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Healthy Hot Cocoa Cookies are like a cup of cozy hot chocolate in the form of little treats! They’re comforting and are gluten-free, flourless, and made with simple ingredients.
The most delicious healthy hot cocoa cookies
When the air is crisp, the holiday decorations are out, the Christmas music is playing, and there’s snow on the ground, who can resist a nice, cozy cup of hot chocolate? I know I can’t! There’s something about it that just puts me in the best mood.
This year, as I sipped on my first cup of hot chocolate of the season, I got an idea: hot chocolate cookies! These are a popular holiday treat that I see around each season, but I’ve never tried making them myself. I decided to give it a go, and the results were not disappointing!
As always, I swapped some traditional ingredients for some healthier options, and officially created healthy hot cocoa cookies. They’re gluten-free, flourless, and use simple ingredients.
Enjoy these treats alongside a hot beverage like coffee, and ohhh my gosh. The taste is unbeatable! They were a total hit in my house. I’m sure your family and friends will love them too! In my opinion, this is one of the best healthy cookie recipes I’ve created.
Chocolate cookies are my favorite, so I wanted to share my Easy Nutella Cookies too.
Ingredients required to make these treats
The ingredients in this recipe are simple and easy. We won’t be using any hard to find items; most of these are probably already in your house! For me, the only items I had to go get for this recipe were the marshmallows and the cocoa powder! Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
- Egg
- Coconut sugar
- Almond butter
- Vanilla
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Chocolate chips
- Mini marshmallows
Required kitchen tools
Since this recipe is so quick and easy, you’ll only need 4 kitchen tools. Before you begin preparing the cookies, gather a baking sheet, parchment paper, mixing bowl, and mixing spatula or spoon!
How to make healthy hot cocoa cookies
This healthy dessert recipe is very, very easy to make! All in all, it should only require about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Start by preheating your oven to 350F. Then, line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together the egg, coconut sugar, almond butter, and vanilla. Then, stir in the cocoa powder and baking soda. It gets thick at this step.
Next, add the chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. They may not stick in the batter, but just form them so extra marshmallows and chocolate chips are on the top of the cookies. Make them look “loaded.”
Next, roll the dough into balls, place onto the baking sheet, and flatten ever so slightly. They won’t (and shouldn’t) spread too much.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, and let cool completely before removing from the pan.
How to make vegan cocoa cookies
Many people love to veganize my recipes, because it’s always so simple! For this recipe, there are only two non-vegan items.
The first is chocolate chips, though these are an easy swap. Simply use a dark chocolate, milk free version!
The second non-vegan item in this recipe is the egg. This can be substituted by choosing from a few different options:
- Applesauce: Try ¼ cup applesauce! You won’t taste it, and the consistency works well to achieve the same binding effect as eggs.
- Ground chia or flaxseeds: Either option will work, though these may create a slight nut flavor. Purchase a ground version, or ground them yourself. Then, mix 1 tbsp of either seed with 3 tbsp water. Mix until they have fully absorbed the water, and then use in place of the egg. Here is a helpful infographic!
- Egg replacer: There are a bunch of vegan egg replacers to choose from, and the packaging should contain specific instructions for that brand.
How I created this healthy cookie recipe
Traditional hot cocoa cookies use ingredients like butter, flour, and regular sugar! I prefer using ingredients that have higher nutrition contents, so that’s what I did for this recipe.
- Sugar: For this recipe, I used coconut sugar in place of granulated. Both are sugars, but coconut sugar is slightly lower in calories and carbs. It also tastes great!
- Flour: I typically stay away from all-purpose flour when baking healthier treats, but I prefer to omit any type of flour when possible. With this recipe, I was able to cut it out completely!
- Butter: Instead of using regular butter, my recipe uses almond butter. It adds a fantastic taste and is perfect for giving the dough the required consistency. Plus, it adds protein! If you’d like, you can use peanut butter instead.
Try these chocolate treats too!
If you liked this tasty cocoa recipe, you’ll also love these delicious, chocolatey treats! Choose from brownies, fudge, muffins, and more.
- Peppermint Cocoa Tahini Freezer Fudge
- Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (gluten free)
- Double Chocolate Mint Paleo Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Pecan Pie Brownies
Healthy Hot Cocoa Cookies
Healthy Hot Cocoa Cookies are like a cup of cozy hot chocolate in the form of little treats! They’re comforting and are gluten-free, flourless, and made with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup runny almond butter, cold. (whole foods brand is great)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Mix together egg, coconut sugar, almond butter, and vanilla.
- Stir in cocoa powder and baking soda (gets thick here)
- Add in chocolate chips and mini marshmallows – they may not stick in the batter but just form them so extra marshmallows and chocolate chips are on top of the cookies, making them look ‘loaded’.
- **If your nut butter was warm, chill dough for 30 minutes so they do not spread.
- Roll into balls and flatten slightly.
- Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.
