Christmas is just around the corner, which means it's time to start baking! These chocolate peppermint cookies are a festive and delicious treat. They're perfect for Christmas parties or as a gift for your friends and family.
Plus, they're really easy to make - you'll be able to whip them up in no time. And, if you really love chocolate, see our Crinkle Brownie Cookies, Christmas Gourmet Popcorn, or 3 Minute Fudge recipes also!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
If you are looking for a delicious, festive cookie to add to your holiday baking rotation, look no further than Chocolate Peppermint Cookies! These cookies are soft and chewy, with a rich chocolate flavor and the perfect hint of peppermint. Plus, they are so easy to make that even novice bakers will have great results.
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Ingredients
Crush a few candy canes up into bits so you can use them in the final decorating. Measure all your ingredients so you are ready to mix them up and don't forget anything.
- Unsalted Butter - melt and brown the butter.
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Hershey's Dark is especially good!
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Instant Coffee - coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, making it richer.
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- White Chocolate Chips
- Candy Canes, crushed
- Peppermint extract
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for when the cookies are ready to bake.
Brown your unsalted butter my simmering it in a saucepan for about 15 minutes until it darkens a little. Set aside to cool.
Step 1. Prepare the Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, cocoa powder, egg, vanilla, coffee powder, and browned butter.
Mix with a hand mixer until the wet ingredients are fully incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 2. Prepare the Dry Ingredients & Combine
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Use a whisk to fully blend.
Add the flour mixture to the large bowl of wet ingredients gradually while mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chips.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 3. Bake and Decorate
Use a scoop to to make mounds on the parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Each scoop is about 2 tablespoons, for 24 cookies total.
Press down on the cookie dough to flatten a little and bake for 9 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
After the cookies have completely cooled, place the rack of cookies on a cookie sheet. Melt the white chocolate chips, stir in the peppermint extract, and drizzle over the cookies on the wire cooling rack. Sprinkle with the chopped candy canes.
These beautiful cookies would be fabulous at this years annual Holiday Cookie Swap! Or just a delicious addition to your Holiday baking and gift giving. For more festive Christmas and Hanukkah cookies see out Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Hanukkah Frosted Sugar Cookies, Blue Velvet Cookies, Crumbl Churro Cookies, and you can never go wrong with Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Variations
For a great Grinch themed cookie, try using Mint Green baking chips or Andes Mint baking chips. Drizzle the cookies with mint green tinted white chocolate chips.
Equipment
Storage
After cookie decorations set up, store the cookies in plastic food storage containers. You can freeze them for up to 6 months also.
Tips for Success
- If reusing the same cookie sheet for baking the cookies, let it cool completely before placing new cookie batter on the cookie sheet.
- You can pour the white chocolate in a baggie, and then snip the corner to get an even nicer drizzle for decorating the cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold eggs won't make your batch of cookies taste or look horrible, but taking a little extra time to bring them to room temperature will get you fluffier cookies.
Parchment paper helps cookies bake more evenly, the non-stick quality also helps prevent them from cracking or breaking when lifting them off the sheet. Decorating home-baked goods: Parchment paper makes the perfect wrapper for baked goods.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter browned, and set aside
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chip morsels
- 1 cup white chocolate chip morsels
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 6 small candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Brown the butter in a saucepan for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the white sugar, cocoa powder, egg, vanilla extract, instant coffee, and the cooled browned butter. Mix well.1 cup white sugar, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon instant coffee, ¾ cup unsalted butter
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk.1⅓ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all the flour is mixed in. Fold in the semi sweet chocolate chips.½ cup semi sweet chocolate chip morsels
- Scoop out 24 mounds of cookie dough on the two cookie sheets, about 2" apart. Each mound will be about 2 tablespoons. Bake for 9 minutes, then remove and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack.
- Melt the white chocolate chip morsels in the microwave with an initial 1 minute 'defrost'. Stir, then heat on defrost in 30 second intervals until fluid. Stir in the peppermint extract and drizzle white chocolate in diagonal lines over the cookies.
- Top the cookies with the crushed candy canes and set to harden. You can put them in the refrigerator if you want the candy topping to set up faster.
Notes
- If you use salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- You can also crush Starlight mints if you don't have any candy canes.
- If reusing the same cookie sheet for baking the cookies, let it cool completely before placing new cookie batter on the cookie sheet.
- You can pour the white chocolate in a baggie, and then snip the corner to get an even nicer drizzle for decorating the cookies.
Nutrition
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