The Best Cute Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups Recipe
These Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups use cookie dough shaped as cups and filled with hot chocolate ganache, then decorated with a cute candy cane handle to look like little mini cups of hot chocolate. These easy Christmas cookies transform simple cookie dough into a cute and festive holiday dessert perfect for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, DIY gifts, holiday bake sales, or just to enjoy!
I know a lot of people think of eggnog when they think of the holiday season. But when I think of holiday food, I think of Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.
Years ago, I saw The Gunny Sack shared a version of hot chocolate cookie cups and it just stuck with me. I wanted to make my own version and have them be a little more holiday-themed.
As soon as the weather starts turning colder, my kids beg to make hot chocolate and marshmallows – it’s one of their favorite treats! This tradition plus the inspiration from The Gunny Sack led me to make these hot cocoa cookie cups.
Every bite is the familiar taste of a cup of hot cocoa but wrapped up in one (or two) tasty mouthfuls.
These Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups do take a little bit of time due to adding the handles to each cup, but it’s SO worth it when you see the looks on people’s faces as they see these cute little cookie cups! I like to save time by using the curved part of a mini candy cane instead of making my own cup handles.
If you want more fun favorite cookie recipes, try my Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies , Easy Vanilla Crinkle Cookies, or Grinch Cookies.
Ingredients Needed For Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make these delicious sugar cookie cups!
- Butter – salted or unsalted
- Sugar – granulated
- Egg – room temperature
- Milk – 2% or Whole
- Flour – all-purpose or gluten-free
- Vanilla Extract – I prefer pure vanilla
- Baking Powder – lightens the texture of the baked good
- Salt – enhances the flavors
- Mini Candy Canes or Sugar Pastes – break off the curved section of the candy canes for decorating
- Tiny Mini Marshmallows – these aren’t regular mini marshmallows but rather, mini marshmallow bits for decorating
For the Royal Ganache:
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy whipping cream
Helpful Kitchen Tools
NOTE: For more recipe details, please refer to the handy recipe card at the bottom of the post!
How to Make Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
Although it may seem as though these festive Christmas cookies are hard to make, they really are easy! Here’s how.
Make the Cookies
Preheat the oven and prepare the mini muffin mold with non-stick spray.
Cream sugar and butter in a large bowl with a mixer.
Next add egg, milk, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and combine.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of dough and place dough in each muffin cup.
Using your fingers or the end of a wooden spoon, shape the dough filling the cup to the top with dough.
Bake for approximately 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from oven.
Using a spoon, push down the middle of each cookie creating a well in the cookie where the ganache will be added.
Make The Ganache
Place cream in a saucepan and heat but do not boil. (The chocolate will separate and not melt if the cream is too hot.)
Combine the cream and chocolate chips. Stir gently until smooth. Allow the cream mixture to cool. As the ganache cools it will set.
Place the cooled ganache into a piping bag. Pipe the luscious chocolate ganache into each cookie.
Decorate Your Cute Christmas Cookies!
Using a knife, cut off the curved side of the candy cane. Dip into melted chocolate and adhere to the side of the cookie cup.
Candy pastes will work if you do not have candy canes. Use the red and white paste and mold it into a handle.
Finally, add the tiny marshmallows to the top of the cookie cups.
Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups Recipe Notes And Tips
- If you are not serving the cookie cups for a few days, consider leaving out the ganache and waiting to decorate until closer to the time you serve them.
- If you don’t have candy canes or sugar paste, using mini pretzels for the handle is a great alternative and just as cute!
- Gently run the thin end of a knife around the edge of the cookie to loosen it so that it comes out of the muffin tin much more easily.
- Allowing the cookies to cool completely before piping in the ganache is important. If they are still too warm, the ganache will become runny.
Variations Of Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups To Try
- Sprinkle the top of the cookie cups with some green and red sprinkles for an added pop of color.
- Need to save a little time? Use prepackaged cookie dough!
- Swap the vanilla extract for almond extract or peppermint extract for a different and delicious flavor! Yum!
- Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top in addition to the marshmallows or alone. Either way, they will taste heavenly!
- Add colored sprinkles to the cookie dough before baking it to make it even more festive!
Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups FAQs
Absolutely!!! The main ingredient in this recipe that contains gluten is the flour. You can easily use gluten-free flour in place of the regular.
Also, most chocolate chips and candy canes are gluten-free but be on the safe side and make sure these two ingredients are also gluten-free before using.
Sugar paste is a sweet, moldable, and edible icing. It is generally used to decorate cakes and cookies. It is also known as fondant icing or ready-to-roll icing which makes it perfect for decorating purposes.
Store these Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1 – 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days.
I would NOT recommend freezing these once they have been filled with ganache and decorated.
You can freeze the baked cookie cups for up to 2 – 3 months. When you are ready to use, remove from the freezer and allow cookie cups to thaw at room temperature before filling and decorating.
More Festive, Fun, And Delicious Holiday Desserts To Try
If you love these fun treats, check out these other easy recipes for the holidays!
- Strawberry Santas (Healthy Cheesecake Dessert)
- How To Make Grinch Cake Pops
- Winter Cupcakes With Candy Christmas Tree Pretzels
- Melted Snowman Cupcakes
- DIY Marshmallow Mugs
Pin For Later!
Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
These Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups transform cookie dough into festive holiday desserts perfect for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and more!
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¼ cups butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 + ½ cup flour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- candy canes or sugar pastes (for decoration)
- tiny marshmallows (for decorations)
Royal Ganache
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup whipping cream
Instructions
For Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 356 F.
- Spray the mini muffin molds.
- Beat the sugar and butter in a mixer until it gets creamy.
- Add the egg, milk, and vanilla extract when butter and sugar are combined. Continue to mix.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt into another bowl.
- Then add the dry ingredients to the mixture and continue to mix.
For Royal Ganache:
- Heat the cream on the stove but do not boil it too much (if it’s too hot, it will cause the chocolate to separate instead of melt).
- Pour the heated cream into the chocolate chips.
- As the cream cools, the ganache will set.
- Put the ganache in a piping bag and pipe into each cookie.
- Cut the curved side of the candies with a knife and stick them on the cookies with chocolate.
- If you don’t have candies, you can make candy canes with sugar pastes. (Using white and red sugar pastes.)
- Place the tiny marshmallows on top of each cookie cup.
- ENJOY! 😊
