Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
on Nov 18, 2025
These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are loaded with dark chocolate and peppermint flavors. They are soft and chewy with lots of chocolate chips, then decorated with white chocolate and candy cane pieces. The BEST Cookie for Christmas cookie trays.
Peppermint is one of the most popular flavors during the holiday season. Chocolate and Peppermint are like a match made in heaven. These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies have triple the chocolate. The recipe includes dark chocolate cocoa, dark chocolate chips and white chocolate topping. The peppermint extract is found inside the cookie dough and candy pieces and another layer of peppermint.
If you are looking for other peppermint recipes, consider making Peppermint Bark or Peppermint White Hot Chocolate.
Soft and Chewy cookies are so good! My chocolate Peppermint Cookie Recipe is both of those. The flavor and texture is like peppermint and chocolate heaven. I make these cookies every year for Christmas gifts. Each year, I have numerous requests for the recipe.
A DARK cocoa is BEST for these Peppermint cookies if you want a deep chocolate flavor and stark contrast. I also use dark chocolate chips in our cookies. You could use semi-sweet chips or even milk chocolate chips if you prefer. But, I think dark chips are so good.
When softening your butter for these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, do not let it get overly soft and greasy. Properly measure your flour with a kitchen scale or properly fluff and scoop. Don’t over-mix the dough or you will have a tough dry cookie. Use a biscuit cutter or similar after baking to have perfectly round cookies. Remember… cookies always continue baking on the cookie sheet after being removed from the oven, Don’t OVER BAKE. If you over bake, you will have a dry and crumbly cookie- babysit that oven. Pull them when they are slightly underdone.
Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe aren’t too different than a lot of Chocolate Cookie recipes- we’re just adding some peppermint flavor here and there. To make this easy cookie recipe simple to follow, we’re going to break the ingredients down into categories- dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and toppings. First, here’s the dry ingredients:
- Flour – You can just use all-purpose flour here.
- Cocoa Powder – Don’t confuse this with hot cocoa mix- it’ll be too sweet! You need a 100% dark cocoa powder or baking cocoa. Hershey’s Dark cocoa powder is fine but using something nice like this Guittard Cocoa Rouge cocoa powder will be best.
- Baking Soda – use FRESH if possible.
- Espresso Powder – In a pinch, you can use instant coffee instead of espresso powder. Coffee and chocolate work really well together and is a bit of a “secret ingredient” for tasty chocolate desserts!
- Salt – omit if using salted butter.
Next, you’ve got your wet ingredients:
- Butter – Try to use room temperature butter here. Cold butter doesn’t mix as well. Overly softened greasy butter is not good either.
- Sugar – We’ll be using plain ole granulated white sugar and…
- Brown Sugar – Just go with light brown sugar here.
- Egg – room temperature is best.
- Vanilla Extract
- Peppermint Extract
- Chocolate Chips – We’re going for a bit of a “double chocolate cookie” here. Try to use semi-sweet chocolate chips or maybe go with something a bit darker like these Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips.
Lastly, you’ll need a couple ingredients for topping the cookies:
- White Chocolate – Keep things simple with some white chocolate melts, white chocolate melting chips, or white chocolate melting wafers.
- Candy Canes – If you can, save time by buying these pre-crushed. Elsewise, just crush candy canes in a plastic bag.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint
Making Chocolate Peppermint Cookies is pretty straight-forward. You prepare dry ingredients, prepare wet ingredients, add dry to wet, bake the cookie dough and you’ve got some tasty cookies! We’ve got a quick visual guide below to help you along while you prepare this Peppermint Chocolate Cookie recipe yourself- good luck:
- Start things off by adding your dry ingredients all together in a large mixing bowl– that’s the flour, cocoa, baking soda, coffee powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and then set aside.
- Now start on the wet ingredients: add butter, white sugar, and brown sugar to a separate large mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat together until light and fluffy. Be patient, this will take a bit of time (close to 5 minutes or so).
- Once combined, add egg…
- …vanilla extract…
- …and peppermint extract. Beat until incorporated and scrape down sides of bowl if needed.
