#ImprovCooking ~ Chocolate Walnut Marshmallow Cookies

For December's #ImprovCookingChallenge we were given the ingredients of marshmallow and walnut to combine into a recipe. I ran a couple search ideas and just kept coming back to the Rocky Road flavor combination!

December Improv Cooking Challenge

Marshmallow and Walnut
• • Krembo - Israeli Style Chanukah Treat by Pandemonium Noshery
  • Butterscotch Marshmallow Bars by Veggies First, Then Dessert
  • Salted Marshmallow Walnut Fudge by Cheesecurd in Paradise
  • Chocolate Walnut Marshmallow Cookies by Making Miracles

These are intensely chocolate cookies, with a wonderful soft, brownie-like texture, studded with bites of yummy walnut, and filled with pockets of gooey melted marshmallow. They are delicious and a wonderful cookie to enjoy with a big glass of milk! It's a fun baking project to tackle with your little kiddos too!

I'll be sharing these at a cookie exchange at work today, and I hope they enjoy them as much as we did!

Chocolate Walnut Marshmallow (Rocky Road) Cookies from Catch My Party

Ingredients

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla
8-oz semi chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
2 cups walnuts
2 cups mini marshmallows (I used Kraft)

Directions

1. Place the  mini marshmallows in a bowl or bag and place in the freezer at least 2 hours before you're ready to begin baking.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whip on medium-high for a minute or two, until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs and vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed to combine. 
4. Microwave the chocolate chips in a safe bowl on 20-second bursts, stirring between until the chips melt (this took a total of 60 seconds for me). Turn the mixer onto low to medium, and drizzle / scrape the melted chocolate into the wet mixture. Turn to high briefly to combine the chocolate into the dough.
5. Stir in the walnuts, give the mixture another stir or two to combine, then place the batter into the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.
6. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a silpat. Spread out about 1 1/2 - 2 TBS of cookie dough in the palm of your hand, and place 3 marshmallows in the center, wrap the dough carefully around the marshmallows and then roll a time or two, to even out the shape and make sure the dough is sealed.
7. Place 12 prepared cookie balls on the sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes per batch, making sure the dough is set, but not so long that the marshmallows completely melt and leak out during baking. Refrigerate remaining dough and re-freeze marshmallows between batches.
8. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet about 5-10 minutes before moving to cooling rack to complete cooling.