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Filled with white chocolate chips and chunks of candy cane these Peppermint Cookies are pretty and delicious. A soft chewy cookie that is full of peppermint goodness.
Favorite Christmas Cookies
December is here and believe it or not there are only 23 more days until Christmas. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is peppermint. It is definitely my flavor of the season. I love peppermint anything and everything and these peppermint cookies are at the top of the list..
They are a soft, chewy cookie with white chocolate chips and little chunks of peppermint candy cane which make them even more chewy. They make the perfect cookie for your Christmas cookie exchange too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- White Chocolate Chips. If I can find them, I love to use Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips for this recipe but they can be hard to find. These cookies would also be delicious with semi sweet chocolate chips.
- Peppermint Extract. This is not the same as mint extract, you want peppermint! You want peppermint extract for the best peppermint flavor.
- Peppermint Candies. I use either crushed up candy canes or those those round hard peppermint candy if you like.
- Flour. All purpose flour
- Baking Powder
- Butter. Softened
- Egg
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Pink or Red Food Coloring. Optional
How To Make Peppermint Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Grease cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Place peppermint candies or candy canes into a zippered plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin or press down on them with a cast iron pan to crush them.
- In a bowl, cream together sugar, butter, egg, salt and food coloring. Add in vanilla and half teaspoon peppermint extract. I use a stand mixer.
- Stir in baking powder, all purpose flour, and salt.
- Add white chocolate chips. There is no need to chill the dough.
- Scoop dough into ball, dip ball in crushed candy canes.
- For a flatter peppermint cookies, press down to flatten the cookie dough slightly.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Allow peppermint cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack.
Peppermint Cookie Tips
- Because the crushed peppermint melts onto the baking sheet, using parchment paper or a silicone mat definitely makes cleanup easier.
- Â I discovered that the cookies turn out much better if only the top half is dipped into the peppermint candy. Â If the whole ball is covered in peppermint, the candy cane melts over the cookie sheet and makes a mess! Then they don’t look so pretty.
- If some of the candy cane pieces do melt onto the cookie sheet, after they cool you can break off the brown sugar pieces to make the peppermint cookies look nicer or just eat them the way they are!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use food coloring?
Food coloring is not required, your peppermint cookie will just not be as pink but it will taste just as good!
Can I freeze these cookies?
These peppermint cookies freeze great. You can find all my tips and tricks for freezing baked cookies here. If you prefer to freeze the cookie dough follow these directions. Be sure and use an airtight container.
Can I add nuts?
If you are a nut fan, add in some chopped pecans, macadamia or walnuts. Use about 1/2 cup
White chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Check out some other recipes that use this flavor combo:
- White Chocolate Peppermint Toffee
- Peppermint Oatmeal Cookies
- Peppermint Melting Moments
- White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels
- Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- pink or red food coloring
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 cup mint chocolate chips
- 6 candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Grease cookie sheet
- Cream together sugar, butter, egg, salt and food coloring.
- Stir in baking powder, flour and vanilla.
- Add chocolate chips.
- Roll dough into ball, dip in crushed candy canes.
- Bake 10 minutes.
Tips & Notes:
Recommended Products
Nutrition Facts:
Originally posted December 2, 2015
Jeanine says
This easy recipe has been a family Christmas favorite for many years.
Thin Mint Cookies
1 package Ritz Crackers.
Your favorite dipping chocolate.
Peppermint extract.
Wax paper,cotton balls,air tight container.
Melt chocolate, dip ritz crackers in chocolate until completely covered. Place on wax paper until set.
Layer as follows in an air tight container. (I use a
8 1/2 x 11 Tupperware cake keeper.)
Layer 1: Place cookies side by side in bottom of container.
Layer 2: Cover with wax paper. (Large enough to cover all cookies.)
Layer 3: Put several drops of peppermint extract on 3-4 cotton balls. Place cotton balls 3 to 4 inches apart on wax paper.
Layer 4: Top with wax paper
Layer 5: Lay cookies side by side on waxpaper layer.
Continue layering as above until container is full.
Final layer would be wax paper over cotton balls.
Place lid on container and let sit for 24-48 hours.
Enjoy the great taste of Girl Scout Thin Mints.
Gayle says
I got this recipe from a friend and it’s very popular. It combines two common “loves”–brownies and chocolate chip cookie dough! Note that the dough part contains no eggs, so no worries that it is not baked!
Two-Tone Fudge Brownies
(Cookie Dough Brownies)
1 c. (6 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (opt.)
Cookie Dough Layer:
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 c. (6 oz) semi sweet (or milk chocolate) chips
In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips. Cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in melted chocolate. Combine flour and baking soda; add to batter. Stir in nuts, if desired.
Spread into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out barely clean. Cool on a wire rack.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons over cooled brownies; carefully spread on top. Cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.
Lea says
..These little cookie/candy balls are such a favorite we have been making them for 25 years… each year more and more folks expect the little Chinese take out boxes with these goodies inside…they freeze & travel well… last year 400 of them found their way to Iraq for my son and his unit.
Buckeyes
1 cup butter ( allow to soften at room temp)
1 cup peanut butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
Mix very well together( hands work great) and roll into balls a bit smaller then a walnut..place on wax paper covered cookie sheet and place in the fridge over night or at least 6 hours.
when they have chilled ( they are good at this point… but it gets better) melt chocolate chips in a double broiler and use a toothpick to dip the tops of the cookie/candy into the chocolate… transfer back to the wax paper and allow to harden up a bit…
..Merry Christmas!!
Jenn says
Everyone has a favorite and here is mine…
(I love cherries so I add almost a whole cup of chopped cherries. Also at high altitude use a little more cherry liquid.)
Cheery Cherry Chocolate Dots
1 c powdered sugar
1 c butter, softened
2 tsp. maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
48 milk chocolate drops
4 drops red food coloring
Combine powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract and food coloring; blend well. Add flour and salt, mix well. Stir in cherries. Shape into one inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bate at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top each cookie with a chocolate drop, pressing down firmly.
Joan Callaway says
Oh…and here’s another favorite. I make these whenever I can find those tiny holiday paper muffin wrappers…you know the ones??? These are a bit of work, but oh, so worth the effort for special occasions. Not exactly a lunchbox treat!
Swedish Macaroon Tea Cakes
Cream together: 1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
Beat in: 1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Sift in: 2 cup flour
Mix well and drop a rounded teaspoon into tiny greased muffin cups (I use the tiny holiday paper ones), pressing batter over bottom and up around the sides, coating 1/4″ thick, leaving center hollow for the filling. Chill.
Fill with the following macaroon filling:
Beat until light and foamy: 2 eggs
Gradually beat in until well blended: 1/2 cup sugar.
Mix in 1 1/4 cups blanched almonds, finely ground
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring (or vanilla)
Bake at 325 degrees 25-30 minutes or until delicately browned and set. Check because, as you know, ovens do vary. Makes 2 dozen…depending on size.