This crowd-pleasing recipe for chocolate marshmallow cookies draws inspiration from my popular inside-out chocolate cookie recipe and my beloved homemade triple chocolate chunk cookies. After extensive testing and meticulous adjustments, I fine-tuned the balance to create the ultimate marshmallow-stuffed cookie. Key modifications included removing an extra egg yolk for a richer, less cakey texture and adding a touch more flour. These changes were crucial; they prevented the chocolate cookies from spreading excessively during baking and ensured that the marshmallows remained beautifully contained within the dough, rather than completely seeping out. The result is a perfect, soft, and stable cookie that holds its shape and its gooey secret.

Imagine the comforting warmth of hot chocolate, but in cookie form – intensely chocolatey, with a delightful, molten marshmallow “puddle” hidden right in the middle! It’s a truly unforgettable dessert experience. And if you need any further convincing, my very own brother, a notoriously tough critic, declared these the BEST cookies he has ever tasted. Coming from him, that’s an absolutely huge compliment and a testament to their deliciousness!

If you’re specifically seeking a chocolate chip variation of marshmallow cookies, you absolutely must check out my chocolate chip marshmallow cookies recipe. For those who crave more of a classic s’mores vibe, complete with graham cracker goodness, my chocolate s’mores cookies are an absolute must-try. And if your passion lies with other delectable stuffed cookie recipes, explore my chocolate-filled cookies and the irresistible cookie butter cookies for more baking adventures.

Why These Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies Will Become Your New Favorite

• Effortless One-Bowl Recipe: Say goodbye to stacks of dirty dishes! This entire cookie dough comes together in just one bowl, whether you prefer using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer. This simplicity means more time enjoying your cookies and less time on cleanup, making it perfect for spontaneous baking or busy days.
• Sparkling Sugar-Coated Edges: Each cookie dough ball is delicately rolled in white granulated sugar just before baking. This step isn’t just for show; it creates a beautiful, sparkling exterior reminiscent of a sugar cookie, adding a subtle textural crunch and a gorgeous contrast to the deep, fudgy chocolate interior. It’s a small detail that makes a big impact on both presentation and taste.
• Perfectly Marshmallow Stuffed: The true magic of these cookies lies in their surprise center. Every rich chocolate cookie is carefully stuffed with a marshmallow before it goes into the oven. As the cookies bake, the marshmallow transforms into a wonderfully warm, gooey, molten center that stretches with every bite. It’s an unexpected burst of sweetness and softness that perfectly complements the rich chocolate.
• Intensely Extra Chocolatey Flavor: We achieve that deep, luxurious chocolate flavor by using high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This type of cocoa powder has a mellower, less acidic flavor than natural cocoa, and it delivers a significantly darker color and a richer chocolate taste, making these cookies truly exceptional. For an even more intense chocolate experience, feel free to fold in some chocolate chips into the dough before stuffing the marshmallows.

Gather Your Essential Ingredients!

• All-Purpose Flour: This forms the foundational structure of our cookies. Using standard all-purpose flour ensures a tender yet sturdy cookie that can hold its shape and contain that wonderful marshmallow surprise.
• Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder: This is a crucial ingredient for achieving the deep, rich chocolate flavor and dark color. Dutch-processed cocoa powder has been treated to reduce its acidity, resulting in a smoother, less bitter taste compared to natural unsweetened cocoa. It also interacts differently with leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder), so it’s vital not to swap it out for natural cocoa powder unless the recipe is specifically formulated for it, as this can drastically affect the cookie’s texture and rise.
• Unsalted Butter: Always opt for unsalted butter in baking. This gives you complete control over the total salt content in your recipe. Ensure your butter is at room temperature for optimal creaming with the sugars, leading to a lighter, fluffier dough.
• Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Our cookies use a combination of both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar. White sugar contributes to crispiness and spread, while light brown sugar adds moisture, chewiness, and a subtle caramel note. The cookie dough balls are also rolled in extra white sugar before baking, which gives them a beautiful sparkle and a delightful crisp outer shell.
• Large Egg & Vanilla Extract: The egg binds the ingredients together and adds richness, while vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor profile, complementing the deep chocolate notes beautifully.
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Kosher Salt: These leavening agents work in harmony with the Dutch-processed cocoa to give the cookies their perfect rise and soft texture. Salt is essential for balancing the sweetness and intensifying the chocolate flavor, ensuring a well-rounded taste.
• Marshmallows: Regular-sized marshmallows are ideal for stuffing these cookies. If you only have larger or jumbo marshmallows on hand, simply cut them into smaller, manageable pieces that will fit inside the cookie dough. Alternatively, a few mini marshmallows clustered together can also create that desired gooey center if regular marshmallows aren’t available. Freezing them beforehand is a key step to prevent excessive melting during baking.

Exciting Substitutions & Creative Variations

• To indulge in a glorious double dose of chocolate, consider gently pressing your favorite chocolate chips (milk, dark, or semi-sweet work wonderfully) onto the tops of the cookies immediately after they emerge from the oven. The residual heat will slightly melt them, creating luscious pools of chocolate and an even more decadent experience.
• For an irresistible s’mores chocolate cookie transformation, elevate your cookies by adding a sprinkle of crushed graham cracker crumbs to their tops as soon as they come out of the oven. This simple addition introduces that iconic s’mores flavor and texture, perfectly complementing the fudgy chocolate and gooey marshmallow.
• Add a Pinch of Spice: For an unexpected twist, try adding ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients. The subtle warmth can enhance the chocolate flavor in a unique way.
• Different Fillings: While marshmallows are fantastic, consider experimenting with other fillings like a spoonful of peanut butter, a small piece of caramel, or even a mini chocolate truffle for a truly gourmet stuffed cookie.

