This easy healthy single serve hot cocoa cookie is gluten free, vegan, dairy free, low carb, low sugar, and clean eating. On a white plate is a giant single serve cookie that's a rich dark chocolate brown color with crinkled top, topped with melted chocolate coating, crushed red and white candy canes, and mini white marshmallows. The inside texture is shown to be pillowy soft, thick, and chewy with crisp edges.

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This Single-Serve Hot Cocoa Cookie is gluten free, vegan, and can easily be lower sugar. This cookie is SUPER rich, chocolatey, and perfect for the holidays! It’s extremely easy to make and is the perfect sweet tooth snack and treat that you don’t have to share.

Hot cocoa is one of the best drinks for colder weather, but have you tried it in cookie form? One of my most popular and favorite cookie recipes I’ve ever made are my Hot Cocoa Cookies. They’re soft, chewy, melt in your mouth, and really taste like a cozy cup of hot chocolate! But some times you just don’t want to bake an entire batch to satisfy a quick craving… that’s where single-serve recipes come in 💁‍♀️

They’re my absolute favorite because they require minimal ingredients, come together quickly, and are the perfect portion when you want to satisfy your sweet tooth without going overboard. That’s why THIS recipe along with my Single-Serve Christmas Cookie have been on repeat all winter long! Not only is it more fun to have a giant cookie all to yourself, this is also made with only seven simple ingredients that are balanced to prevent less of a blood sugar spike and crash later. Proof that you can eat your holiday cookies, have balance, and still feel well afterwards – no sugar crashes here!

One of the key ingredients in this cookie is unsweetened cocoa powder to give the rich, chocolatey flavor. And in case you needed another reason to love this even more, cocoa is high in nutrients and minerals like antioxidants which can help lower inflammation in the body and magnesium which is very supportive and can even help with sleep. Combined with the healthy fats and carbs in this cookie, this is starting to sound like a great holiday bedtime snack!

See my video tutorial HERE.

Why You’ll Love This

No sharing – Sharing is caring but because this is a single-serve recipe, you don’t have to share 😉 You can always double the recipe is you’re wanting to make enough for two for a cozy movie night in!
Minimal ingredients – You only need seven simple ingredients to make this. Mix it all in one bowl, bake, and you’re ready to enjoy.
Customizable – One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the toppings! Completely optional, but it’s so fun to add melted chocolate, crushed candy canes, and mini marshmallows to really get that hot cocoa effect.
Dietary friendly – This is gluten free and can easily be made vegan, dairy free, and lower sugar. You can also use regular all purpose flour if you don’t need this to be gluten free.

What You’ll Need

Gluten free flour – I use Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 Gluten Free Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour. If you don’t need this to be gluten free you can also use regular all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried this with any other flours though!
Cashew butter – This is my favorite to bake with because it’s creamy and doesn’t affect the taste but you can use any nut or seed butter, the taste might come through a little more.
Sweetener of choice – For a lower sugar option, I prefer using coconut sugar or monkfruit but any granulated sweetener will work!
Unsweetened cocoa powder – Make sure to get cocoa powder that’s unsweetened, cocoa should be the only ingredient. If you use cacao powder, you might want to add a little more sweetener.
Milk of choice – I like using homemade cashew milk or canned coconut milk but you can use any type – dairy free or regular dairy.
Sea salt
Baking powder

How To Make

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except toppings and mix well until a thick dough forms.
Add the dough to the lined tray and form into a cookie shape. (Tip: The dough will be sticky so dip your fingers in water first if it’s sticking too much to your hands.)
Bake for fifteen minutes until risen and tops are slightly crinkled. The edges should be firm and the center still soft.
Let it cool completely before adding toppings of choice (Tip: My favorites are melted chocolate, mini marshmallows, and crushed candy canes but I’ve also made these with just melted chocolate and they’re amazing!)

Recommended Tools

Glass mixing bowls
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Silicone spatula
Stainless steel measuring cups and spoons

More Easy Holiday Recipes

Healthy Gingerbread Muffins (gluten free + dairy free)

Hot Cocoa Baked Oatmeal (gluten free + vegan)

Christmas Cookie Baked Oatmeal (gluten free)

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