Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe
As far as Christmas traditions go, baking these chocolate peppermint cookies is one of my family's favorite ways to spend time together over the holidays. They're easy and fun to make and taste just like Christmas in a cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons black cocoa powder, can sub regular - see notes
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup EACH: packed brown sugar and granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract, see notes
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ¾ cup crushed candy canes, divided
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, baking powder.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons black cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes.1 cup butter, ½ cup EACH: packed brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg, water, and peppermint extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until it's combined.1 large egg, 1 tablespoon water, 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- Add the chocolate chips and ½ cup of the crushed candy canes and fold them into the batter.1 cup chocolate chips
- Put the remaining ¼ cup of crushed candy canes into a bowl. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) to portion the dough then roll into balls and dip one side into the crushed candy canes.
- Place the balls onto baking sheets, candy cane side facing up. Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12 minutes. For perfectly round cookies, use a wide cup (like a martini glass) to shape the cookies into perfect circles as soon as they come out of the oven. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Black cocoa powder: Black (or dark) cocoa powder is very dark, ultra-Dutch processed cocoa. I like to use a little in this recipe to darken the cookies, which makes the color of the crushed candy canes really pop. If you don't have any on hand, swap it with regular cocoa powder for slightly lighter brown cookies.
Crushed candy canes: Sometimes, you can buy crushed candy canes in the baking department. Otherwise, put candy canes into a bag and use a rubber mallet or rolling pin to break them up. You'll need 7-8 for this recipe.
Peppermint extract: I wanted the peppermint to be quite noticeable in the cookies, and we found that 2 teaspoons was the perfect amount. If you'd like a subtle peppermint flavor, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.
Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 202mg, Potassium: 92mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 330IU, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg