Candy canes and peppermints aren’t just for Christmas. They can’t be. After all, I can’t just sit around and wait until the holidays roll around to make these cookies. So I don’t.
I bake what I consider the BEST Peppermint Cookies at least 10 times a year (and that’s not even including the batches I make for various functions!). They’re moist and minty, and they look so pretty with those red and white flecks set against that sandy cookie crumb. And they’re amazingly delicious.
How do I Cook with Candy?
Cooking with candy can prove a challenge. It can be messier if you don’t line your oven and pan with foil. So be sure to do so. You don’t want melted candy cane stuck everywhere.
Candy also gets very hot. That’s why candy thermometers are calibrated to go higher than other thermometers. Consequently, you’ll want to take precautions with your hands when working with it. For this, I wear cotton gloves under latex gloves, so I can feel what I’m doing and so I have that grip latex provides.
Also, the candy will get hotter than the dough itself and, in turn, heat the butter faster, which can lead to spreading. So use large cookie sheets (and many of them) to allow these cookies lots of room to spread.
How do I store these cookies?
These cookies keep well because candy keeps well. In an airtight container or cookie jar, they’ll probably keep a week (not that anyone will be able to leave them alone that long!). You can also freeze the dough or baked cookies for three months.
Serving Suggestions
What should you do with all this leftover peppermint candy? Go all out and serve these cookies with my drop-dead delicious Peppermint Candy Cheesecake or bake up a batch of my Chocolate Peppermint Cookies as well and freeze them! I keep at least six different batches of cookies in my freezer at ALL times. You never know when a herd of kids will descend on your home and demand cookie satisfaction!
The Best Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 11- ounce bag white chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed peppermints
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking pan with parchment paper or give it a quick spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix it up. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Merge the mixtures. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Add the goodies. Fold in the white chocolate chips and crushed peppermints until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Shape the cookies. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place them on the prepared baking pan, spaced about one inch apart.
- Bake to perfection. Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes, or until the edges are just turning a light golden color. Be careful not to overbake to keep them soft and chewy.
- Final touch. Remove the cookies from the oven and, if desired, gently press the edges inward with a spatula for a more rounded shape.
- Cool down. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5-6 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat baking. Continue with the remaining dough, baking in batches, until all cookies are baked and ready to enjoy.
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