Everyone’s favorite feeling, young or old, is waking up to find freshly fallen snow that has created a soft white blanket around your neighborhood. There is a feeling of tranquility that goes along with this sight because it’s usually followed by a call from school or work to tell you that it is canceled. All of your stress and worries melt away, but the snow doesn’t. 

My favorite part of winter was the snow days when I was in elementary school. I would wake everyone up in my family and go down to the basement to dig up all of my winter clothes from the year before. Once my brother and I were suited up to go play with the penguins in the Antarctic we would set forth on the long and treacherous journey to fetch our neighbors across the street. All of us would spend the day constructing igloos for each of us to lay in as well  as see who could make the biggest snowman. Our fun always ended in a snowball fight and after our fingers turned numb and our cheeks were a fiery red we knew it was time to head inside and warm up with everyone’s favorite winter drink: Hot Cocoa.  

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup softened unsalted butter 

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

2 cups AP flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder 

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips 

1 cup mini marshmallows plus extra for decoration

Directions:

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

– In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 

– In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

– Spoon dough onto a tray lined with parchment paper or lightly greased and top each cookie with three mini marshmallows.

– Bake for 8-10 minutes 

– Cool and enjoy 🙂

Tip for perfectly round cookies: use a circle cookie cutter or the rim of a round glass place it on the tray around a cookie and move it in a circular motion!