These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are baked to crisp perfection, drizzled with silky white chocolate, and topped with crushed peppermint candies. They’re the epitome of festive holiday treats with absolutely none of the fuss!
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
So many cookies during the holidays are soft, chewy and gooey. Not these! When you’re looking for something chocolatey with a little snap, turn to this Crisp Chocolate Peppermint Cookie recipe. They’re small in size, which means you can feel good about having a few, and they’re perfectly sweetly.
Another selling point—the dough can and should be made ahead. Which means you can break up the work and bake them when you feel like it or have time. Plus, they last a long time at room temperature and in the freezer. Talk about the perfect make ahead holiday cookie!
Test Kitchen Tips
- Plan to bake these cookies over a two-day period or make the dough in the morning and bake in the afternoon. To keep the cut out shape in tact, the dough should be chilled until firm.
- Work quickly when drizzling the chocolate over the cookies and topping with the crushed peppermint candied. The chocolate sets quickly! To ensure the candies stick to the chocolate, drizzle and sprinkle in batches.
- Want to make these even more festive? Add green food coloring to the white chocolate or top with green sprinkles.
Peppermint Flavor
We’re adding the peppermint flavor to these cookies in two ways. First, in the form of peppermint extract. We’re using just 1 teaspoon, but we find any more than that and these cookies are a little too “minty fresh.”
We’re also topping the cookies with crushed peppermint candies. During the holidays it’s fun to use candy canes. You can also use regular round peppermint candies. However, we find, once crushed candy canes offer more pops of red color.
More Christmas Cookies to Try
- If you love a crunchy cookie, try our Christmas Biscotti that’s loaded with dried fruit and nuts.
- Once you’ve gotten your fill of crisp and crunchy cookies, try our uber-chewy Hermit Cookies which are also filled with dried fruit.
- For the spiced cookie lover, our Cardamom Cookies and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies are both must-try treats.
- Another Christmas favorite are our Eggnog Cookies. Fun and festive!
FAQs
Absolutely, we recommend freezing these peppermint chocolate cookies without the chocolate drizzle on them. When you’re ready to serve, let them sit at room temperature for a few hours before drizzling with chocolate and topping with the crushed peppermint candies.
Yes! Since this recipe was developed to create a crisp cookie, it does well when made with a gluten-free flour blend. We like Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend.
Stored in an airtight container, chocolate peppermint cookies will last up to 1 week.
Crisp Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Description
Ingredients
- 1 cup (122g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (45g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 8 candy canes, crushed
- 1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and espresso powder on medium-high speed until combined and smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to medium-low, add yolks and peppermint extract; beat to combine.
- Add flour mixture in increments, briefly mixing after each addition.
- Divide dough in half, shape into disks, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350°F (177ºC). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll dough to ¼-inch thick on a large sheet of parchment paper.
- Using a 2¼-inch or 2½-inch cutter, cut dough into shapes; space shapes 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.
- Bake one sheet at a time until edges of cookies are dry to the touch, and barely yield in the center, 13–15 minutes; rotating halfway through. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cookies cool completely on sheets.
- Repeat cutting and baking with remaining dough dish. Gently reroll scarps until all dough is used.
- Add chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until completely melted and smooth. Drizzle cookies with white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. Let set then transfer to an airtight container with tight fitting lid.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe article was originally published on December 14, 2017.
