Take a bite out of these delicious Chocolate Peppermint Cookies and revel in decadent chocolate crumb with a peppermint kiss.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 24 servings
I assume Chocolate Peppermint Cookies to be the official cookie of the North Pole. Now, I’m not entirely sure whether there’s such a thing as national cookies or whether the North Pole is even considered a nation, but IF there is a ubiquitous cookie in the home of Santa and his cabal of elves, it has to be this one.
Part of this assumption comes from peppermint tasting “cold”. And while I’ve never been farther north than Winnipeg (which is as far as I’m willing to go), I bet the North Pole is cold. It also comes from my belief that the North Pole is a wonderful place where chocolate is plentiful, so it stands to reason they would make everything with it: cookies, cakes, hot dogs… you name it, it’s chocolate.
This is all not to say that you have to wait until the Halloween decorations have been put away in order to whip up a batch of these cookies. Any day is a good day for cookies. Just be sure when you do eat them, you raise a glass of milk to Santa. They are his cookies, after all.
Why are my cookies not as crispy as I like?
Did you overcrowd the sheet? Perhaps your cookies are too big. Try reducing the size of each biscuit, which tend to crisp up more than larger ones. Inspect your dough. Is it too soft? Try putting it in the fridge for an hour. As well, let them cool on the baking sheet before relocating them to your cooling rack. What about your ingredients ratio—too much butter and sugar can lead to soft cookies. Speaking of butter, was it too soft? It should be cooler than room temperature. Last, while I pitch these as the perfect winter cookie, if you happen to be making them in the summer, you could be doing so in a humidity that is affecting their crispiness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup peppermint candies, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whisk the butter and sugar together until it is creamy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract into the butter mix and whisk until fluffy.
- In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Pour the butter and egg mix into the flour mix and whisk together until it is well combined.
- Mix in the chocolate chips. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough onto the lined baking tray. Give each cookie plenty of space to expand. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the sheet or on a wire rack. Melt the white chocolate. Decorate the cooled cookies with the white chocolate and the crushed peppermint candies.
FAQs & Tips
Let the cookies cool completely. This is important to ensure they stay as crispy as possible. Then store them in an airtight container. They can sit out at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them. Keep them on the baking sheet and put the entire thing in the freezer for an hour or so. This will flash-freeze them. You can now put them in a freezer-safe bag without them sticking to each other. They should keep for up to 3 months.
Carefully crack an egg open so that the white and yolk sit in one half-shell. Then slowly pour the yolk back and forth, from one shell to another, while holding the egg over your bowl. The white should pour down into the bowl while the yolk stays put in the shell(s).
First, yes, white chocolate is indeed chocolate; it’s just missing the cocoa solids that give your favorite brown chocolate its color and cocoa taste. That leaves cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids. If it doesn’t have these three ingredients, it’s technically not white chocolate. You might also detect a hint of vanilla after a bite of white chocolate; that’s because it is often added during the chocolate-making process. People see a white food and assume it tastes like vanilla.
No, extract is more pure and therefore, more potent. Essence is synthetic; the amount of actual vanilla it contains ranges from product to product. If you wanted to use essence in this recipe, you will probably need to increase the amount.
Once you’ve made the dough, roll it into a ball and wrap it in plastic. Then store it in the fridge for at least two hours (and up to 3 days). This will help them keep their shape.
Other Cookie Recipes To Try
How much do I love cookies? So much that I have an entire section dedicated to them. Here are a few of my current faves:
- Easy Christmas Oreo Balls: I know, right? Here I am talking about cookies and I throw a recipe for balls at you. That said, these are OREO balls; your mouth (and sweet tooth) won’t notice a difference. Another Christmas tradition in my house.
- Pignoli Cookies: These are pine-nut cookies, an Italian treat I turn to when I am looking to make a dessert that will complement my pizzas and pastas.
- Chocolate Sugar-Cookie Gingerbread Men: OK, I’ve gone back to the (Christmas) well. But who doesn’t love gingerbread men?! The sweet of the chocolate does a great job balancing out the spice of the ginger, making these more palatable than some stronger men you may have taken a bite out of.
Delicious Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup peppermint candies crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whisk the butter and sugar together until it is creamy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract into the butter mix and whisk until it is fluffy.
- In another bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Pour the butter and egg mix into the flour mix and whisk together until it is well combined.
- Mix in the chocolate chips. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough onto the lined baking tray. Give each cookie plenty of space to expand. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the sheet or on a wire rack. Melt the white chocolate. Decorate the cooled cookies with the white chocolate and the crushed peppermint candies.
