Ingredients
Method
- Prep the oven and pansPreheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Seriously, if you skip the parchment, you will be scraping marshmallow glue off your pan until next Christmas.
- Whisk the dry ingredientsIn a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. I know washing two bowls is annoying, but this evenly distributes the leavening agents and stops you from biting into a clump of pure baking soda later.
- Cream the butter and sugars In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed. Do this for a full 2 minutes until the mixture is visibly pale, light, and fluffy.
- Incorporate the wet ingredientsAdd the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla extract. Stop the mixer and thoroughly scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The mixer always misses that one stubborn chunk of butter at the very bottom.
- Blend dry into wetAdd the whisked dry ingredients to your wet mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. Stop the second you no longer see streaks of dry flour. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes cookies tough instead of chewy
- Scoop the doughUsing a cookie scoop or a spoon, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Give them space—they spread out and value their personal bubble.
- The Marshmallow ManeuverBake for exactly 8 minutes. The edges should look set but the centers will still be very soft. Open the oven, carefully slide out the rack, and quickly but gently press one marshmallow half (sticky side down) into the center of each cookie.
- The Final Bake: Push the pan back into the oven and bake for 1 additional minute. This allows the marshmallows to get soft and puffy without turning into liquid sugar. Try not to burn your knuckles on the upper oven rack during this frantic step!
- Cool and garnishRemove from the oven. Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes so they can set up, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. While the marshmallow is still warm and sticky, sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate on top. Pro-tip: The chopped chocolate hides any ugly, uneven spots perfectly.