Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
Chewy chocolate peppermint cookies that are perfect for the holidays. With candy cane bits and lots of chocolate flavor, they are a great addition to a Christmas cookie recipe tray. They come together quickly and can be baked immediately, or the cookie dough can be refrigerated or frozen for several days or weeks.
Servings 35 medium
Ingredients
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon mint extract
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup crushed peppermint candy cane
- extra crushed candy cane for sprinkling before baking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter or spray a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate: start with 8 ounces semisweet 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 chocolate not touching the water. In both cases, make sure it doesn't scorch.
- Beat 1 cup unsalted butter with ¾ cup white sugar and ½ cup brown sugar in a large bowl for about 3 minutes, until creamy.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl each time.
- Add the melted chocolate, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon mint extract and mix until smooth.
- Sift the dry ingredients (2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt) before adding them to the butter mixture, or have them measured and sift as you add them. Don’t overbeat at this point. Simply mix well with a spatula or beat at the lowest speed until no streaks of flour remain.
- Add 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and ⅔ cup crushed peppermint candy cane. Mix well. At this point, you can bake the cookies or cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for a day or two.
- Scoop portions on the prepared baking sheets making sure they're separated 2 inches from each other.
- Sprinkle with extra crushed candy cane if you want to. They look prettier after they're baked.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges are dry but the centers are still soft.
- Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes and carefully remove from the sheets and let cool completely on the cooling racks.
- Store in an airtight container or cookie jar.
Notes
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 to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking 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.
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 of time 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.