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer), combine the room temperature unsalted butter with both the light brown sugar and granulated white sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for approximately 2 minutes, until the mixture becomes visibly light, fluffy, and has a slightly paler, creamy color. This creaming process incorporates air, which is essential for the cookies’ soft texture.

Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to carefully scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. This ensures all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Beat again on medium speed for about 1 minute, until everything is thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix at this stage.

Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients & Chill. Stop the mixer once more. Add all the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Beat on the lowest speed possible until the dry ingredients are just combined with the wet mixture. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again to ensure uniformity. Once mixed, cover the bowl and place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for at least 45-60 minutes. Chilling is vital; it helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking and makes the sticky dough easier to handle.

Step 4: Scoop, Stuff, and Roll. While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Take your marshmallows out of the freezer – freezing them is a crucial step to prevent them from completely melting out during baking. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out a generous amount of dough. Flatten this dough ball slightly in your palm, place one frozen marshmallow in the center, and then carefully wrap the cookie dough completely around the marshmallow, ensuring no part of the marshmallow is exposed. Any exposed marshmallow will likely melt and seep out. For that sparkling finish, roll each stuffed dough ball in extra granulated white sugar.

Step 5: Prepare for Baking. Arrange the prepared cookie dough balls on your parchment-lined baking sheets. Make sure to leave ample space (about 2 inches) between each cookie to allow for spreading. Typically, I place about 5 cookie dough balls per baking sheet. While one sheet is baking, it’s a good practice to keep the other sheet of dough in the fridge or freezer to maintain its chill and prevent premature spreading.

Step 6: Bake to Perfection. Bake the cookies in your preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes. For best results and even baking, bake one sheet at a time. The cookies are ready when the edges are set and slightly firm, but the centers still look soft and slightly puffed. They will continue to set as they cool. Avoid overbaking if you want to preserve that soft, fudgy texture and gooey marshmallow center. The marshmallow should be molten and gooey, not completely disappeared.

My Top Baking Tips & Expert Tricks for Perfect Cookies

• Embrace Your Kitchen Scale: For truly consistent and professional-level baking results, I cannot stress enough the importance of using a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients, especially flour and cocoa powder. It is incredibly easy to accidentally add too much flour when using volumetric cups, which can quickly lead to dry, crumbly, and dense cookies. A scale ensures precision, leading to perfectly moist and tender cookies every single time.
• The Marshmallow Freezing Secret: This is a non-negotiable step! Freezing your marshmallows for at least an hour before you stuff them into the cookie dough is paramount. This pre-chilling helps the marshmallows maintain their integrity and prevents them from completely melting and leaking out of the cookies during baking, ensuring that delightful gooey center remains intact.
• Cooling on the Baking Sheet is Key: When these chocolate marshmallow cookies first come out of the hot oven, their centers, particularly around the molten marshmallow, will be exceptionally delicate and soft. Attempting to move them to a wire cooling rack too soon can cause them to break or fall apart. Allow them to cool and set on the baking tray for at least 10-15 minutes before carefully transferring them. This vital cooling period allows the cookies to firm up and solidify, making them much easier to handle without damage.
• Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can result in tough, chewy cookies instead of the desired soft and tender texture.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This allows them to emulsify properly with the sugars, creating a smooth, homogenous dough that bakes evenly and results in a superior texture.
• Parchment Paper is Your Friend: Always line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking, promotes even baking, and makes cleanup incredibly easy.

Jumbo marshmallows will unfortunately be too large for the cookie dough and are very likely to leak out and make a mess on your baking sheet. I highly recommend using regular-sized marshmallows for the best results. However, if jumbo marshmallows are all you have on hand, you can certainly chop them into smaller, more manageable pieces that will fit snugly within the cookie dough.

There are a couple of key reasons this might happen. Firstly, I really can’t stress enough the importance of freezing your marshmallows for at least an hour before you begin preparing this recipe. This helps them stay firm longer in the oven, allowing the cookie dough to set around them. Secondly, it is absolutely crucial to ensure the marshmallows are *completely* covered with cookie dough before baking. Even a tiny bit peeking out can cause the marshmallow to melt and seep through. While a slight peek might seem appealing for a “real marshmallow middle,” through my testing, I found that half the time, this leads to the marshmallow completely melting away in the oven, so cover them fully for guaranteed success!

I strongly advise against it for this specific recipe. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is less acidic and reacts differently with the baking soda and baking powder in the recipe. Substituting natural cocoa powder will likely result in a different cookie texture, color, and possibly a less effective rise. For the fudgy, dark, and perfectly soft cookies this recipe delivers, stick to Dutch-processed cocoa powder.

Several factors contribute to cookie spread. Ensure your butter is at room temperature but not melted. Critically, chilling your cookie dough for the recommended 45-60 minutes is essential, as cold dough spreads less. Also, make sure your oven is accurately preheated to the correct temperature. Placing the second baking sheet of dough back in the fridge while the first bakes can also help maintain its chill.

Proper Storage for Freshness

To keep your delicious chocolate marshmallow cookies fresh and perfectly soft, allow them to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store them at room temperature, where they will remain wonderfully fresh for 3-4 days. For longer storage, see the notes in the recipe card below regarding freezing baked or unbaked dough.

If you’ve indulged in the delight of making this recipe, please don’t hesitate to leave a ⭐️ rating and a thoughtful review below! I absolutely adore seeing your creations, so be sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can admire your baking success! You can also stay connected and follow along for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Ella Gilbert

Nutrition