Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are rich and fudgy, loaded with chocolate chips, dipped in creamy white chocolate, and finished with crunchy peppermint candy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cookies, peppermint cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 9

Total Time 19

Servings dozen cookies

Calories 2007kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups white chocolate baking chips or candy melts
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177ºC) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk Dry. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour (2 1/2 cups), cocoa powder (1/2 cup), baking soda (1 teaspoon), instant coffee (1 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon). Toss in the chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) to coat, then set aside.
Mix wet. In a separate bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat together the granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups) and melted, cooled butter (1 cup) until smooth and glossy. Beat in the eggs (2), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and peppermint extract (1/4 teaspoon) until fully combined.
Combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. (The batter will be very thick.)
Scoop. Using a 1 1⁄2 tablespoons cookie scoop, scoop the batter and roll into balls, then arrange on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
Refrigerate the dough balls right on the cookie sheets for 60 minutes.
Bake: Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes until the edges are set but the center is still slightly soft. You don't want to overbake these cookies.
Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking tray undisturbed for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Melt: In a microwave-safe container with a wide mouth, microwave the white chocolate chips (or baking chips) (2 cups) in 20-second increments, stirring each time.
Decorate: Dip half of each cookie into the white chocolate and sprinkle with additional crushed peppermint candies (1/2 cup).
Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Notes

Trust the texture, not just the clock.
Ovens vary, so start checking at 7 minutes. The edges should look set and slightly matte, but the centers should still look soft and just a bit underdone. They’ll firm up as they cool on the baking sheet.
Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
This recipe was designed around natural cocoa. It reacts properly with the baking soda and gives you the right lift and flavor. If you use Dutch-process cocoa, the cookies will still work, but they may bake up a touch denser and taste slightly different.
Cool the butter before adding the eggs.
If the butter is too hot, it can partially cook the eggs or make the dough greasy. You want the butter melted but not steaming—think warm bath water temperature.
Measure flour and cocoa lightly.
Scooping straight from the bag packs the cup and can add a lot more flour than you think. Fluff, spoon, and level so the texture stays fudgy and soft instead of dry or cakey.
Crush peppermint candies fairly fine.
Smaller pieces stick better to the white chocolate and are more pleasant to bite into. A small zip-top bag and a rolling pin work perfectly.
Let the cookies cool fully before dipping.
If the cookies are even slightly warm, the white chocolate can slip, streak, or set unevenly. Cool cookies + smooth melted white chocolate = clean, pretty half-dipped finish.

Nutrition