Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Soft and thick dark chocolate peppermint cookies drizzled with white chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes are a peppermint lover's dream!
Servings: 16
Calories: 302kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop (optional but helpful)
- Pastry bag and small, round piping tip (or a spoon for drizzling white chocolate)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Dutch cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract*
- 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers
- 2 candy canes, crushed
Instructions
Make the cookie dough.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, milk, and peppermint extract to the butter mixture and beat to combine.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture blending until combined and stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoons to scoop 1 ½ Tablespoon balls of cookie dough. Place cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies.
- Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, for 10 minutes or until the cookies are flattened with slightly puffed centers. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the cookies.
- When the cookies are completely cooled, melt the white chocolate wafers in a small bowl in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Add the melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip.
- Working quickly (since the chocolate will firm up as it cools), pipe (or drizzle) melted white chocolate in thin, back-and-forth lines across a cookie. Sprinkle crushed candy cane bits onto the white chocolate. Repeat until all cookies are decorated.
Notes
Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing: These cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the cookies without decorations, then defrost and decorate before serving.
How to Crush Candy Canes: The simplest way to crush candy canes for topping cookies is to place the candy canes into a plastic bag and seal the bag while removing the air. Place the bag of candy canes onto a sturdy surface, like a wooden cutting board, and beat the candy canes using a mallet or rolling pin. For finer bits of candy cane, use a rolling pin to roll over the crushed bits still inside the bag, breaking them into even smaller pieces.
*Mint extract can be substituted in equal measure for peppermint extract. If you prefer, you can replace the peppermint extract with 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of vanilla extract.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg