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Chocolate Valentine Cookies are soft chocolate cookies filled with the colors of Valentine’s Day! Adding red and pink M&Ms and sprinkles to easy cookies make them perfect for the holiday – and they’re super chocolatey too!
This won’t be a surprise if you’ve been following along, but I am a total sucker for cookies made with holiday candy. The minute holiday-themed candy hits the store, I grab all of my favorites before they disappear! Even though my childhood babysitter teased me for wearing red and pink together, I still love the combination – especially in Valentine Cookies!
Important Ingredients
- Butter: Always start with softened butter. I prefer using unsalted but if you’re using salted butter just omit the added salt in the recipe.
- Extra Liquid: You’ll need to add a little bit of water or brewed coffee – the coffee doesn’t add coffee flavor but instead brings out the flavor of the chocolate.
- Cocoa: You can use special dark or regular cocoa powder – I have not tested this recipe with Dutch Process Cocoa.
- Pudding Mix: This is what keeps the cookies soft for days! We’re using chocolate pudding mix for this. You can use any chocolate flavor as long as it’s INSTANT PUDDING MIX (NOT the cook kind). Use the small box (approximately 3-3.4 ounces) but don’t use sugar-free.
How to Make Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Pudding cookies are the BEST cookies. If you’ve never made them, you MUST try. The cornstarch in the pudding mix keeps them soft for days, and you can give the cookies an extra punch of flavor from whatever pudding flavor you’re using.
- Be sure to cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, then mix in the cocoa and instant pudding mix.
- You can use any brand and any chocolate flavor pudding mix as long as it’s instant pudding in the normal size box (usually about 3.4 ounces).
Tips for Making Easy Cookies
- For rich chocolate Valentine cookies, use Hershey’s Special Dark. It has a much deeper chocolate flavor!
- Avoid sugar-free pudding mix, and be sure to get instant pudding mix. You don’t need to prepare it; you just need the dry mix.
- For the best Valentine cookies, don’t skip the chilling step. The dough needs to firm up before baking the cookies, so it doesn’t spread too much. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!
- I like to use jimmies for the sprinkles. I’d avoid using nonpareils because they tend to dissolve.
- I like my cookies slightly underdone, so I bake them for about 11 to 12 minutes. I also like to rotate my cookie sheets in my oven halfway through for even baking.
FAQ
Sometimes you can find them at the grocery store in the baking aisle or the seasonal aisle with other Valentine’s items. Craft stores also carry them or search for options online.
There could be a couple of reasons why your cookies didn’t spread. First, did you accurately measure the flour? Adding too much could be the problem so remember to use the spoon and level measuring method or use a kitchen scale to weigh it.
If your dough was very firm when it came out of the refrigerator, it could also cause the issue. The dough needs to be chilled but not rock hard. If you refrigerate it overnight or for a day, let the dough balls sit out at room temperature to warm up just a bit before baking them.
Did you remember to chill the dough? The cookies can overspread when they bake if you don’t chill the dough beforehand. It could also be your baking soda. Check the expiration date and buy a new box if it’s expired.
Chocolate Valentine Cookies Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- ⅔ cup (133g) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) water or brewed coffee, if you have it
- 2 tablespoons (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder regular or Hershey's Special Dark
- 1 3-3.5 ounce box INSTANT chocolate pudding mix , any flavor (not sugar-free)
- 1 ¼ cup (155g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups Valentine M&Ms plus more for topping
- ¼ cup Valentine sprinkles plus more for topping
Instructions
- Note: this dough requires chilling.
- Line a cookie sheet with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
- Cream butter and both sugars in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in vanilla, egg, and water (or coffee). Add cocoa powder and pudding mix (the powder) and mix until smooth.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the M&Ms and sprinkles.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. You don’t have to space them out, this is just for chilling. Press a few M&Ms and sprinkles on the top of each cookie ball. (This is not mandatory, it just makes them look prettier.) Cover with plastic wrap and chill the cookies for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a second cookie sheet and place cookies about 2” apart on them. Press each cookie dough ball down slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until they just start to lose their glossy sheen. I like mine slightly underdone, so I cooked them for about 11-12 minutes. I also like to rotate my cookie sheets in my oven halfway through for even baking.
- Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Nutrition
Very Valentine Pudding Cookies are so soft and flavorful, and you can add in any and all of your favorite valentine candies.
Made these cookies for my preschooler’s Valentine’s exchange and they are so good!
Followed the recipe exactly. Measured out tablespoon size balls to make smaller sized cookies and baked slightly underdone. Crisp outside, chewy center and fudge-like chocolate flavor. Will make these again!
Made these for Valentines Day with my grandkids ages 10 and 5. They were easy to make and the decorating was fun and easy. My grandkids got creative with the shapes and had fun. They also devoured the cookies as they came out of the oven. Highly recommend this recipe.
Hi! I need to make this batter in advance….can I just prep and then freeze the dough…transfer to the fridge the night before baking and bake as indicated? If so, can I use melted instead of softened butter? I will also be doubling the batch. Thank you!
Thoughts on using homemade pudding mix?
My cookies turned out crispy. The mms inside were crispy. Cooked too long ?
Most likely that was the problem, yes.
I’ve read other pudding cookie recipes and I think the issue was the dough needs to be refrigerated at least 3 hours or overnight.
This recipe does require chilling, as specified in the recipe. I normally only do an hour at most with all my pudding cookies.
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