Posted Dec 05, 2022, Updated Feb 15, 2024 This chocolate peppermint cookie recipe is a delicious holiday treat for chocolate lovers. A rich and chocolatey cookie dough is infused with peppermint extract and chopped peppermint bark. They are fudgy with soft centers and crisp edges and a crunchy sugary coating. Chocolate mint cookies are easy to make with simple ingredients and don’t need to be chilled (although you can chill the dough if desired).
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter works well too, however I recommend tasting the dough to ensure that it’s salted to your liking. A vegan butter substitute and coconut oil also work well. Granulated Sugar. White granulated sugar or organic cane sugar both work well in this recipe. Flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour, or use a gluten-free all-purpose baking to make them gluten-free. Peppermint/vanilla extract. I included what I believe is the perfect ratio of both extracts to make the most delicious cookies – feel free to adjust to your own tastes. Peppermint bark. The melty chopped peppermint bark makes these cookies so delicious. It’s easy to find peppermint bark during the holiday season at a grocery store (Ghirardelli makes squares and Hersheys makes bells), Trader Joe’s, Williams Sonoma, etc. If you would like to make these and it’s not the holidays, I suggest using another mint chocolate like andes chips (or chopped andes mints), chopped Fannie May mint meltaways or Frango mints, mint truffles, etc.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Let’s walk through this chocolate mint cookie recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F and lining 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, then set them aside. Next, combine the dry ingredients (minus the sugar) together in a medium bowl. Then, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Next, beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Then, beat the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until combined. Next, add the chopped peppermint bark and beat on low speed until it’s evenly distributed throughout the dough. Once the dough is made, you can choose to chill it for a while if you’d prefer to make the dough ahead of time before you’re ready to bake. Chilling is not required. Use a 1 – 1 ½ TBS cookie scoop to measure out the chocolate peppermint cookie dough and then roll it into balls. Put ¼ cup sugar into a small bowl and roll each portion of dough in the sugar. Place the dough balls on prepared cookie sheets evenly spaced, with at least 1 ½” between the cookies. Then, bake in preheated oven for approximately 8-9 minutes. Take the chocolate peppermint cookies out when they are just BARELY set, and starting to crackle around the edges. Let them sit on the baking pan for 2-5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
Store
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze
You can freeze these chocolate mint cookies in one of two ways. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!