When it comes to irresistible cookies, it's hard to beat the combination of rich chocolate, gooey marshmallows, and a chewy texture that melts in your mouth. In this recipe for Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies, I take the classic chocolate chip cookie to the next level by adding mini marshmallows, creating a delightful smores-inspired treat. With a perfect balance of sweetness and a hint of caramel from the vanilla, these cookies are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Let's dive into the details of this mouthwatering recipe!
In This Post
Why this recipe is great
- Chewy and soft. These chocolate chip marshmallow cookies are chewy and soft with a delicious sweet taste.
- Simple to make!
- Loaded with chocolate. Melty dark chocolate plays so well with the marshmallows in this cookie.
- Gooey marshmallows. The toasty marshmallows give these cookies a gooey center that’s irresistible. It’s like a smores in cookie form!
Key Ingredients
To achieve a chewy and soft texture for these marshmallow chocolate chip cookies, there are a few things you’ll need to include:
- All-purpose flour.
- Unsalted butter. Use softened butter here - just bring it to room temperature.
- Dark brown and granulated sugar. Using both sugars gives the cookie a better texture and depth of flavor.
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk. Eggs are a must to help bind the cookies together, but adding an extra egg yolk enhances the flavor of the chocolate chip cookies and makes the texture light and chewy.
- Pure vanilla extract. Vanilla gives these chocolate chip marshmallow cookies a sweet caramelly flavor.
- Bitter-sweet chocolate. You can use chocolate chips or chunks here, but I definitely recommend using bitter-sweet/dark chocolate for these cookies. The marshmallow adds a lot of sweetness and the darker chocolate helps to balance that out perfectly.
- Mini marshmallows. The star of these cookies! Adding marshmallows gives these cookies extra sweetness, an ooey-gooey texture, and that extra wow factor. You can use mini marshmallows, or simply cut up larger marshmallows if that’s all you have on hand.
How To Make These Soft And Chewy Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
- Start by combining the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set this mixture aside.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, use a mixer to beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Continue mixing until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of mini marshmallows. The combination of the darker chocolate and sweet marshmallows creates a perfect balance of flavors.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes, or for up to 2 hours. Chilling the dough helps the fats firm up, preventing the cookies from spreading too much.
- Once chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to soften slightly at room temperature for about 10 minutes.Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure out 1.5 tablespoons of dough for each medium-sized cookie. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, ensuring you leave enough space between them as they will spread during baking. It's best to limit each tray to six cookies to allow for proper spreading.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Afterward, remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently press 2-3 marshmallows onto the tops of each cookie. Return the marshmallow-topped cookies to the oven and continue baking for an additional 2 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and lightly sprinkle them with sea salt for an extra burst of flavor. Although the cookies will be soft, they will firm up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Be careful not to disturb the cookies while they are cooling, as they may be delicate.
- Store these soft and chewy marshmallow cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to one week. Alternatively, you can freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, ensuring you have a delicious treat whenever you desire.
Helpful Hints
- Chill the dough. Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes, or even freezing it for 20 minutes, is crucial. This step allows the fats in the dough to firm up again, resulting in cookies that hold their shape and prevent excessive spreading during baking.
- Add extra marshmallows at the end of baking. To enhance the visual appeal of these cookies, add extra marshmallows towards the end of the baking process. Gently press them into the cookie dough while the dough is still very soft and pop the cookies back into the oven for a couple of minutes to allow the marshmallow to soften.
- Sea salt sprinkle. For an extra touch of flavor, sprinkle the cookies lightly with sea salt.
- Patience is key when it comes to cookies. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before indulging. (I know - this is so hard, but well worth it!) These cookies are very delicate when still warm and tend to fall apart easily if you don’t allow them to cool. Cooling also allows the cookies to achieve their desired texture.
- Use parchment paper! To make the process of removing the marshmallow-filled cookies from the baking sheet easier, consider using a slipmat or parchment paper. This prevents the cookies from sticking and ensures effortless cleanup.
- Make them big! If you're looking to create extra-large chocolate chip marshmallow cookies, increase the amount of dough in each cookie ball by an additional tablespoon and extend the cooking time by a couple of minutes. This way, you'll have large, chewy cookies that are perfect for those with a big sweet tooth. (And if you're looking for an even bigger cookie, try this Chocolate Chip Dessert Pizza, which is also loaded with chocolate chips and marshmallows and served in a fun pizza shape!)
Why Chilling The Dough Is Important
If you’re like me, you’ve likely wondered if you can skip the step of chilling your cookie dough. While this can be tempting (and is in fact, doable), it is recommended to chill these chocolate chip marshmallow cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. Chilling the dough allows the fats in the butter to solidify again (remember, we used room temperature butter here!). This results in less spreading during baking.
