These chewy dark chocolate peppermint cookies and loaded with crunchy candy canes and drizzled with sweet white chocolate. They’re easy to make and a fun treat to serve this holiday season!
If you asked me what my favorite wintertime activity was, baking cookies would be at the top of that list. As a food blogger and photographer, I love scrolling through Instagram this time of year and seeing all my fellow bloggers’ cookies and cookie boxes. Especially the cookie boxes–those are always gorgeous.
While I haven’t been able to pull together a cookie box this year (yet), I think these dark chocolate peppermint cookies would be a great addition to any box/platter/tray, etc. They’re also a great standalone holiday cookie to make on a cold, snowy day.
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
So what are these cookies? Simply put, it’s a chewy cookie made with classic wintertime flavors. I started with a chewy, dark chocolate cookie dough and added a bunch of crushed candy canes. That way you get this minty crunch that cuts through a soft, deep chocolate cookie. The whole thing is drizzled with melted white chocolate which makes them pretty to look at and adds some extra sweetness.
Ingredients Needed
To make these cookies, you will need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar + brown sugar: while these primarily call for granulated sugar, a bit of brown sugar in the dough lends some chewiness.
- Unsalted butter: soften it to room temperature before baking
- One egg: in addition to the butter, make sure your egg is also at room temperature. If you need to quickly warm up an egg, place it in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Dark cocoa powder: I used dark cocoa powder in this recipe (hence the word ‘dark’ in the recipe name), but if you don’t have that on hand then regular cocoa powder works as well! Just make sure it is unsweetened, dutch-processed cocoa powder. My favorite dark cocoa powder is Hershey’s Special Dark.
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Crushed candy canes: to crush them, I like to put them in a zip-loc bag and roll over them with a rolling pin. Or, try my second favorite method which is banging on them with the bottom of a jar.
- White chocolate chips
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Okay, so, how do we make these? It’s very easy!
Before you begin, do a quick check to make sure the butter is softened, your egg is at room temperature, and the candy canes crushed up.
Then, combine all the wet ingredients. Start by creaming together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla. A stand or hand mixer comes in handy here for these steps.
Next, combine all the dry ingredients so create a homogenous mixture. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium sized bowl. Then, add this to the wet ingredients. Gently combine everything until the flour is just incorporated. Make sure to not over-mix the dough to ensure that your cookies stay soft and chewy. Lastly, fold in the crushed candy canes with a flexible spatula.
After that, chill the dough for at least half an hour. Avoid skipping this step if possible! You’ll get so much better flavor and texture if you chill the dough first.
Then, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are crisp and middles being to set. Let them cool and drizzle with white chocolate before enjoying!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, rating, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your cookies!
Save This Recipe for Later
I found this nifty tool that lets you pin images on this site! Simply hover over the photo below and click the pin icon in the corner to save this recipe to Pinterest. Otherwise, if you’re ready to bake, then the recipe follows below!
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (With White Chocolate Drizzle)
Ingredients
- ½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup dark cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup crushed candy canes
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the two sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (around 2 minutes). Then, add the egg and vanilla and continue beating on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy (around one more minute).
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Then, add these to the bowl of your mixer. Beat everything together on low speed, until the flour is just combined. Do not overwork the dough. Lastly, add the crushed candy canes and use a flexible spatula to fold them into the dough.
- Wrap the dough and place it into the fridge to chill for at least half an hour or overnight.
- Scoop 1.5" balls of dough and drop them onto the cookie sheets. Leave 1.5-2 inches of space between each cookie. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up and edges are set. Once you take them out of the oven, let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- For the drizzle, place the white chocolate chips into a small microwave safe bowl. Heat them in the microwave in 20 second spurts, stirring between each until the chocolate is fully melted. Be careful to not burn the chocolate. If needed, add ½ tsp of oil into the chocolate to help make it smooth and easier to drizzle. Spoon the chocolate over the cookies, let it set, and enjoy!
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