These vegan Mexican hot chocolate cookies are super chocolatey with a touch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper, similar to the popular drink. They are easy to make and topped with a chewy marshmallow, just like a mug of hot cocoa.
We absolutely love these cookies, but they were super tricky to get “right”. While I wanted a hint of spice, I didn’t want them super spicy. The first time I made them my mouth felt like it was on fire!
Eventually, with a lot of help from taste testers (my friends who I kept bringing cookies to), I got them just right! And happily, everyone loves them.
That being said, if you like things really spicy, you can increase the amount of cayenne pepper. But I highly recommend you stick to the recipe so the chocolate and cinnamon don't get overwhelmed by the heat.
If you’re looking for more cookies with chocolate chips, try my vegan mint chocolate chip cookies, vegan miso chocolate chip cookies, and my vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
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Why You’ll Love These Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Unique flavor: There’s just a bit of spice from the cayenne pepper which isn’t common in cookies. But it works in this recipe, especially combined with cinnamon and chocolate
- Marshmallows: I love the rich chocolate cookie paired with the creamy marshmallow. I also use marshmallows in my vegan fluffernutter cookies which is another favorite.
- Perfect for the holiday season: Nothing says holidays and winter like a warm mug of hot cocoa, topped with marshmallows. Instead of the drink, serve your family these cookies.
What Is Mexican Hot Chocolate?
Mexican hot chocolate is a rich chocolate spiced drink. It’s made with chocolate and cinnamon, and then there’s usually a kick from either chili powder or cayenne pepper. It’s both sweet and spicy!
If you love Mexican-inspired recipes, try my vegan Mexican casserole and vegan taco casserole.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter: My favorite brand to bake with is Country Crock Plant Butter.
- Soy milk: I always bake with unsweetened soy milk but you can use any non-dairy milk you like. It’s a small amount and won’t really affect the flavor.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: You can use regular or dark cocoa - both types work.
- Vegan marshmallows: I like using both Dandies and Trader Joe’s brands. Dandies are available all year long but Trader Joe’s usually only has them seasonally.
- Brown sugar: You can use dark or light brown, whatever you have.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
How To Make Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: Cream the vegan butter and the brown sugar in a stand mixer. Make sure your vegan butter is softened.
Step 3: Mix in the vanilla extract and soy milk. It will be pretty liquidy.
Step 4: Next, slowly mix in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper to form your cookie dough. It will be a little sticky.
Step 5: Stir in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Step 6: Spoon out about 1 ½ tablespoons worth of dough onto the baking sheet. If you have a small cookie scoop, I highly recommend using it.
Step 7: Bake in the oven for 13 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven - the cookies will be very soft.
Step 8: Gently press the marshmallow half on top of each one right away. The hot cookie will slightly melt the bottom of the marshmallow which is what causes it to stick to the cookie.
Step 9: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can just use a hand mixer with a large bowl.
- Make sure you put the marshmallows on top of the cookies as soon as they’re out of the oven. The hot cookies will melt the bottoms of the marshmallows so they’ll stick to them once they cool.
Recipe and Storage FAQs
You can store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. I would use them within 4 days.
No, there’s just a little kick from the cayenne. If you don’t want any spice, you could just leave out the cayenne.
Any brand you can find! I really like the ones from Trader Joe's which are accidentally vegan. I can also find dairy-free chocolate chips in Target and Shoprite.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup soy milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup chocolate chips (vegan)
- 12 vegan marshmallows, cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Cream together the softened vegan butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Mix in the vanilla extract and soy milk.
- Slowly mix in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper. The dough will be a little sticky.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon out about 1½ tablespoon of dough onto the baking sheet. I like to use a small cookie scoop to keep the sized even but that's optional.
- Bake in the oven for 13 minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven and gently press a half of a marshmallow on top of each one. The cookies will be very soft and the heat will slightly melt the bottom of the marshmallows so they stick to the cookies.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If you don't have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer with a large bowl.
- Make sure you put the marshmallow on top of the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. You want the heat to slightly melt the bottom of them.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- My favorite brand of vegan marshmallows is Dandies. I also love Trader Joe's brand but they are only available seasonally.
Jen says
I've been taking these to my kids sporting events for the players and parents. They've been a big hit!
Margaret P says
These are delicious and the spice level is perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
Jen Cardenas says
Thanks Margaret! Glad the spice level worked out for you and you liked them!