- Let cool completely before removing from pan.
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Jessica says
These cookies are a great flourless and festive option for the holidays! I didn’t mix the marshmallows in, I just plopped them on top. They are not very sweet but still delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jessica, so glad everyone loved them!
Sara R says
Subbed peanut butter since that’s what I had but will definitely try with almond butter next time! Delicious and super easy to throw together!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sara, so glad you enjoyed them and made them your own!
Emily says
These are ridiculously good and so fun for the holidays! I used Nutzo nut and seed butter, otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, so glad you loved them and made them your own! 🙂
Bridget says
These cookies are AMAZING! The dough, as mentioned in the recipe, gets very thick, so it is difficult to mix in marshmallows and choco chips. But that’s not an issue at all because Erin’s recommendation to add them on top to create a “loaded look” works perfectly. I will be making these cookies to share with family for Hanukkah and Christmas this year. I know they will be a hit!
Side note: my husband (who is not a cookie guy) cannot keep his hands off these cookies. He’s already requested that I make another batch!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Bridget, so glad you both loved them!! 🙂
Daniela says
I am always blown away by ELW recipes. These cookies are SO GOOD and SO EASY to make!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Daniela, so happy you enjoyed them!! 🙂
Laura toigo says
I made these cookies for the first time #ELWcookieweek and they were incredible. So easy and perfect. I did end up subbing the almond butter for half cashew butter half peanut butter because that’s what I had 🤷🏼♀️ But still amazing.
My mom tried the hot cocoa cookies and loved them so much she’s making them for an annual cookie exchange for our family where we make like 6+ dozen of each cookie to share with my aunts/uncles and she’s so excited to use this recipe. I have a feeling this will be in the cookie rotation for a lot of holidays to come!
Thanks Erin!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, I am so happy you loved them and participated in cookie week! Thanks for sharing and glad you both love my cookies! 🙂
Kellen says
YUM! I used pb instead of almond butter because that’s what I had in the pantry and they’re really good! I want to make them again when I buy more almond butter too!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kellen, I am so glad you liked it and made it your own!
Lauren says
I love anything with marshmallow and these are amazing! All of Erin’s recipes have floored me and never let me down. Question – I don’t generally keep a huge amount of nut butter to spare a cup and am wondering if regular butter can be subbed in a pinch. Thanks!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lauren, I am so glad that you like them. Unfortunately, regular butter will not work for these! Let me know if you make them and how they come out!
Laura says
These cookies are to die for. So festive, creative and delicious! I’ve subbed peppermint extract for vanilla before and I thought it was lovely.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, thanks for your kind words and love you made them your own!
Katie says
Not sure what I did wrong but the batter wasn’t runny enough to mix in the chocolate chips & marshmallows. Added almond milk to the batter to make it easier to mix & then my cookies spread apart and ran into each other in the oven.
★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, it ounds like the type of nut butter you used wasn’t runny enough. When baking any of my recipes, it needs to be just two ingredient runny nut butter. My favorites are from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market! Let me know how they come out next time!
Cameron says
My kids don’t like when I make “healthy” desserts. These cookies disappeared in five minutes. Probably one of the best healthier dessert recipes I’ve found. Kudos, Erin!
★★★★★
Erin says
Thank you for sharing!! SO glad you like them.
Erin says
Hi Cameron, I am thrilled your kids enjoyed them so much!!
LA says
These cookies are amazing. I had never had a hot cocoa cookie before and wow. This is such a great recipe, you really can’t mess it up. I’ve made it maybe 4 times since discovering it and it’s one of my husband’s favorites. Subbed peanut butter once and didn’t love them as much but still delicious.
★★★★★
Erin says
Aw, I love that! Thank you for sharing.
Erin says
Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so happy you both love them so much!!
Emily says
Love this cookie recipe!! My boyfriend and family absolutely loved it as well and they could not believe that they were healthier. SO delicious.
Erin says
Hi Emily! Thanks for your kind words! I am so happy everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Kristen says
These cookies were INCREDIBLE!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kristen! I am so happy you like them! 🙂
Brittany says
I made these for my whole family for Christmas, everyone loved them! Thank you for the delicious recipe:)
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Brittany, I am so happy everyone liked the cookies!!
Lennie Gail says
So so so delicious! Used peanut butter and was so happy with the results!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lennie! I am so happy you enjoyed them and love that you added peanut butter! Yum!!
Tom says
Wow these are so creative and tasty!
★★★★★
Erin says
Thank you!
Erin says
Hi Tom! So happy you love them! 🙂
Elisabeth Pavone says
SO delicious and easy! Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Erin says
SO glad you liked them!!
Bonnie Laboy says
Can seed butter be used for this recipe as well ? Thank you
Erin says
Yes!
Tom Morrissey says
One of my favorites. And easy clean up too!
Erin says
Hi Tom! I am so happy you like them! Easy clean up is the best, isn’t it?