Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Bars

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Bars

Jessie Cagliero
Recipes, Desserts, Cookies, Bars

These decadent bars are loaded with cinnamon chocolate goodness. Spicy cinnamon and rich cocoa powder flavor these chewy bars. Plus they are speckled with marshmallows that melt in your mouth with every bite!

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Why you’ll love mexican hot chocolate cookie bars

These decadent bars are loaded with cinnamon chocolate goodness. Spicy cinnamon and rich cocoa powder flavor these chewy bars. Plus they are speckled with marshmallows that melt in your mouth with every bite!

I’ve always loved this flavor combination in a cookie, and now it’s even easier to make as a bar- you can mix all the ingredients in just one bowl and bake them up in one 8 x 8 inch baking dish! So easy to make and even easier to clean up!

Recipe Tips for the best mexican hot chocolate cookie bars

  • Sift the cocoa powder for an easier time mixing it in and a smoother batter.

  • Do not over bake them. The key to a soft and chewy cookie is to pull them out of the oven as soon as they puff up in the center and turn light golden brown around the edges. The same is true for cookie bars. This is not a secret, but it makes a HUGE difference in the texture of your cookie, and I think it also makes them last a little longer too!

Tips for baking with marshmallows

  • Freeze the marshmallows! This is the absolute most important tip for baking with marshmallows. Leave them in the freezer for at least two hours to harden. This will help them bake slower so they don’t burn and melt.

  • Place a piece of foil over the top of the dish halfway through the bake. This is also crucial to keep the marshmallows from burning.

  • If you leave the dish in the oven a little bit too long, the marshmallows will burn and turn translucent, so make sure you remove the pan when the timer goes off, or at least watch it very carefully at the end of the bake. The marshmallows should still look bright white with just a light golden on top when you remove the pan from the oven.

Recipe Variations

If spicy is not for you, skip the cayenne pepper. They will still taste just as amazing!

If spicy IS for you, feel free to add extra cayenne pepper. I suggest starting small with just an additional 1/8 teaspoon and taste the batter. You can add more from there, but just know it can come through pretty powerful so take it slow as you’re adding extra into the mix!

FAQ

  • Cookie bars are actually a bar dessert rather than a cookie. Cookies are shaped or dropped onto a pan in individual serving sizes, while cookie bars are baked in a baking dish as one piece and sliced into individual sized pieces. The flavor outcome is very similar, and I find bar cookies to be even faster and easier than cookies!

  • You either have too much flour in the recipe

    • Your dough will look crumbly and be hard to compact together. Add 1 tablespoon of melted and cooled unsalted butter at a time until until the dough is just able to stick together.

    Or you left the pan in the oven too long

    • Sorry, there is really no way to fix this. The next time you bake this recipe, set a timer and check the bars five minutes early, then you can watch them closely until they are ready - they should be just lightly golden brown around the edges and puffy in the middle.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

  • Spatula

  • Stand mixer or hand mixer

  • parchment paper

  • 8 x 8 inch baking dish

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar

  • ⅓ cup brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/8 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup butter melted

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 3/4  cup flour

  • 3/4 cup mini marshmallows, frozen

How to make mexican hot chocolate cookie bars

Prep

  • Freeze your marshmallows for at least two hours.

  • Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly

  • Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper

Mix the dough

  • In a large bowl mix granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, powdered cayenne pepper, baking soda, and salt together.

  • Add the butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

  • Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.

  • Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

  • Add the flour and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Bake

  • Pour half the mixture into the parchment lined pan. Spread the dough across the pan, filling each corner and covering the bottom.

  • Sprinkle the marshmallows on top and spread them out evenly.

  • Add the remaining dough on top and spread it out evenly, mixing the marshmallows into it as you spread. The marshmallows should peek out from the dough.

  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and the middle puffs up slightly.

  • Let cool and set in the pan for about 1 hour or until the bars are completely cooled.

How to Store

Store mexican hot chocolate cookie bars at room temperature in an air tight container for up to five days, or store in the refrigerator for up to five days. If stored in the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or pop in the microwave for five to ten seconds to warm to room temperature.

You can also freeze mexican hot chocolate cookie bars easily. Just place (fully baked and cooled) in an air tight freezer container and store in the freezer for up to three months. Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator 24 hours prior to serving.

cinnamon hot chocolate, mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodle cookies, soft mexican hot chocolate cookies, mexican hot chocolate cookies with chili cayenne, mexican hot chocolate cookies with cinnamon
dessert, cookies, bars
american
Servings: 15
Author: Jessie Cagliero

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Bars

These decadent bars are loaded with cinnamon chocolate goodness. Spicy cinnamon and rich cocoa powder flavor these chewy bars. Plus they are speckled with marshmallows that melt in your mouth with every bite!
Prep time: 20 minutesCook time: 20 minutesTotal time: 40 minutes
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Freeze your marshmallows for at least two hours.
  2. Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly
  3. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper
  4. In a large bowl mix granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, powdered cayenne pepper, baking soda, and salt together.
  5. Add the butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
  7. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
  8. Add the flour and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
  9. Pour half the mixture into the parchment lined pan. Spread the dough across the pan, filling each corner and covering the bottom.
  10. Sprinkle the marshmallows on top and spread them out evenly.
  11. Add the remaining dough on top and spread it out evenly, mixing the marshmallows into it as you spread. The marshmallows should peek out from the dough.
  12. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and the middle puffs up slightly.
  13. Let cool and set in the pan for about 1 hour or until the bars are completely cooled.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

129

Fat

7 g

Sat. Fat

4 g

Carbs

17 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

16 g

Sugar

11 g

Protein

1 g

Sodium

114 mg

Cholesterol

27 mg

*Nutrition is auto-calculated by recipes generator.

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