Things I Cook: Hot Chocolate Cookies

Back when I still had a Facebook account, I started posting pictures of the food I'd cook, along with the recipes. To be honest, I started doing it to prove to loved ones that I can indeed cook, and am no longer the girl who burns food in the crock pot (true story). Since I no longer have my account, I thought I'd resume the food blogging here. For my first post, I bring you Hot Chocolate Cookies.

This recipe comes from Best Holiday Cookies, a book I received for Christmas from a co-worker. The Hot Chocolate Cookies immediately caught my eye because they looked delicious, and the recipe was simple (taken directly from the book):

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

mini marshmallows, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter, sugar and salt in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add 1/4 cup melted chocolate; beat until well blended. Gradually add flour, beating after each addition.

3. Shape dough by level tablespoonfuls into balls. (If dough is too soft, refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.) Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Spread about 1 teaspoon remaining melted chocolate onto each cookie. Sprinkle with marshmallow pieces; press gently into chocolate. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until set.

Tip (not from book, but what I learned by watching Take Home Chef): Chocolate can be easy to burn. In order to avoid this, heat a pot of water on the oven. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and place the bowl over the hot water. The heat from the water will melt the chocolate without burning it. Thanks, Curtis Stone!

Here's how mine turned out:

Mine were considerably bigger and flatter than the ones in the picture, so I think my tablespoons were too big. I also didn't melt enough chocolate, as I only eyeballed it and melted it as I went along.

The verdict: They didn't blow me away. It seemed like all I could taste was the butter, sugar and salt. The melted chocolate on top and the marshmallows did help somewhat, but not enough to warrant making these cookies again.