Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Soft and chewy chocolate peppermint cookies are dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes for an extra festive presentation. The cookie dough is also flavored with peppermint extract for twice the peppermint flavor!
Flavored with peppermint two ways, these chocolate peppermint cookies are perfect for cookie exchanges, gifting, or leaving out for Santa.
The chocolate cookie dough is flavored with peppermint extract to provide the perfect chocolate-peppermint flavor. The cookies bake up soft and chewy, then they’re dipped in white chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes for a festive touch.
Make a big batch of these cookies while candy canes are still on the shelves. They taste just like a piece of peppermint bark, in cookie form!
What You’ll Need
This is a straightforward recipe made with easy-to-find ingredients. Let’s review the key ingredients needed to make the cookies:
- Cocoa Powder: You’ll need natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. Toll House and Hershey’s are great options!
- Sugar: I use both granulated and brown sugar in this recipe, for both moisture and sweetness.
- Peppermint Extract: You need just 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract for the entire recipe. Don’t be tempted to add more; the crushed candy canes add even more peppermint flavor.
- White Chocolate: I personally prefer to stick with chocolate bars because they melt better and work well for dipping. You can use white chocolate chips, but you may need to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of coconut oil to help thin it out.
- Candy Canes: You can crush the candy canes by sealing them in a zip top bag, placing them on a cutting board or kitchen towel, and then gently beating them with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. Some stores also carry crushed candy cane pieces during the holidays; use whatever is easiest for you!
How To Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Combine the dry ingredients: Sift together the cocoa powder and flour to remove any lumps. Then, whisk in the baking soda and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth before mixing in both types of sugar. Add the egg and both extracts.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: Make sure to mix the two together until just combined to avoid over mixing your dough.
- Chill the cookie dough: Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the fridge for an hour. This will give the butter time to firm back up and prevent your cookies from spreading too much.
- Scoop the cookie dough: Scoop the cookie dough into balls using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll the dough into balls before placing them on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
- Bake: You’re looking for the edges and tops of the cookies to look set. I usually bake mine for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Let cool: Do NOT try dipping the cookies in white chocolate before they’ve cooled completely. If you do, the cookies will fall apart and the chocolate won’t set up properly.
- Dip and assemble the cookies: Dip half of each cookie in the melted white chocolate. Return the dipped cookies to the cookie sheets and sprinkle with crushed candy canes while the chocolate is still wet.
- Let the chocolate set: You can speed up this process by placing the dipped cookies in the fridge to harden the chocolate.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but I don’t recommend using mint extract in this recipe. Mint extract is a blend of spearmint and peppermint; the spearmint extract can make the cookies taste like toothpaste. Peppermint extract is slightly sweeter in flavor and delivers pure peppermint flavor.
Most likely, but peppermint oil is much stronger than peppermint extract. You only need 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract for this recipe, but you’d need far less peppermint oil than that. I recommend adjusting the amount of peppermint oil accordingly or omitting it altogether.
If you’re out of candy canes or can’t find any where you live, you’re welcome to crush regular peppermint candies for these cookies.
Or you may add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted white chocolate before dipping the cookies.
No, you can skip the dipping and assembling process altogether if desired. Or, you can opt to sprinkle the freshly baked cookies with crushed candy cane pieces as soon as they come out of the oven. The candy cane pieces should melt slightly and adhere to the warm cookies without needing to use the melted white chocolate.
Baking Tips
- The egg and butter must both be brought to room temperature before starting this recipe. Using room temperature ingredients makes for a smoother cookie dough and ensures that it’s thoroughly mixed together.
- Once you dip the cookie in the white chocolate, make sure to scrape off the excess chocolate on the bottom of the cookie. This will make for a prettier presentation!
- If you want to temper the chocolate instead, you can refer to my chocolate covered strawberry recipe. I explain everything you need to know about how to temper white chocolate on the stove or in the microwave.
More Christmas Cookies To Bake Next!
- Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
- Snowball Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Soft Molasses Cookies
Recipe Video
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (165 grams)
- ⅓ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (115 grams)
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar (135 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 8 ounces white chocolate roughly chopped (I prefer chocolate bars)
- 5 to 6 regular-sized candy canes crushed
Instructions
- To make the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder together, then whisk in the baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and continue mixing for 1 to 2 more minutes or until well combined.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until fully combined, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough, roll each one into a ball, and place on the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To dip and assemble the cookies: Line two separate baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Add the chopped white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 20 to 30 second increments, stirring well after each increment, until completely melted and smooth.
- Dip half of each cookie in the melted white chocolate, scraping any excess chocolate off the bottom of the cookie. Place on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Transfer the baking sheets with the cookies to the refrigerator to chill for 20 to 30 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.
These are my new favorite cookie! Very festive and excellent taste! After chilling them, I rolled them to 20 grams each and baked for 10 minutes and let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes. When they were cool, I dipped them in Ghirardelli dark chocolate melts because it was all I had (used the melts to melt in microwave) and rolled in crushed candy canes. I will keep this recipe to make again soon. Thank you!
Thank you, Melissa! I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies!