Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

About this recipe

• Easy to make: a one-bowl recipe that can be made and chilled for a few days before baking them.
• Flavor: both the chocolate and the mint shine on their own and also together. You can adjust the peppermint extract to your palate.
• Freezing: you can have the scooped cookie portions frozen and bake them when needed.
• Great for gifting: they are great year-round, of course, what cookie isn't? But are especially pretty as Christmas cookies as they travel well and have a festive flavor.

Ingredients

• Chocolate: the better the quality, the better the outcome. I love dark chocolate, like Ghirardelli Intense 72% cacao bar or Green & Black Organic 70% cacao bar. But you can use less intense ones for a sweeter cookie, like Ghirardelli Semisweet Premium Bar.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: any brand you already use works fine. I usually use Ghirardelli semisweet Chocolate chips and Hershey's semisweet baking chips.
• Cocoa powder: make sure it's unsweetened. I usually use Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder, Valrhona Pure Cocoa powder, and Hershey's natural unsweetened cocoa.
• Crushed peppermint candy: you can crush whole candy canes or buy crushed ones, which is way easier. I used Atkinson's Mint Twists crushed candy and love it. It stays soft to the bite after it's baked.
• Mint extract: I use Simply Organic peppermint flavor or Nielsen Massey pure peppermint extract.
• Vanilla - I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
• Unsalted butter.
• Sugar: we use white granulated sugar, and brown sugar (light or dark) for this recipe.
• Eggs: fresh, large.
• All-purpose flour.
• Baking soda: make sure it's not expired.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.

See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.

How to make peppermint chocolate cookies

• Melt the chocolate: always start with chopped chocolate in a microwavable or glass bowl. You can use the microwave (short 10-15 second spurts stirring well between each one until it's fully melted) or a double boiler with the bowl containing the chopped chocolate not touching the water. In both cases, make sure it doesn't scorch.
• Electric mixer: it's what I use to cream the butter, sugars, and eggs before adding the flour mixture and add-ins, which I do with a spatula. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment also works, and make sure you mix at low speed after adding the dry ingredients.

Melted chocolate: add it while still warm but not starting to set, so it integrates well with the butter mixture.

Dry ingredients: don't overmix or overbeat at this point, so the cookies aren't tough after they're baked. The final chocolate cookie dough will be thick.

Baking

Baking sheets: I butter the cookie sheet lightly and don't use parchment paper. But you can if that's what you usually bake cookies on.

Leave space between cookies to allow them to expand during baking, about 1 ½ inches.

The cookies will still be soft in the center when you take them out.

Vintage Kitchen tip: you can sprinkle extra crushed candy over the cookies when you remove them from the oven, so the colors are more vivid. Don't go overboard, as the mint flavor is not overpowering. Or save peppermint bits from the total amount to top the baked cookies.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Chocolate: the better the chocolate and cocoa powder you use, the better the flavor of the cookies. The brands I use can be found in the ingredients list and the Notes section in the recipe card below.
• Chilling: I usually bake them directly but have chilled the dough for several hours and up to 2 days. There is not much difference in my experience. They're a tad more compact but not very noticeable. So use the refrigerator to make the cookie dough ahead if you need to.
• Freezing: you can freeze the scooped cookie portions and bake them later. Put the scoops on a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer. When the dough balls are rock solid, transfer them to a plastic bag or freezer container to free up the baking pan and space in the freezer. Bake them directly as instructed in the recipe. They might take an extra minute or so.
• Extra candy: you can sprinkle extra crushed candy over the cookies when you remove them from the oven, so the colors are more vivid. Don't go overboard, as the mint flavor is not overpowering. Or save peppermint bits from the total amount to top the baked cookies.