Oh Yeah....Smothered Hot Chocolate Cookies!

So, it's getting dark earlier now...certainly not as early as I remember of my days in Britain....in November,  it would actually start getting dark at 3:30 pm.  Seriously.  But I digress....it is getting dark earlier...and cold...and I actually wore gloves today.  So these cookies are very appropriate....fudgey chocolate cookie, smothered in chocolate frosting with a lovely marshmallow surprise inside.  Uh huh!

Just like a warm hot chocolate in front of the fire...but better because it is sweeter and meltier and slathered in chocolate!  So, we welcome the cold.  We embrace the cold.  We mock the cold....Bring it!

Smothered Hot Chocolate Cookies

Cookies:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 9 large marshmallows, halved crosswise

Frosting:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons (just under 1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand up or electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment.  Mix on medium high speed until pale and fluffy (about 2 mins).  Reduce speed to medium low, mix in egg, milk and vanilla.  Mix in flour mixture all at once and stir until combined.  Dough will be slightly sticky.
4. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies until firm (8 - 10 mins).  Immediately press half a marshmallow on top of each cookie and pop back into the oven for 2 mins.  Let cool completely on wire racks.  If the cookie is still warm when you try to ice it, it will be a slippery, gooey mess...

Frosting:
1. Put confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl.  Melt butter with cocoa in a saucepan or the microwave (for about 30 seconds).  Stir well.  Add butter mixture to the confectioners' sugar.  Whisk in milk and vanilla.
2. When cookies are cool (see above), spread about one teaspoon or so of frosting on top of each cookie to cover the marshmallow.  Not too much or a drippy cookie, you will have!  Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temp for a couple of days.

Start the log fire...and enjoy.