Hot Chocolate Cookies (jar mix)

These cookies are SO good!  Here's the thing:  Hot chocolate is my favorite thing this time of year!  So hot chocolate cookies just hit the spot.  Stay tuned because--like the other mixes I've shared here since May--they make fantastic gifts for neighbors and friends.  

Ask me why I love gifting these jar mixes to neighbors and friends.  Go ahead.  

First, they're easy to assemble, and I can make these mixes weeks and weeks before actually giving them out.  It makes December less busy for me.  Second, people are often inundated with treats this time of year, so I love giving people an option to enjoy my treat in February or April if they prefer. 

And, of course, jar mixes are fantastic to make ahead of time for yourself!  Need to throw a quick meal together?  Pull out the jar of Taco Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Turkey & Stuffing, Vegetable Legume Soup, or Hearty Breakfast and whip it up in no time.  Or always have Peachy Oat Bread, Oatmeal Chocolate Pecan Cookies, or these Hot Chocolate Cookies on hand all the time, too.  

I personally love stirring a candy cane piece into my hot chocolate for some delicious mint hot chocolate, which is technically what this recipe is.  But if you don't, you can leave out the candy cane bits.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS JAR MIX:  

• Jar mixes should be used within about a year unless you seal them (like with a FoodSaver and the jar attachment) or use oxygen absorbers.  
• If you decide to gift this the way I have pictured, use a piece of fabric about 6"x6".
• Making these cookies requires oil and eggs in addition to the dry ingredients in the jar mix.  Oil is already pantry-friendly, but there are a few pantry-friend options for eggs, which you can find here. I made these cookies using the pantry-friendly (shelf-stable) dried egg powder, and they turned out great.

HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

PREP TIME (making the jar mix):  10 minutes
COOK TIME:  20-25 minutes

JAR MIX INGREDIENTS

In a wide-mouth quart jar, layer in order, tamping down to help the ingredients settle (as needed):

• 1  1/4 c. flour
• 1/4 c. cocoa
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda

In a small baggie, combine:

• 2/3 c. chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. Mallow Bits (or if you want them in bulk to give away as jar mix gifts, try these) 
• 1/3 c. crushed candy canes or Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (optional)  NOTE: If you use candy canes, they'll stay crunchy after baking.  The Andes chips will melt like the chocolate chips and Mallow Bits.

Place the baggie in the jar on top of the baking ingredients.

Consult the directions below for more accurate directions.

COOKING DIRECTIONS

Attach to the jar using a sticker or tag:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove baggie from the jar.  Mix jar contents with 2 eggs and 1/2 c. oil using an electric mixer.  When mixed thoroughly, stir in contents of baggie.  Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a cookie sheet.  Bake 7-9 minutes.  Let cool at least 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire cooling rack.  Cookies will be very soft.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Hooray!  This blog post was a featured favorite here: