Welcome to Christmas Week, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. Each day we will be celebrating a new holiday baking theme where each blogger makes a dish they love. We hope you enjoy this fabulous event. Tune in each day starting Monday December 3rd and ending Friday December 7th.

Want to know what you can expect to see? Here is the schedule:

• Monday, December 3rd – Christmas Cookies/Bars
• Tuesday, December 4th – Peppermint Surprise
• Wednesday, December 5th – Christmas Cakes/Cupcakes
• Thursday, December 6th – Gingerbread Surprise
• Friday, December 7th – Christmas Pie/Pastry

I hope you weren’t starting any kind of diet this week, because it’s about to get ruined.

For today’s theme, “Christmas Cookies/Bars”, I decided to make hot cocoa cookies because nothing warms me up more during the cold holidays than hot cocoa. These cookies are complete with miniature marshmallow bits mixed in and a miniature 3 Musketeers Hot Cocoa candy bar pressed into the middle to make a variation of a blossom cookie. And they taste just like hot cocoa!

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers’ creations:

• Mice Cookies from Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic
• Biscoff Blossoms from Jen of Juanita’s Cocina
• Double Chocolate Thumbprints from Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cookie Sticks from Anuradha of Baker Street
• Snickerdoodles Snowballs from Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Cranberry Pistachio Christmas Biscotti from Isabelle of Crumb
• Mint Chocolate Pudding Cookies from Erin of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• Hot Cocoa Blossoms from Erin of Spiffy Cookie
• Jam Thumbprints from Ramona of Curry and Comfort
• Fudgy Cathedral Cookies from Heather of Girlichef
• Cherry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Cathy of A Dutch Baker’s Daughter
• Cranberry Sauce Brownies from Chung-Ah of Damn Delicious

Two years ago: Latkas

HOT COCOA BLOSSOMS

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

1-1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2/3 cup homemade hot cocoa mix (or 2 packages Hot Chocolate Mix)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 + 1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup Marshmallow Bits (you could substitute mini marshmallows)

24 3 Musketeers Hot Cocoa  mini candy bars, unwrapped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. And in eggs and vanilla and blend well. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients, including the hot cocoa mix.
3. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet ingredients. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place on prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 8-11 minutes. Lightly press a miniature candy bar into the center of each. Allow to cool for approximately five minutes then remove from cookie sheet.

Source: Halved and adapted slightly from Love from the Oven.