- Turn mixer to low and start gradually adding in mixed dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. DO NOT OVER-MIX.
- Eventually, ingredients will come together into a nice, dark, chocolate cookie dough. At this point, add in chocolate chips and fold together until well distributed.
- Cover bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and put in fridge to chill for at least 3 hours. Scoop out cookie dough, work into 1-1/2 tablespoon sized dough balls, and set 2 to 3 inches apart on a silpat-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Transfer baking sheet to an awaiting 350 degree oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookie edges should be set while the centers should still look soft. Allow to cool and optionally use ring molds to help maintain or “swirl” cookies into shape.
- Time for cookie topping. Add white chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until melted. Dip each cookie halfway into melted chocolate before setting on a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- While chocolate topping is still melty, sprinkle with crushed candy cane topping. It should stick into place.
- Refrigerate for an hour to help topping set. Enjoy!
Storage / Freezing
Storage: Homemade cookie recipes like our Chocolate and Peppermint Cookies hold up pretty well, storage-wise. Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container or ziploc bag. At room tempertaure, they’re best enjoyed within 5-7 days or they’ll keep for 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
Freezing: You can also try keeping your Chocolate Christmas Cookies frozen for long-term food storage. For best results, set on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for 45 minutes to “flash freeze” before transfering to a freezer bag. Homemade Chocolate Cookies should last 3-6 months in the freezer.
Tips for the BEST Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Use high quality dark cocoa to achieve the best flavor and color. I used Guittard Rouge Cocoa.
- Use softened butter but not overly softened greasy butter.
- Properly measure the flour with either a kitchen scale or by using the fluff and spoon method.
- Do not over-mix your cookie dough.
- After baking for 8 minutes toss a couple chips on top if you like (this is just to make them look pretty). Work quickly to get oven door closed, the heat is escaping.
- Use something like a cookie ring or English Muffin/Biscuit ring to round your cookie as soon as you remove cookies from the oven.
- Use white chocolate melting wafers or white chocolate chips with a tsp of shortening for dipping. I prefer the wafers as they tend to set quicker and better.
- Use pre-crushed candy cane pieces to speed up the cookie decorating process.
- Add a dusting of Sea Salt like Maldon Sea Salt Flakes for another added flavor and texture if you choose.
You May Like Cookie Recipes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp Butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Peppermint Extract
- 1 cup Flour
- 10 tbsp Guittard Cocoa Rouge Cocoa Powder, or unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tsp Espresso Powder, or 1 tbsp Instant Coffee Powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 oz White Chocolate Melting Disks
- 1/4 cup Candy Canes, crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt until blended. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in egg, vanilla and peppermint extract and beat until incorporated.
- Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Gradually, add prepared dry ingredients to the bowl while beating on low until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until well distributed.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Scoop into roughly 1 1/2 tablespoon balls and place on prepared tray about 2-3″ apart.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes until edges appear set (centers will still look soft). Allow to cool.
- Put white chocolate in microwave safe bowl and cook for 30 seconds and stirring until fully melted.
- Dip each cooled cookie half way into the white chocolate and place onto parchment or silicone lined try.
- Sprinkle white chocolate side with crushed candy cane.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to help set.
Notes
- Use high quality dark cocoa to achieve the best flavor and color. I used Guittard Rouge Cocoa.
- Use softened butter but not overly softened greasy butter.
- Properly measure the flour with either a kitchen scale or by using the fluff and spoon method.
- Do not over-mix your cookie dough.
- After baking for 8 minutes toss a couple chips on top if you like (this is just to make them look pretty). Work quickly to get oven door closed, the heat is escaping.
- Use something like a cookie ring or English Muffin/Biscuit ring to round your cookie as soon as you remove cookies from the oven.
- Use white chocolate melting wafers or white chocolate chips with a tsp of shortening for dipping. I prefer the wafers as they tend to set quicker and better.
- Use pre-crushed candy cane pieces to speed up the cookie decorating process.
- Add a dusting of Sea Salt like Maldon Sea Salt Flakes for another added flavor and texture if you choose.
Nutrition
Wonder why refrigerate 3 hrs most recipe s say 20 -30 min or over night.