Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
These Peppermint Chocolate Cookies are perfectly soft and come together in just about 20 minutes! The sweet peppermint glaze drizzled on top of warm chocolate cookies is sure to win first place in the hearts of your family and friends this holiday season.
When Christmas is just around the corner, I like to go ahead and break out one of the crew’s favorite flavors: peppermint. It’s delicious in hot chocolate, coffee, and can even be used to decorate the Christmas tree! However, even with all of these nostalgic options, I think that these Peppermint Chocolate Cookies are one of the most delicious ways to celebrate Christmas in the form of Christmas cookies.
Pair these cookies with a cup of hot coffee or cocoa and you’ll have yourself the perfect wintertime treat. These also are a great choice for cookie swaps or a Christmas cookie exchange! I mean who doesn’t love double chocolate cookies with peppermint? These cookies are the perfect holiday cookie guaranteed.
If you find yourself wanting more family friendly dessert options, check out my Puff Pastry Turnovers, Quaker Oatmeal Cookies, or Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!
Dry Ingredients and Wet Ingredients List
Dough:
- Butter – Grass fed butter is the way to go here! If you can, try using raw butter. There are so many more health benefits to unpasteurized butter, and it has the bonus of added flavor! I like to make sure mine is room temperature before combining.
- Peppermint Extract – A high quality fresh peppermint flavor will give you the flavor you’re looking for in these cookies. Make sure that there are no added flavorings and that you are just getting the peppermint extract.
- Powdered Sugar – A most important ingredient! If you do not have powdered sugar on hand, the only alternative I could suggest would be to make your own. Simply grind up whatever sugar you prefer in a spice grinder. If you wish to keep some on hand, just add some starch to prevent clumping!
- Cocoa Powder – Chocolate! The second best part of these Peppermint Chocolate Cookies. One of my favorite cocoa powders to use is Ghirardelli Dutch Process, it can be found at any supermarket and the quality proves true! However, if you decide that you want to get super fancy, try out this one by Varhona. Their chocolate is manufactured in France and is commonly used by pastry chefs.
- Flour – If you need to make this recipe gluten-free, simply sub in your favorite gluten-free flour at a 1:1 ratio. If not, then any all-purpose flour will do!
Glaze:
- Butter – To get your glaze extra flavorful, try using grass-fed butter! It’s extra creamy and delicious and will bring these cookies to the next level.
- Milk – Whole milk is definitely best here! The full fat content will definitely enhance the texture of your glaze. If you wish to avoid dairy, I would recommend Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk! This will give you the same effect of full fat cow’s milk without the dairy.
- Powdered Sugar – Regular white powdered sugar is best here because you want the color of the glaze to remain white!
- Peppermint Extract – As this is one of the most important flavors in these Peppermint Chocolate Cookies, I’d recommend using a high quality peppermint extract. Make sure that there are no natural or artificial flavors in it and that it is just peppermint extract, your tastebuds will thank you!
- Crushed Candy Cane or Peppermint Candy (optional) – The crushed candy canes are optional, yes, but they make these cookies so much more fun! More than that, they add a really crunchy texture to your cookies that is unachievable otherwise. Any candy canes will do, even if you have to steal a couple off of your Christmas tree!
Directions to make these Delicious Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350º
- In a large bowl, Cream butter, sugar, and peppermint extract until smooth. I like to use an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Add the flour mixture of cocoa powder and flour, and mix until dough comes together. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure everything is fully mixed.
- Roll out on a floured surface and cut with cookie cutters
- Transfer cut-outs to a prepared baking sheet (tip: cookies are less likely to stick to your countertop if you line it with parchment paper or wax paper!)
- Gather scraps into a ball, roll again, and cut out.
- Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Bake cookies on your cookie sheet for 12 minutes until the edges are set, and cookies look dry, but before they begin to brown. They will be the perfect chewy cookies for you to glaze when cooled.
- Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool
- While cookies cool, beat glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl. You can use a mixer on low speed for the glaze if you want.
- Drizzle over the top of the cookies, and top with crushed candy cane bits, candy cane pieces, or you could also use peppermint chips!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Be careful though as peppermint oil will be very overpowering, a little will go a very long way. I would recommend using a little at a time and tasting your dough or icing in-between to make sure you don’t add too much.
You can definitely substitute in peppermint sprinkles rather than using candy cane, but keep in mind that sprinkles just won’t give you the same crunch factor that candy cane will.
The short answer to this question is no. The long answer is that you can, it will just make your cookie dough flat and crispy in the oven. If you like your cookies this way then go for it, but be aware that your cookies won’t stay the shape that you cut them in.
I would recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This way they won’t get stale and the glaze will stay as fresh as possible!
Tips for Baking
- If you want to bring out the flavor a bit more in your dough, add a pinch of salt into the flour!
- If you want to make some snowmen, then try using a snowman cookie cutter and then covering the whole surface of the cookie with the white glaze!
- If you want to make this a fun activity for the whole family, try making a bit of a thicker icing by adding more powdered sugar to the glaze and whipping it up a bit firmer. This way you can use it in a piping bag and decorate your little cookie men, trees, or whatever shape you decide to cut them in!
- If you want to make these cookies ahead, simply scoop the dough once it is completed and put the cookies in the freezer! When you’re ready to bake them just pull them out for around an hour before putting them in the oven.
These Peppermint Chocolate Cookies are festive, delicious, and incredibly easy to make. I hope that your family enjoys them just as much as mine does! A batch of these cookies will guarantee you that you’re ready for the holiday season! Thank you for joining me in making them. Merry Christmas!
Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter softened
- ½ tsp Peppermint extract
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 cup Flour
Glaze
- 1 tbsp Butter melted
- 2 tbsp Milk
- ¾ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp Peppermint extract
- Crushed candy canes optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Cream butter, sugar, and peppermint extract until smooth
- Add cocoa powder and flour, and mix until dough comes together
- Roll out on a floured surface and cut with cookie cutters
- Transfer cut-outs to an ungreased cookie sheet (tip: cookies are less likely to stick to your countertop if you line it with parchment paper!)
- Gather scraps into a ball, roll again, and cut out.
- Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are set, and cookies look dry, but before they begin to brown
- Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool
- While cookies cool, beat glaze ingredients together
- Drizzle over cookies, and top with crushed candy canes
Note
- You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate the dough, but make sure you have time to let it warm up before you try to roll it out – it gets stiff when it’s cold!
