These tender keto chocolate cookies are topped with sugar-free marshmallows and drizzled with a rich chocolate glaze. Fun, easy, and absolutely delectable! This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
I had an absolute blast creating these Keto Hot Chocolate Cookies. And they taste just as good as they look! They’re chewy and tender, with rich chocolate flavor. And the marshmallow in the center makes them so appealing and fun to eat.
I’ve been holding on to this idea for a while now and I intended to use my own Sugar Free Marshmallows for them. But then ChocZero came out with some and I decided to give them a try.
They worked perfectly, creating a soft and gooey center. And they taste great too!
Keto Baking Developments
Keto and low carb products have come a long way since I started this journey. We have so many more choices than we used to. That goes for the basics like keto flours and sweeteners, which are so much more readily available than they used to be.
But it particularly applies to the fun touches, like sugar-free sprinkles, candies, and chocolate. And marshmallows! Keto marshmallows that aren’t full of maltitol or aspertame? This is an exciting development, believe me!
ChocZero is definitely an innovator in the keto space, making everything from chocolate and peanut butter cups to jams and spreads. And now marshmallows!
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: I use good, fine almond flour like Bob’s Red Mill. You can also use sunflower seed flour, if you want them to be nut-free.
- Cocoa powder: I always use Dutch process cocoa powder for better texture and flavor.
- Collagen protein: A little collagen helps gives the cookies an extra softness and chewiness. You can skip it, but your cookies will firm up more.
- Almond butter: I love the way nut butter adds a tenderness to these cookies. You can always do sunbutter if you want to be nut-free.
- Keto marshmallows: This is what makes them Hot Chocolate Cookies! You can use the wonderful new marshmallows from ChocZero, or you can use my homemade sugar-free marshmallows. See the Expert Tips section for more details.
- Heavy cream: It’s such a small amount of cream that you want to heat it very gently. Once it’s bubbling, remove it from heat.
- Keto chocolate chips: The ChocZero dark chocolate chips make a nice, shiny glaze with the heavy cream.
- Pantry staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, salt
Step by Step Directions
1. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, collagen, baking soda, and salt.
2. Beat the wet ingredients: In another large bowl, beat the butter, almond butter, and sweetener together until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then beat in the almond flour mixture until the dough comes together.
3. Bake the cookies: Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart. Press each down just a little, to about ¾ inch thick. Bake 10 minutes, then remove and turn off the oven.
4. Add the marshmallows: Press a marshmallow into the center of each cookie. Return to the warm oven for 2 to 3 more minutes, watching carefully so that the marshmallows don’t melt completely.
5. Make the glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the cream until it begins to bubble (it does not take long with this tiny amount of cream so watch it carefully!). Add the chocolate and let sit to melt. Whisk until smooth, then allow to sit and thicken for a few minutes.
6. Drizzle and decorate: Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Add some sugar free sprinkles, if desired.
Expert tips
The marshmallows from ChocZero are made to hold up to heat a little better than homemade, so just be mindful of that when you put the cookies back in the oven. You want to keep your eye on them and make sure that the marshmallows don’t melt completely. The homemade ones will soften quite quickly.
If you do use homemade keto marshmallows, cut them into ¾ inch squares. That will be about the right size to press into the warm cookies.
You don’t have to use the collagen, but it does make a difference to the texture. It makes the cookies more chewy and tender.
More fun ways to use sugar-free marshmallows
- Use them as a topper for Sugar Free Hot Chocolate.
- Whip up a batch of Keto Rocky Road Fudge or Rocky Road Ice Cream.
- Make a giant Keto S’mores Cookie.
- Bake them into some delicious Keto Mississippi Mud Bars.
Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder Dutch process
- 2 tablespoon collagen protein powder (aka collagen peptides)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ChocZero Marshmallows
Chocolate Glaze
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 ounce dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, collagen, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large bowl, beat the butter, almond butter, and sweetener together until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then beat in the almond flour mixture until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart. Press each down just a little, to about ¾ inch thick.
- Bake 10 minutes, then remove and turn off the oven. Press a marshmallow into the center of each cookie. Return to the warm oven for 1 to 3 more minutes, watching carefully so that the marshmallows don't melt completely.
- Remove and let cool on the pan.
Chocolate Glaze
- In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the cream until it begins to bubble (it does not take long with this tiny amount of cream so watch it carefully!). Add the chocolate and let sit to melt.
- Whisk until smooth, then allow to sit and thicken for a few minutes. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
- Add some sugar free sprinkles, if desired.
Sue says
I HAD to make these because I wanted to try the new ChocZero marshmallows. They did spread quite a bit. I’m wondering if it’s because I used a silicone baking mat rather than parchment…anyway, they are so good! One cookie is a pretty good sized treat. Thanks for another great recipe!
Carolyn says
I used a silicone mat too. I think maybe your nut butter was really thin… if that’s the case you can add a little almond flour or coconut flour to make it more firm.
Cheryl says
If I could give you 10 stars I would..these were WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS.
Mine spread and were bigger…but the taste was..omg
Cara Patterson says
Just wanted clarification. The ingredients list baking powder, but instructions indicate baking soda. Just wanted to make sure which to use. Thanks. So LOVE your recipes!
Carolyn says
Baking soda!
Sandra says
FYI: you have baking powder in the list of ingredients but it says baking soda in the directions
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Marla says
Carolyn it still says baking powder. I made it with baking powder. Guess I will see how it comes out! LOL!
I used the ChocZero marshmallows and you are right they don’t melt as much. I had them in the warm oven for a bit over 3 minutes. My cookies were flat and when I made the glaze the 1 oz of chocolate chips wasn’t enough. I ended up having to add more so the glaze wasn’t runny. I ended up having to put the cookies in the refrigerator in hopes it would firm up the chocolate. And my kitchen is cold! They should have done that one their own.
The cookie is good and I love a good reason to use my ChocZero marshmallows. I will make these again and try baking soda instead.
Kate says
Lol, you beat out Preppy Kitchen – he just posted a non keto version of this recipe.
Rachel says
I just made the Hot Chocolate Cookies and they are delicious. I can’t really call them hot chocolate because I make substitutions a lot, but they are a hit at my house.
This is my first time using collagen powder and it did make a big difference. I can’t wait to try it in the Peanut Butter Muffins recipe.
I used my own homemade peanut butter instead of almond butter, which gave the cookie a peanut butter chocolate taste, so I abandoned the marshmallow idea. I also decided to take a chance and use my favorite copycat sweetener mix that includes xylitol, erythritol, and stevia and it worked just fine in spite of needing only half the amount of sweetener.
It’s been ages since I’ve made cookies, and it reminded me of many happy times as a teen. I look forward to trying more cookie recipes. Thank You!
Carolyn says
Well… definitely not quite the same cookies but glad you enjoyed what you made and that you tried out the collagen!
Shelbi says
These cookies taste good, but something definitely went wrong with mine because they are like flat chocolate pancakes. I followed the recipe to a T (collagen peptides and all) up to the point of adding the marshmallows. I stopped there because mine were completely flat and I didn’t see a point in pressing a marshmallow into them. I’m so bummed–I’ve made so many of your recipes, Carolyn! Not sure what happened this time.
Carolyn says
Sounds like you didn’t have enough flour. What brand did you use? Or… could have been your almond butter, now that I think about it. If it was really loose and oily, it would cause that.
Shelbi says
I used Bob’s Red Mill super-fine almond flour. But now that you mention it, I think my almond butter may have been what caused the issue. I had MaraNatha Almond Butter on hand, and although I mixed it well before using it, it is still pretty runny compared to other brands. I’ll make notes for next time! Thank you, Carolyn.
Carolyn says
Yep sounds like maybe the issue. I should perhaps make a note of that in the recipe. Thanks for the feedback.
Patrice says
Is the sweetener not listed in the recipe or am I missing it? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Carolyn says
You aren’t! Someone else pointed out my error too!