Chilling the dough results in cookies that better maintain their shape and texture. It also allows the the flavors to develop and meld together, resulting in a more pronounced and well-rounded taste. If you’re super short on time, you can put the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes. But it’s best to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours for great results.
How To Store These Marshmallow Cookies
Chocolate chip marshmallow cookies will stay fresh in a loosely covered container for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can also freeze the cookies fro up to 3 months
How to freeze cookie dough
If you find yourself with leftover dough or want to prepare ahead of time, freezing the cookie dough is a great option. I love freezing the dough in individual dough balls. This makes it so easy to just pop a couple into the oven when I have a craving (but don’t want the temptation of a whole batch hanging around!) Here's how you can do it:
- Roll the cookie dough into individual balls using your desired portion size.
- Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring they are spaced apart.
- Freeze the dough balls on the baking sheet for about an hour, or until they are firm.
- Transfer the frozen dough balls into a freezer-safe container or a ziplock bag. Label the container with the date and type of cookie dough.
- When you're ready to bake, simply remove the desired amount of dough balls from the freezer and let them thaw for a few minutes. Then, bake them according to the original recipe instructions, adjusting the baking time if necessary.
My kids love these Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies and they’re the perfect treat for summer, camping, or any special occasion. If you try these marshmallow chocolate chip cookies, let me know what you think in the comments below! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @frontrangefed so I can see your masterpiece!
More Easy Cookie Recipes!
- Snickerdoodle Cookies With Vanilla And Maple
- Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipe
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup bitter-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
- 1 ½ cup mini marshmallows (divided - 1 cup/1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, using a mixer, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth and there are no sugar lumps. Add the egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined.. Fold in the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the marshmallows. Stir to combine.
- Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop measure 1.5 Tablespoons of dough for medium-sized cookies and place them on the prepared baking tray. Don’t crowd the cookies! These will spread quite a bit so I’ve found it’s best to keep it to 6 cookies per tray.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then take them out of the oven and gently press 2-3 marshmallows onto the tops of each cookie. Place back into the oven and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookies and sprinkle lightly with extra sea salt. The cookies will be soft but will continue to set as they cool.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooking rack to cool completely. Don’t disturb the cookies as they are cooling!
- Store the cookies at room temperature in a covered container for up to one week, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Judith Alexander says
Although these cookies tasted delicious, I won't make them again. The batter is too dry and crumbly. It was very hard to shape any kind of cookie to put it onto the pan. Then all the time you have to wait between each batch. And they were very hard to get off of the pan. Just too involved for me. I wasn't enjoying the experience. But, it was an experience.
Sarah Jenkins says
Sorry that was your experience Judith, although I'm glad you enjoyed the taste! Did you chill the cookie dough before baking? That helps to hold the cookies together, (and keeps them from spreading too much). Cookie dough can also become crumbly if you overmix the dough. You also do have to compact the dough a bit with a cookie scoop (or your hands) but I have never had a problem with the dough being too dry. And I do imagine they are hard to get off the pan if you don't use a slip mat or parchment paper as I suggest. The added marshmallows will stick right to that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Sharon says
These cookies were delicious--all the flavors of smores! I couldn't resist trying one immediately, but the ones that we let cool as stated in the recipe were definitely perfect.
PS--thanks for the reminder to use parchment, it makes clean up SO easy!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thank you Sharon!
Jess says
My family and I loved these cookies they were SO yummy! I will definitely be using this recipe in the future to make them again!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Jess!
Fran says
These looks so good! Those marshmallows. Have to try-yum!!!
alexis says
Can I use homemade marshmallows in this recipe?
Sarah Jenkins says
Hi Alexis! I used pre-bought marshmallows, but I don't see why you couldn't use homemade. Let me know how it goes! (And yum!! Definitely have homemeade marshmallows on my list of foods to experiment with. If you have a great recipe let me know!)
Alexi says
Thanks so much for your reply! I gave it a shot and they were AMAZING but jeez, such a sticky mess (still, it was totally worth it). I used the marshmallow recipe from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Eggs-Daily-Cookbook-Unexpected/dp/078524526X
Sarah Jenkins says
Awesome! will definitely have to try!
Melissa says
I ended up doing the final mix/fold adding in the Chico hips and marshmallows by hand to make sure it was all mixed evenly (without over mixing, the spatula wasn’t doin the job for me)
These ended up hitting the spot! Very chewy and delicious. Next time I might add crushed graham cracker or walnut/pistachio (I added a little extra chocolate just because of preference) I managed to fit 24 cookies on two pans and it was easy peasy. Will be making again.
Boxermom24 says
This recipe is perfect, these cookies are delicious. Chewy, gooey, exactly how I love them... mmm. And yes, use parchment for easy cleanup.
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Melissa!