mexican hot chocolate coal marshmallows;

I hope you all receive these Mexican hot chocolate coal marshmallows in your stockings this year, whether you’ve been naughty or nice! These chocolate marshmallows have a sweet heat with a Mexican hot chocolate kick, and are cut and dusted to look like chunks of Christmas coal.

If you’re unfamiliar, mexican hot chocolate is a blend of chocolate and warm spices: cinnamon and cayenne for a little kick! So we start with a chocolate marshmallow base, similar to brownie batter marshmallows, but with a few flavors altered. But the base is really cocoa powder. Because so much of the flavor comes from the cocoa powder, you really want to use a good quality cocoa powder.

Because so much of the chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder, you want to use a good quality cocoa powder.

secret to success.

For your coal marshmallows, you’ll need two types of cocoa powder. I recommend a Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the marshmallow itself. Dutch-processed cocoa powder simply means it’s been processed to neutralize some of the acidity. So it pairs really well with the sugar and lets the notes of chocolate come out. But you can use a naturally processed cocoa powder instead if that’s what you have on hand.

However, the second type of cocoa powder you need is black cocoa powder. This is solely for dusting the outside to look like coal. Black cocoa powder is basically Dutch-processed cocoa powder…processed to the extreme. Black cocoa is what Oreos are made of, so when you taste it, you’ll definitely get that nostalgic taste of oreos. When mixed together with powdered sugar and dusted onto the marshmallows, it gives a perfect ashy black coal look.

I didn’t use black cocoa powder in the marshmallow itself because I wanted to balance the sweet sugar of the homemade marshmallow. And I wasn’t sure if the extreme processing black cocoa powder undergoes would mess with the structure of the marshmallow at all.

But if you really wanted the marshmallow to be dark black through and through you could experiment with using black cocoa powder in the cocoa paste and optionally add some black food coloring as well. I was pretty satisfied with the outer aesthetic of these coal marshmallows, and honestly find the brown inside a bit more appetizing than black.

Black cocoa powder makes the perfect coal color on these mexican hot chocolate marshmallows.

secret to success

I have to say, the Mexican hot chocolate flavor in these coal marshmallows only lends to the super cute ambiance. The cayenne leaves a little bit of heat on your tongue and in that way is also a little reminiscent of a toasty fire. To make the spice blend, you actually want to make a cocoa paste, a tip I took from the flavor bender. Mexican hot chocolate is the perfect flavor for coal marshmallows with a little smoky heat to finish the flavor.

The cocoa paste is just a blend of hot water, cocoa powder, and spices. Blending before adding just makes it smoother overall and easier to incorporate. Make sure to whisk everything thoroughly to avoid clumps. You’ll add this mixture about 1-2 minutes after you start whipping your marshmallows so it gets evenly blended into every delicious bit of your coal marshmallows.

Mexican hot chocolate is the perfect flavor for coal marshmallows with a little smoky heat to finish the flavor.

secret to success

Because of the extra water and cocoa powder, I’ve found that these Mexican hot chocolate marshmallows don’t get quite as much volume as my classic vanilla homemade marshmallows or birthday cake marshmallows. But I think that actually adds to the ambiance of chunks of coals, so it didn’t bother me too much. And they’re just so friggin’ tasty.

You of course can just cut the marshmallows from your 9″x13″ pan into more traditional squares or rectangles. Typically that’s what I do and it’s obviously quick and delicious. But if you really want the irregular coal shape, then it takes some editing. I just use a sharp knife and get to cutting.

I like cutting both small and large coal shapes. Start with a square or geometric shape and trim the corners and cut a few other facts.

secret to success

There’s really no rhyme or reason here, I just start with a geometric shape (very often a square or rectangle) and cut off the corners to start. Then I’ll cut another edge or chunk or two to get closer to irregular rock formations. Don’t overthink it too much, just have fun. And keep the scraps around! They’re great for snacking, or adding to hot chocolate if you prefer smaller marshmallows.

I made two sizes of coal marshmallows. I started off with roughly 1″ cubed marshmallows, and then also made giant coal chunks up to 2-3″ across. The editing can get a little tedious so big marshmallows come in handy then because there’s just fewer sheer numbers. Or embrace diversity and just make all sorts of varying sizes. Once you’re done cutting, make sure to dust each coal marshmallow with the black cocoa and sugar mixture to get that true coal look.

I love these in hot chocolate, but honestly these had me reaching for them straight, they were so delicious. Trim trim, eat eat, trim trim some more.

secrets to success;

Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!

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more recipes;

Looking for other festive holiday recipes? Check out these great options!

• Check out my full holiday truffle guide with over 10 flavors of homemade truffles, perfect for gifting, snacking, and generally making your holiday festive!
• A classic super easy make-ahead dessert that everyone loves is my gingerbread icebox cake. It only takes 5 ingredients, and it’s super fun to make with kiddos or the family!
• One of our favorite holiday traditions is making pecan pie muffins at my mother-in-laws! We love this recipe, it’s just all toasty and full of pecan goodness!
• Some of my favorite holiday cookies include: winter blizzard cookies for a festive sprinkle sugar cookie; pecan toffee shortbread cookies which are buttery and crumby and nutty; and molasses cookies; for those warm winter spices.