These brownie-like chocolate peppermint cookies are soft and fudgy with a sweet peppermint flavour and crushed candy canes on top. They're truly the perfect holiday cookies!
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Notes from the baker
Chocolate and peppermint is a flavour combination that I love and look forward to every holiday season. Something about the peppermint is so refreshing and cuts through the heaviness of chocolate. And it always tastes like Christmas!
These chocolate peppermint cookies have exactly that festive flavour while having the perfect brownie cookie texture that I can't get enough off. Every bite is incredible. If you're a chocolate lover, you have to make these.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Brownie-like cookies. These chocolate peppermint cookies are soft and fudgy with a crackled top just like your favourite brownies.
- Chocolate peppermint flavour. Delicious flavour that's so festive and easy to create with just peppermint extract.
- Crunch from the candy canes. Not only do the crushed candy canes look super fun, they add extra texture and peppermint flavour.
- Ready in an hour. This recipe is easy and quick to make!
Tools
- Baking sheet - You can use any baking sheet or baking tray you have to bake these cookies. The size of baking sheet will determine how many cookies you can bake at once.
- Small saucepan - You'll need a small saucepan or pan to melt the chocolate mixture. If you're using a double boiler to melt the chocolate, you'll need a saucepan or pot and a heat-safe bowl that fits perfectly on top without touching the 1" of water in the pot.
- Electric hand mixer - Since we're beating the eggs and sugar together for at least 5 minutes, you'll need a hand mixer to do it easily and whip the mixture enough to form the crackled look to these cookies.
- 4-tablespoon cookie scoop - I always like using large cookie scoops for big, bakery-style cookies that have enough dough to spread nicely. Using a scoop also allows you to portion out the same amount of dough for each cookie and it's especially important for this recipe because the dough can be very soft and you wouldn't be able to scoop it out any other way.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Dark chocolate - I always prefer using dark chocolate in brownies or brownie cookies to offset the sweetness. Finely chop the chocolate so that it'll melt faster and more evenly.
- Unsalted butter - Roughly cut the butter into cubes to help it melt evenly.
- All-purpose flour
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder - Dutch-processed cocoa powder has been neutralized (natural cocoa powder is acidic) and gives a milder, less bitter chocolate flavour and darker colour. Since it's neutral, it pairs best with baking powder (also neutral) to help these cookies rise.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs - These should be at room temperature so that they don't cause the melted chocolate and butter to harden upon contact.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Peppermint extract - Peppermint extract is an easy way to add peppermint flavour to these cookies. It's a clear liquid that you can usually find in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
- Vanilla extract
- Candy canes - For sprinkling on top of the cookies! Finely crush them by placing them in a ziploc bag and hitting them with a mallet or crushing them with the side of a knife as you would with garlic.
Tips for making the best chocolate peppermint cookies
- Melt the chocolate on very low heat. Chocolate can seize (become hard, clumpy, and unusable) when exposed to high heat. On my flat stovetop, I can melt chocolate with no issues on the lowest heat setting but if you have a gas stovetop or if your stovetop can't hold a very low temperature, I'd recommend using a double boiler or even a microwave (10 second intervals, checking in between each one).
- Beat the eggs and sugar for at least 5 minutes. Just like brownies, these cookies get their crackly tops and fudgy texture by whipping the eggs for a long time to allow the sugar to fully dissolve and to aerate the eggs. The mixture should change to be very pale in colour, thick, and doubled in volume.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. This cookie dough can be a bit moist depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the kind of chocolate you use. Portioning it out with a cookie scoop is the best way to work with it mess-free and ensure that all the cookies are the same size and shape.
Storage
These chocolate peppermint cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
They can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw completely at room temperature before eating.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More chocolate cookie recipes to try
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies
- Salted Chocolate Sablé Cookies
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Linzer Cookies
Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 50 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 candy canes, crushed, for topping
Instructions
- Flour mixture: In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Chocolate mixture: In a small pan on a stovetop, heat the chocolate and butter on very low heat until completely melted. If you aren't able to control the heat of your stovetop well, I'd recommend using a double boiler to prevent the chocolate from seizing.
- Whip eggs: Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the mixture for at least 5 minutes on medium speed until it becomes pale in colour and doubled in volume.
- Combine: Add the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add flour and beat again on low speed until just combined.
- Rest batter: Let the batter rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow it to firm up.
- Prep: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Scoop dough: Use a 3 or 4-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough and release them onto your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" in between each cookie to account for spreading.
- Bake: Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the surface of the cookies is cracked and puffy. Immediately sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of each cookie to let the heat help them stick.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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