Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

These chocolate peppermint cookies are the perfect way to get your peppermint fix this winter.
Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home

There are plenty of recipes that call for the super-seasonal flavor combination of chocolate and peppermint. But for a dependably delicious option we can rely on, we always turn to these chocolate peppermint cookies. It’s a go-to recipe that we make in droves in preparation for family get-togethers, cookie exchanges and holiday parties.

So, when Thanksgiving is over and the countdown to Christmas has begun, enjoy a batch (or three!) of these peppermint chocolate cookies to get into the holiday spirit.

Ingredients for Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

  • Sugars: A mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar creates a nice balance of chewiness and sturdiness. “Using a combination of the two sugars in cookies really provides the best of both worlds when it comes to the properties of both of them in baked goods,” says Mark Neufang, culinary assistant in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen. “Brown sugar typically lends a bit of chewiness to cookies, while white/granulated sugar provides some crispness. Using all of one or the other would definitely yield different results in texture, but they work in terrific harmony together to produce a cookie that is ‘just right!'”
  • Butter: Softened butter makes it possible to cream butter and sugar together for a cookie that’s a little more cake-y than chewy.
  • Eggs: Pull the eggs out of the fridge and rest them on the counter until they reach room temperature before baking. (Cold eggs don’t combine as well with other ingredients.)
  • Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder makes the cookie dough uniformly chocolate. If you don’t already have some on hand, pick up a container of the best cocoa powder as tested by our Test Kitchen pros.
  • Chocolate chips: Chocolate peppermint cookies call for two kinds of chocolate chips. Our recipe uses semisweet and bittersweet chips, giving a richness that milk chocolate chips wouldn’t supply. Plus, doubling down on chocolate chips guarantees that each bite has plenty of chunky chocolate.
  • Crushed peppermint candies: Crushed peppermint candies or candy canes are a flavorful, yet not too overpowering, garnish for these chocolaty cookies. Plus, the crushed peppermint looks festive!

Directions

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Since we cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes, the mixture should be almost white.

Step 2: Beat in the eggs

Beat the eggs and vanilla into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

Step 3: Sift the dry ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.

Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients

After the dry ingredients are combined, gradually beat them into the creamed mixture, making sure there are no pockets of flour left in the dough.

Step 5: Stir in the chocolate chips

Stir the semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips into the cookie dough with a spatula.

Step 6: Scoop the cookie dough

Using rounded teaspoonfuls, drop the chocolate cookie dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

(If you don’t already have a cookie scoop on hand, it’s one of the most helpful cookie baking supplies for frequent cookie bakers.)

Step 7: Bake the cookies

Bake the cookies until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them rest for two minutes on the baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: If you want to have perfectly round cookies, take a round cookie cutter, and swirl each cookie around in a circle on the baking sheet to round out the rougher edges.

Step 8: Melt the white chocolate chips

Melt the white baking chips in the microwave, and stir until smooth.

Editor’s Tip: To play it safe and avoid burning the white chocolate chips, microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring between each round. Here are more ways how to melt chocolate if you’d prefer to use a double boiler or another method.

Step 9: Make the frosting

In another bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Then, beat in the melted white baking chips. Add in enough milk to reach desired consistency for the frosting—more milk will make a thinner frosting, and less milk will create a thicker frosting.

Step 10: Frost the cookies

Frost the peppermint chocolate chip cookies, and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Variations

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies on trayTMB Studio

  • Make peppermint mocha cookies: Coffee accentuates the flavor of chocolate, which is why it’s often used as a secret ingredient in chocolate recipes. So, if you want to turn these chocolate cookies into mocha cookies, you’ll need to add more instant coffee or espresso powder than you might think to the cookie dough. Here’s more on how to add coffee to chocolate desserts.
  • Swap out the chocolate chips: Instead of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips, try creating your own combination of flavored baking chips, whether it’s white chocolate and espresso morsels or semisweet and Andes baking chips.
  • Dip the cookies in chocolate: Skip the frosting, and dip the cookies in chocolate instead! Dip each cookie halfway into the melted chocolate of your choice, and sprinkle the crushed candy over the top before the chocolate hardens.
  • Skip the frosting altogether: If you’d rather a plain chocolate cookie, skip the frosting, and instead sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top when the cookies are fresh out of the oven.
  • Use a different minty topping: There are other ways to add a minty garnish without using crushed peppermint candies. While the crushed candies will provide an especially festive touch, chopped Andes mints will give the cookies a similar flavor with a little added chocolate.
  • Replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract: Our recipe calls for a peppermint garnish, but no peppermint in the cookie dough or frosting. If you want the cookie itself to have a touch of mint, use peppermint extract instead of vanilla in the dough. Use just 1 teaspoon of peppermint (instead of 2 teaspoons vanilla extract like the recipe calls for) since peppermint extract can be overdone easily.

How to Store Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Since the frosting on these cookies contains cream cheese, it’s best to store these peppermint chocolate cookies in the refrigerator. Place the peppermint chocolate cookies in a single layer in an airtight container, where they should keep for up to three days.

How to Freeze Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

  • How to freeze the cookie dough: Scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet as if you were going to bake them, and then pop them into the freezer until they’re frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a resealable freezer bag where you can keep them for the next three months. When you’re craving cookies again, transfer them straight from the freezer bag to the baking sheet, and bake as directed—no need to thaw them first. Here’s more on how to freeze cookie dough, whether you’re making sugar cookies, drop cookies or shortbread.
  • How to freeze baked cookies: If you’re already baked the cookies and know that you won’t eat them all within three days, you can freeze baked and unfrosted cookies for up to six months. Let the cookies fully cool, then toss the baking sheet into the freezer. Keep them in the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer the cookies to an airtight container separated by sheets of waxed paper or parchment. Thaw the baked cookies at room temperature. Once they’re thawed, you can frost and sprinkle the crushed candies on top before serving.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Tips

Chocolate Peppermint CookiesTMB STUDIO

Can you make the cookie dough in advance?

You can make the cookie dough one to two days in advance, storing the dough in a tightly covered mixing bowl in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet as the oven preheats. If you have the fridge space, you can even scoop the cookie dough ahead of time and store in the fridge on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, so all you have to do is take off the plastic wrap and pop in the oven.

Can you make the frosting in advance?

While you can make the cookie dough in advance, the frosting is best the day it’s made, or made ahead one day at most—provided you whip it up again before spreading it on the cookies. “Frostings like this, which contain confectioners’ sugar, tend to firm and dry up a little as they sit,” says Mark. With this in mind, you should sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top of the cookies pretty soon after frosting them, so the frosting doesn’t harden before the crushed candies adhere.

How do you crush peppermint candies?

If you can’t find crushed peppermint candies at your grocery store, you can easily crush candy canes or whole peppermint candies yourself. Put the candies or candy canes in a resealable bag, and use a rolling pin to roll over and tap on the candies gently until the pieces reach your desired size.

Watch how to Make Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Santa is sure to stop by your house if you leave these minty triple-chocolate peppermint cookies waiting for him. They're quick and easy for the whole family to make together. —Teresa Ralston, New Albany, Ohio
Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 40 min. Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling

Makes

5 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips
  • WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
  • 1/2 cup white baking chips
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips.
  2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
  3. For frosting, melt white baking chips in a microwave; stir until smooth. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in melted chips. Add enough milk to reach desired consistency. Frost cookies; sprinkle with peppermint candies.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 132 calories, 6g fat (3g saturated fat), 17mg cholesterol, 96mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (15g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.