Hot Cocoa Brownies are chewy brownies, packed full of hot cocoa and tiny marshmallows bits. Make this easy cocoa brownies recipe and enjoy them with a mug of hot chocolate!
This hot cocoa brownies recipe is made using packets of hot cocoa! Homemade hot chocolate is great, but instant hot cocoa allows me to relive my childhood at my Gram's house. You know, the powder that comes in the little envelopes that you add some hot water or milk to. YUM!
Are you looking for hot cocoa-inspired desserts?
I have Hot Cocoa Meringue Cookies that are a meringue cookie with hot cocoa mix and chocolate chips folded into them. They're SO good!
Hot Chocolate Fudge is another great sweet treat with hot cocoa mix in it! If you love fudge, you have to try this recipe!
Hot Cocoa Brownies with Marshmallows
So the thing I think I adore the most about these chewy marshmallow brownies is the crispy, shiny crust and the bits of marshmallows. If I had the entire pan of homemade brownies to myself, I could see myself scraping the tops off the brownies and eating them first. Don't worry, I didn't have a chance with other family members in the house scarfing them down.
These brownies aren't a rich dark brown color because I didn't load them up with cocoa powder. I wanted the hot cocoa flavor to shine through so I just added more hot cocoa instead of cocoa powder. I also added the tiny mallow bits into the batter and I think that added another layer of chewy.
Brownie Ingredients
As with most brownie recipes, this recipe only requires basic ingredients plus the hot cocoa mix and the tiny marshmallow bits. Let's run through them quickly.
Get the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- butter - melted
- sugar - this recipe uses all granulated sugar.
- vanilla extract - use your favorite kind.
- hot cocoa mix - I linked to the kind I like. It's Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa without marshmallows in .73 ounce envelopes. I buy the mallow bits separate.
- flour - all-purpose flour was used in this hot cocoa brownie recipe.
- baking powder - The levening agent that gives the brownies a little puff.
- mallow bits - I used to buy these at Walmart, but now I get to get them online or from the country store a couple of towns over. I linked to them on Amazon to check out.
How to Make Hot Cocoa Brownies
As with most brownies, this recipe is quick and simple. It's a one bowl brownie mix and it takes no time at all to throw together.
Step 1 - Add the cooled melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes until pale and thick.
Step 2 - Add in the cocoa powder mix, flour, and baking powder. Beat on low until the dry ingredients are worked into the batter.
Step 3 - Stir in the mallow bits until evenly distributed.
Step 4 - Pour the brownie batter in a greased and parchment-lined 8x8 square pan and evenly spread out. Sprinkle the remaining mallow bits on top and bake.
How to Store Brownies
Once the brownies are completely cooled, cut the brownies into 9 pieces. tightly wrap each brownie in plastic wrap or place them all in an airtight container. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They will start to get hard after the first 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Cocoa powder is unsweetened with nothing else in it other than the cocoa powder. Hot Cocoa mix is sweetened with powdered sugar/granulated sugar, has a milk powder, sometimes marshmallows, and cocoa powder.
You can if you can't find the mallow bits, but I highly recommend looking for them.
Yes! Let the brownies cool completely and remove them from the pan. Tightly wrap the brownies in two layers of plastic wrap and then heavy-duty foil. Place in a freezer bag and store up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can also slice the brownies, but with more edges that are exposed, the more likely you'll have some brownies with hard edges after they've thawed. If you only have a few leftover brownies from the pan, you can wrap them individually with two layers of plastic wrap very tightly. Wrap with a layer of foil and then pop in a freezer bag to store for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place the pan of brownies or slices in the fridge overnight. You can also leave them out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour to thaw.
Brownies and Bars to Try
Hot Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 (.73 ounces each) envelopes milk chocolate hot cocoa mix without marshmallows *see notes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons tiny mallow bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and drape the parchment over two opposite sides of the pan. This will provide a handle to pull out the brownies. Then spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, beat for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture turns pale and becomes thick and fluffy.
- Add in the baking powder, hot cocoa envelopes and flour. Mix with the hand mixer on low until incorporated. Scrape down sides and give a quick mix to incorporate.
- Stir in ½ cup of mallow bits into the batter.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Make sure to spread to all of the edges and corners.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of tiny mallow bits on top of the brownies.
- Place into the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until done. Place a toothpick into the center of the brownies and if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs, it's done. If there's still batter, let bake a little longer.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Cut into squares and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
This post was originally posted on February 26, 2016. It's being updated February 2022 to add additional information and tweaks to the brownie recipe.
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Super delicious stack! Love hot cocoa in my brownies!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
What a fun recipe for baking with kids! I used to love those envelopes of hot cocoa but never thought to use them in baking - so creative.
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire says
Gah! I love that you used hot cocoa instead of regular cocoa powder. Pure genius. And so perfect for these last few weeks of winter. I need it!
lorraine says
These look amazing, I can't wait to make them! My only question is that the ingredients list doesn't have any baking powder, but it's in the instructions in step 3?
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
Hot Cocoa brownies--oh my word! My kids would be in heaven.
Miranda says
Yesss! It's the perfect brownie for kiddies!
