Ultimate Peppermint Chocolate Cookies for the Holidays

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Peppermint might not be everyone’s thing during the holiday season, but I couldn’t pass up sharing this peppermint chocolate cookies recipe with y’all! You never know you might just love it! These sweet, delicious cookies, give me the Andes Mints feel!

These cookies are the perfect balance of chocolate and peppermint! Great to take to your next holiday gathering or to wrap up and share with the neighbors!

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Why You’ll Love These Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

• This recipe uses simple ingredients, all of which you can grab at your local grocery store.
• You can mix everything in one bowl! This is one of my most favorite things, because less mess to clean up afterwards!
• Perfect amount of chocolate and peppermint!
• Serve these with milk or as an afternoon treat with hot chocolate. Try my friend’s Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Without Powdered Milk. It’s so good!

Kitchen Tools

• Stand Mixer – Using a stand mixer makes this process so easy. But it’s not a necessity, you can use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer as well.
• Tablespoon Cookie Scoop – This comes in handy to keep all your cookies about the same size.
• Baking Stone – I have one of these that is from Pampered Chef. It was gifted to me. But I use it all the time for so many different things!
• Stainless Steel Cookie Sheet – Using stainless steel with parchment paper keeps your food safe from the nonstick baking sheets that usually contain PFAS that are damaging to your health. These cookies sheets with the parchment paper, keep things from sticking and clean up easier too.
• Parchment Paper – This is my favorite parchment paper!
• Wire Cooling Rack – These wire cooling racks have legs on them! This helps later with the icing process. Simply place a piece of parchment paper on the counter, stand cooling rack over parchment paper and once cookies are cooled drizzle icing! The icing won’t puddle around the cookies and clean up is easy!

Ingredients for Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

• Butter – Be sure to set this out to have at room temperature or soften it first, it makes for easier mixing.
• Cane Sugar – You can use any sugar, but I like using raw organic cane sugar for most of my recipes.
• Brown Sugar – Adding this in helps the cookies to stay moist and chewy.
• Eggs – Eggs help the ingredients all come together.
• Vanilla Extract – In combination with the peppermint, it just gives such a wonderful flavor.
• Peppermint Extract – This is where all the yummy peppermint comes into play.
• Flour – For this recipe, I use all purpose flour. My favorite brand is King Arthur Organic Unbleached. But you can use any all purpose flour.
• Cacao – Is basically chocolate in its most pure form. It’s filled with tons of nutrients!
• Salt – Salt emphasizes all the ingredients for the best flavor.
• Baking Soda – Adds to the chewy texture of these cookies.
• Candy Canes – For more added peppermint flavor and to add some festive coloring to the cookies I used candy canes from Thrive Market. They do not contain any artificial food dyes. YumEarth is another great brand for candy without artificial dyes. But you can use any candy canes or peppermint candies. If you want to try Thrive Market, you can get 40% off your first order!

Ingredients for Powdered Sugar Icing

• Powdered Sugar – I use powdered sugar that is made with tapoica starch, but any powdered sugar will do.
• Milk – I typically use raw milk, but you can use any milk.
• Vanilla Extract – This gives a nice flavor to the powdered sugar.
• Salt – Brings out the flavor of the vanilla.

How to Make Powdered Sugar Icing

1. Mix – Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix until well combined.

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

1. Prepare – Crush candy canes.
2. Preheat – Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Cream – Cream butter and sugars together in stand mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer.
4. Add – Add in eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to bowl and mix until combined. Be sure to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
5. Add – Add flour, cacao, salt, and baking soda to bowl and mix until combined.
6. Scoop – Use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out dough, form into cookie shape and place on stone baking sheet or cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
7. Bake – Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
8. Prep Icing – While cookies are baking, mix up powdered sugar icing.
9. Apply – Allow cookies to cool before icing. Use fork to drizzle icing on top of cookies and top with crushed candy canes.

Variations

• Chocolate Chips – Need more chocolate? Just add in some chocolate chips!
• Dairy Free – You can swap the butter for a vegan butter and swap out the milk for coconut milk in the icing.
• Dip Icing – If you don’t want to drizzle the icing on the cookies, you can dip one side of the cookie in the icing and then add the crushed candy cane pieces.
• Frosting – Rather than using a thin powdered sugar icing, you could make a buttercream frosting and top with candies.

Tips for Perfect Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

• Be sure to always scrape down the sides of the bowl, especially if you’re using a stand mixer. This helps in keeping all the ingredients well combined.
• While the cookies are still warm you can take a glass cup and moving in a circular motion over each cookie will give them the perfect shape.
• When drizzling icing, place parchment paper underneath a cooling rack. Using the cooling rack helps to keep the icing from puddling on the cookies. The parchment paper keeps clean up quick & easy.

How To Store

Store cookies in an air tight container on the counter for up to 3-5 days for the best taste and texture.

FAQS

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