Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
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Chocolate Peppermint Cookies have everything you long for in a cookie during the holiday season: rich chocolate flavor, lots of peppermint-y goodness, velvety smooth white chocolate and peppermint candy canes. Hiiii dream cookie!
These chocolate peppermint cookies are so soft, chewy and I bet you won’t be able to just take one bite. Scratch that, I bet you won’t be able to stop at just 1 cookie!
Cameron tasted it and told me, “Now that’s a cookie that I can’t put down.” And he’s right. After one bite it’s literally going to be glued to your hand it’s so good you literally can’t let it go!
This cookie is based off of one of my favorite brownie-like cookies, these Mint Chocolate Cookies. I made a few small adjustments to create this cookie and it’s full of amazingness.
They are fudgy and really easy to make too. Add these to your holiday spread this year, I hope you love them!
P.S. If you want even more peppermint inspiration, check out my One Bowl Peppermint Brownies and White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies!
Ingredient Notes:
You can scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- All-Purpose Flour: use a gluten free flour 1-1 if needed.
- Espresso Powder – It’s like a bakers secret weapon! Espresso powder enhances and intensifies the chocolate flavor in these cookies.
- Cocoa Powder: If you can get your hands on the special dark cocoa, try that. If not regular cocoa works great too!
- Corn starch: helps make the cookies chewy
- Baking Powder: be sure your baking powder isn’t expired! Always important to check expiration dates when baking.
- Chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark). I love using dark for this recipe.
- Eggs, room temperature
- Peppermint extract: I love having peppermint extract stashed in my pantry during the holiday season.
- White chocolate: Use your favorite. I like melting the Ghirardelli white chocolate chips or melting waters in a little coconut oil for these cookies.
- Peppermint candies or candy canes: crush them almost into a fine powder so you won’t bite down on big pieces of candy cane.
- Flaky Sea Salt – Maldon salt takes the flavor of the cookies from flat to robust. Trust me on this!
Step by Step Directions
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate chips and butter. Stir just until ingredients are melted and be careful to watch so chocolate doesn’t burn. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and peppermint extract and cool.
- Beat the eggs and sugars in a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes or until thick and pale in color.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the cooled chocolate mixture until well combined.
- Add in the flour mixture and fold until combined, avoid over-mixing. Dough will look shiny.
- Chill cookie dough in fridge for at least 10 minutes so batter can thicken and look more like cookie dough. (Chilling the dough will also help the cookies bake up thicker & help prevent spreading)
- Scoop batter using a cookie scoop so cookies come out even in size. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. (Will make ~18 cookies, depending on size scoop you use).
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, dip in melted white chocolate and garnish with crushed peppermint candies.
Tips
- The cookies will spread if you don’t allow the batter to rest. It will look very wet, shiny, and almost gooey at first. Allowing the batter to chill in the fridge for just 10 minutes gives the dough a chance to firm up and act more like a cookie dough.
- Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Cookies might look gooey when you pull them out, but once they cool they will firm up and be perfect!
- When melting the chocolate chips and butter be sure to watch it carefully so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
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Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. espresso powder
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 cup chocolate chips (you can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (dark or light)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or melting wafers work great!
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup crushed candy canes for garnish
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl: flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk and set aside.1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp. espresso powder, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate chips and butter. Stir just until ingredients are melted and be careful to watch so chocolate doesn't burn. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts and cool.8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 cup chocolate chips (you can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark), 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- Using a stand-mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugars for 3-4 minutes or until thick and pale in color.2 large eggs, room temperature, 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (dark or light), 1/4 cup white sugar
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the cooled chocolate/butter mixture until well combined.
- Add in the flour mixture and fold until combined, avoid over-mixing. Dough will look shiny.
- Chill cookie dough in fridge for at least 10 minutes so batter can thicken and look more like cookie dough. (Chilling the dough will also help the cookies bake up thicker & help prevent spreading). Preheat oven to 350°F while dough chills.
- Scoop batter using a cookie scoop so cookies come out even in size and place on a baking sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Will make ~18 cookies using a 2 Tbsp. scoop)
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwavable safe bowl in 30 seconds increments, stirring in between, until smooth.1 cup white chocolate chips or melting wafers work great!, 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- Dip one side of the baked cookies into the white chocolate and add crushed peppermint candies and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (optional).1/3 cup crushed candy canes for garnish, flaky sea salt (optional)
Notes
- The cookies will spread if you don’t allow the batter to rest. It will look very wet, shiny, and almost gooey at first. Allowing the batter to chill in the fridge for just 10 minutes gives the dough a chance to firm up and act more like a cookie dough.
- Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Cookies might look gooey when you pull them out, but once they cool they will firm up and be perfect!
- When melting the chocolate chips and butter be sure to watch it carefully so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
i am not a baker and these turned out so good! i didn’t chill my dough, just baked them for 8 minutes straight from the mixer. i have a coconut allergy, so i used ghirardelli chocolate melts and it turned out perfect.
They look so pretty! I am glad it worked well for you 🙂 Merry Christmas!
I never ever leave reviews, matter of fact this is my first one ever. These cookies are actually perfect! I made it for a cookie exchange at work and everybody loved them. Will be making them seasonally now!! I let the dough rest for 24hrs in the fridge.
Awww so glad this is your first review! yay! They look perfect. Thanks soo much for making them 🙂
Can I leave the dough in the fridge for over 24hrs?
yes up to 3 days 🙂
This is an amazing recipe!! No modifications needed! Delicious cookie.
They’re so pretty! Thank you Ashley! 🙂
Is it mandatory to use the espresso powder, or would I be fine leaving it out? Thanks!
you can leave it out 🙂
These cookies are so delicious & easy to make! I absolutely love how you wrote the recipe, making it easy to follow instead of scrolling back to ingredients & directions! I’m a huge fan of chocolate & peppermint & these were perfect! Thank you!
Thank you so much for the feedback Tracy! Truly means a lot to me 🙂 && so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Oh my gosh- these cookies are something special!! The texture is wonderful and the taste is perfectly peppermint!! Make these cookies!!
Thank you sooo so much Jenn! 🙂 they look so cute!!
Can I sub cacao powder for cocoa powder?
It might make the cookies a little dry or bitter in taste. You may need to add a little more butter or sugar to balance it out.
Can I use this dough mix to make Dubai chocolate cookies? I plan to freeze the pistachio cream with the shredded pastry and stuff it in this dough.
Hello! I haven’t tried but if you experiment and come up with something yummy I’d love to hear how it went! xo
This recipe is a total breakthrough for our family – a new idea. The texture is amazing – kind of crumbly but not messy, chewy, light yet heavy enough. They look amazing as well. We did not dip them but instead drizzled chocolate in thin strips across teh top then sprinkled candy canes into that.
In the future I’ll make this without peppermint extract as well. These cookies should be on the lineup in all cookie exchange parties! They are that good.
So glad it was a hit – thank you so much Beth!! 🙂