Let's get something straight, right off the bat. This is not an Oreo copycat recipe. Oreos are crisp and crunchy chocolate wafer cookies with a stiff filling. If you're looking for a dead ringer gluten free copycat recipe for those, well you'll have to wait until your preordered copy of Gluten Free Classic Snacks hits your doorstep early next year (!). These are soft and chewy, deeply chocolate gluten free hot chocolate cookies that I sandwiched with nothing more than a simple store-bought marshmallow. These are their own easy-but-decadent chocolatey sandwich cookie, and I'm not ashamed to admit that when other corners of the Internet claim to present an Oreo copycat recipe, but the cookies are soft and chewy—I get pretty hot under the collar. Not only is that simply not a true Oreo copycat, but it completely devalues the soft and chewy chocolate cookie. And this particular soft and chewy chocolate cookie has all the flavor of hot chocolate, but in a sweet little sandwich cookie. Let's give this cookie its due credit!
These cookies are a direct result of a reader request. Lately, many of you have been petitioning (in the best way!) to have me add certain photos to my Must Make Gluten Free Pinterest Board, a blog-idea-generation playground that is near and dear to my heart. I get to show you what I'm thinking of blogging about, and you get to tell me how you feeeeeeel about it by either ignoring the pins, or “voting” for your favorites by clicking the ♥ or repinning the photo. From the looks of it, you were pretty excited about these soft and chewy chocolate cookie gems.
The original recipe called for topping chewy chocolate cookies with a piece of chocolate and a cut marshmallow. They look lovely, they really do. And if that's how you want to do it, by all means go for it! But I like to be able to pile any and all cookies I bake into a zip-top bag so I can then store them in the freezer. So I decided to make these into super-simple cookie sandwiches, with a softened marshmallow as the filling. Then I feel ready for cookie emergencies, which happen around here daily. And a good cookie freezer stash simply cannot be overvalued.
Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, chopped
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 cup (218 g) packed light brown sugar
3 eggs (180 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
20 large gluten free marshmallows (Campfire Marshmallows and Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows are both gluten free in the U.S.)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside. In a small, heat-safe bowl, melt the chopped chocolate chopped butter until smooth (either over a double boiler in which the bowl sits over a small pot of simmering water without touching the water, or in the microwave in 30-second intervals at 60% power, stirring in between). Set the chocolate and butter aside to cool briefly.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again to combine, working out any lumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the chocolate and butter mixture, then the eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough should be thick and glossy. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoon on the prepared baking sheets, about 2-inches apart from one another. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until chilled.
Roll each piece of chilled dough into a ball between your palms, and then flatten into a 1/2-inch disk. Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake until set in the center (about 12 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool until firm on the baking sheet (about 5 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Invert half of the cooled cookies on a flat surface. Soften each marshmallow, one or two at a time, in the microwave (just under 10 seconds should do it) or over a flame on the stovetop and place one on top of the overturned cookies. Top each with one of the remaining cookies and press down gently to sandwich.
Adapted from these Hot Cocoa Cookies, by reader request!
Sherry L says
Hi Nicole, these look awesome! I would like to make these for my daughter’s Volleyball team, but I only have about 8 oz baking choc. I know that the recipe calls for chopped chocolate, but would it be ok to sub all or some of the baking chocolate with semi- sweet chocolate chips? I will probably try it anyway(and report back;)but I am curious about your opinion.
Thanks!
Robin @ OurOwnFlavor blog says
How do you eat these from your freezer stash? In case of chocolate cookie emergency… Do we microwave briefly, leave on counter for a certain amount of time? I apologize if this is in the post somewhere. I think I read the whole thing but I have a GF five year old badgering me to make these as I read. :)
Nicole Hunn says
I really like your question, Robin! You don’t want to mess around once the emergency this, right? These cookies are actually soft enough, that, unless you overbake them at all, they don’t freeze totally firm and can be enjoyed right out of the freezer. But if you do overbake them at all, you could try a very quick spin of the frozen cookie sandwiches in the microwave before serving.
Grommie says
These sound great. Do you think these would make good ice cream sandwich cookies?
Nicole Hunn says
I do, Grommie.
Katy Maguire says
We made these today, but I’ve made so many of your recipes lately that I was out of the ingredients to make one of your flour recipes. I had some Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose flour laying around from some of my first gluten free baking tries. It is unbelievable to so see the difference. We only made a half recipe because we only had half the chocolate powder and chocolate. We did like the cookies, but I felt the marshmallow in the middle wasn’t enough. I whipped up a cream cheese filling and it makes them so fabulous. Just 8 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla. Yum!
Charlie says
I love the idea of these simple cookies.
Could I make them with normal flour?
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Nicole Hunn says
I would stick with the original recipe I adapted them from, Charlie, as I haven’t baked with conventional flour (I don’t tend to think of gluten free as abnormal!) in many years so I really can’t say!
Anneke says
I love that you used regular old marshmallows from a bag for these. I love baking everything from scratch, but sometimes you just need to push the easy button, you know? Did you also know that your friend, Tim, does not like hot chocolate? Weird, right? I’ll have to see what he thinks of these beauties!
Nicole Hunn says
I totally know, Anneke. Totally.
Jennifer S. says
yummy!
Lucy says
Yum! I have to take a baking break though. My girls are needing some sweat pants and the fabric is waiting for me!
Donia Robinson says
If these ship, I’ll send you my address, ok???