Lorraine says
Amazing! But how much baking powder is there meant to be? It's mentioned in the method but it's not in the ingredients
Miranda says
Thank you Lorraine for letting me know! It's 1 tsp. baking powder. I updated the recipe. 🙂
Cynthia Rusincovitch says
I LOVE hot cocoa. I even put it in my coffee, haha. These sound great and I can't wait to try them! Thanks for linking up with Delicious Dishes Recipe Party!
Amanda @The Kolb Corner says
Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!
JILL NELSON says
How do you manage to cut your brownies perfectly? Everyone loves brownies! I always make them for events but I do find it VERY difficult to cut them neatly. The only way I have found to cut them perfectly is to freeze them and then cut them....do you have any other suggestions? Thank you for the great recipe!!
Michelle says
I have found that using a plastic knife is the best way to cut brownies. A friend told me about the trick and I thought it sounded crazy, but it works.
Miranda C. says
I'll have to give this a try too! Thanks!
Kari Wagner Hoban says
Making these for Super Bowl!!
Liz W. says
Oh my...This looks wonderful!! I'm imagining solid hot chocolate. Thanks so much for linking up with us at Funtastic Friday!
Heidi says
What a great brownie idea! Featuring as part of our Valentine treat roundup tonight on Funtastic Friday at Building Our Hive!
Aliee says
Followed the recipe to a T, and even left the brownies in an extra 15 minutes because they weren't quite done yet, only to have a completely cooked exterior and doughy collapsed interior. Very disappointed
Penny says
Very little flavor, doubled the cook time and brownies were still wet and undercooked. Good if you don’t have an alternative.
Miranda C. says
Hi Penny! These brownies definitely have a lighter chocolate flavor than others. They are supposed to be more like a cup of hot cocoa rather than a super-rich, decadent brownie. Also, just a great way to use extra hot cocoa packs you may have on hand. If you want to add more chocolate taste, use three hot cocoa envelopes and 1 Tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. Hope this helps! Enjoy.
Carrie says
Mine came out with no flavor. The only substitutions I had were margarine and I had to do everything by hand. Was just wondering what might have gone wrong? I see several people said they were going to make them but didn't so I'm not sure if it was the recipe or me lol that's why a 3.
Chloe says
Mine have been in the oven baking for an hour because they’re still runny. Sad thing is I did everything right.
Miranda says
I just retested them and they still came out perfectly at 35 minutes. Did you poke them to see if there was still wet batter or did you poke the top with your finger to check for firmness? For this recipe, I would recommend inserting a toothpick in the center of the brownies. Moist crumbs are fine, wet batter means they need more time.
Midnight says
Made these! Halved recipe, used mint hot chocolate, added semi-sweet chips, no marshmallows, decreased sugar to 1/3 cup (instead of one half for a halved recipe-which was just right since I added chips and there is sugar in the hot chocolate). I sifted the baking powder, flour, and chocolate together with the chips first. I used salted butter, but if I use unsalted in the future, I would add a 1/4 tsp. of salt. One more tip. The recipient calls for whipping up the butter mixture beforehand, which I did-but not until it was entirely fluffy. I might omit this step if I'm trying for fudgyier brownies. Right now they are akin to a chewy mint blondie because there isn't that dark look to them. Might consider adding melted chocolate next time. I also believe I could adjust this recipe to make peanut butter brownies at some point (use regular or maybe white hot chocolate instead of mint). So glad I Googled and found this recipe. Thank you!
Carol K. says
I think they were wonderful! Baked them last night and used brown sugar instead of white because was out of the white. I added about 1/3 cup coconut and 1/2 cup of walnuts and a little extra marshmallow on top. They came out perfect and this will now be one of my go to recipes! Thank you.
Miranda C. says
So glad to hear you loved them! Fun additions too 🙂
Sheila Van Hoeter says
Fifth time making these. I have used swiss miss mint cocoa, SM caramel cocoa and SW regular. Too good!!!
Robin F. says
I've made these multiple times and they were a hit! First for a party, then just for some friends and family, and for school. They came out chewy and for me, the flavor came through.
The only downside is now my classmates keep asking when I'll be bringing more
Alyssa says
This has been cooking for an hour and it’s not done
Danielle says
.73oz does not seem like enough cocoa mix. These haven’t come out of the oven yet, but I’m already disappointed I only added a little bit of extra mix and I added chocolate chips too. They look like blondies 🙁
Miranda says
You should have added 4 (.73 ounce) packets.
Elizabeth Lincoln says
My cocoa mix is in a canister, not packets. 4-5 packets equals what amount in a measuring cup? Thank you! I can't wait to try this recipe!
Miranda says
4 packets equals about 1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons spooned in and not packed or 5 packets is about 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon spooned in and not packed. If you tap the measuring cup down, it will easily pack itself which you don't want.
Ashley says
I made these and they were fantastic! I didn’t have marshmallows so I mixed in semisweet chocolate chips and topped them with milk chocolate frosting. Served them warm with a scoop of ice cream 🙂
Lisa says
My son made these over the weekend, doubled the recipe, and subbed brown sugar for the white sugar. These are the BEST brownies I’ve ever had!! Dense with crisp edges…yummy!!!
Miranda says
Yay!! I'm glad they were a hit!