Merry Mallow Fudgies

Each of these fudgy chocolate cookies hides a frozen marshmallow in its center. As the cookie bakes, the marshmallow melts into a gooey pocket while the cocoa dough cracks on the surface like a classic crinkle cookie. The sugar coating catches in those cracks, giving every cookie a sparkly, crackled finish.

Freezing the marshmallows for at least an hour before wrapping them in dough is a must. Frozen marshmallows hold their shape long enough for the dough to set around them in the oven. Room-temperature marshmallows melt too fast and leak out the bottom before the cookie firms up.

Watch these like a hawk. Five to seven minutes is all they need, and the window between perfectly gooey and overbaked is razor thin. The moment you see the first cookie crack on the surface, pull the whole tray. They’ll look slightly underdone, but they firm up as they cool. Leaving them in even a minute too long dries out the fudgy center and the marshmallow turns crunchy instead of gooey.

Kitchen Tips

• Use colored mini marshmallows for a fun surprise when you bite in, especially for holiday cookie trays.
• Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes. They’re extremely fragile when hot and will fall apart if you try to move them right away.
• Roll the dough balls generously in sugar. The coating creates the signature crinkle pattern as the cookie expands and cracks.

Variations

• Tuck a Rolo or caramel square inside instead of a marshmallow for a chocolate-caramel version.
• Roll in powdered sugar instead of granulated for a snowball look, great for Christmas cookie exchanges.
• Add a pinch of espresso powder to the dough to deepen the chocolate flavor.