one to hold the marshmallow.
Put a clip at the end of your bag to make sure that the marshmallow doesn't fall out the end. You could use a rubber band too - just use something because I've been there and it is very, very sticky.
I use a cookie scoop to portion my dough. It is especially helpful if you are making cookie sandwiches and need the cookies to all be the same size. I have a 2 tbsp cookie scoop that I use all the time - they are a great investment!
Unless your oven is super fancy and can take having two trays of cookies in it at once, I prefer to do these one tray at a time. I do 8 per tray, and just scoop and roll the next batch once the ones in the oven are getting close to being done.

FAQ for Hot Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Can I add other things to these?

You sure can! If you wanted to make a spiced version, you could add ½ to 1 tsp of cinnamon to the cookie itself, and a little into the rolling sugar too for a cinnamon hot chocolate. You could also add flavour to the marshmallow if you liked - a little peppermint extract would be so good!

Can these be made ahead?

The sugar cookies are soft and chewy, so don't last as long as other more crunchy cookies do, so you are best to assemble these on the day that you serve them. You can make the actual cookie part a day ahead and store in an airtight container. You will need to use the marshmallow as soon as it is made.

Do I have to make the Marshmallow?

You don't have to if you don't want to! The cookies alone are a really delicious soft, chewy, chocolate sugar cookie. An alternative would be to get a giant marshmallow, and place it on one half of the cookie, then either blow torch it or quickly place under the broiler. Then sandwich with a second cookie. This will give a different effect as the marshmallow won't be as solid, and it may be a little messy, but it will be so good! You could also fill these with Marshmallow Creme - ALDI sells a great one!

What do I do with extra Marshmallow?

You may have a wee bit left over once you have finished assembling the cookies. You can pipe the leftover into a lightly greased baking pan, and then dust with equal parts powdered sugar and corn starch. Leave it to set, then turn out onto a board and cut up with a sharp knife - you've got your very own home-made marshmallows! They keep in an airtight container super well for your hot chocolates this holiday season.

Stack of hot chocolate sugar cookies, with bite taken out of the top one.

For more recipes made with ALDI staples, check out:

Made this recipe and love it?

I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!

A note on salt and oven temperature

It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.

All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.

Why is this recipe in grams?

I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!