Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

This delicious recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Cookies is a great way to get in the Christmas holiday spirit. They are a decadent mix of triple chocolate flavors with a minty kick from crushed candy canes on top. Great to bring to a cookie exchange or leave out for Santa.

Nothing says Christmas like the two flavors of chocolate and peppermint together.

Christmas is the best time to make cookies and these will be a hit year after year.

A decadent, chewy mint chocolate cookie is filled with white chocolate chips.

It's then topped with melted dark chocolate and crushed candy canes for a festive look and a delightful peppermint flavor.

Get into the Christmas spirit with Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies with crushed candy canes!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The flavors will get you into the holiday spirit.

It will be the favorite at your next cookie exchange.

Can easily be given as a Christmas gift to teachers, friends or service workers.

The mint chocolate cookies stay fresh for a week or longer.

The dough can be frozen so you can make them ahead of time.

They use simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store.

Ingredients & Tools 

Butter: A classic cookie ingredient that helps make the cookies have a soft and buttery texture.

White & Brown Sugar: The mix of these two sugars gives the cookie it’s sweetness and the classic chewy texture.

Peppermint Extract: To add a minty flavor to the cookies. Find it at most grocery stores in the baking aisle next to the vanilla extract.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Gives these cookies their chocolatey taste.

All-Purpose Flour: (aka plain flour) This is the dry base for the cookies and gives them their bulk.

Baking Soda: Helps them rise a bit.

Milk: This is mixed into the dough to make it more moist.

Chocolate Chips: Gives even more of a chocolate flavor. I use white chocolate chips, but you can add milk, dark, butterscotch...

For Decorating:

Dark Chocolate: Melt this and add on top so the candy canes have something to stick to.

Candy Canes: The star of the show, they are crushed up and sprinkled on top. I crush them by putting them into a plastic bag and tapping with a rolling pin.

How to make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Follow this step-by-step photo tutorial, then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment paper.

Cream the butter and both sugars together in a large bowl. Get them nice and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla.

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl.

Stir the milk and dry ingredients into the wet mixture by hand. Tip: don’t use the electric mixer for this stage or the dough will be tough.

Stir in the chocolate chips, then roll tablespoons of the dough into balls.

Place onto the baking tray, and press them down slightly with the heel of your hand.

Tip: don’t crowd them as they’ll spread.

Bake for 10 minutes, then leave to cool on the tray for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the dark chocolate, then swirl onto the cooled biscuits and sprinkle with a little of the crushed candy canes. Enjoy!

Tips 

Crush candy canes with a rolling pin to make them the perfect size to top the cookie. Put them into a bag first to avoid making a mess.

Do not add the candy canes to the batter as they can melt.

When stirring the wet ingredients into the dry, make sure you are folding this in by hand and not using an electric mixer. Fold them in with a rubber spatula for best results.

These candy cane biscuits do spread when baked, so make sure you do not overcrowd the baking sheet. Place each cookie 2 inches apart. Cook in batches if necessary.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with a glass of delicious Vegan Eggnog made from almond milk.

Bring your peppermint cookies with chocolate chips to a party with this Christmas Chocolate Tiffin. Lots of festive chocolatey goodness.

Kids will love them along with these Gingerbread Pumpkin Cupcakes.

These crushed candy cane cookies pair well with this hot Healthy Peppermint Mocha for a full-on peppermint experience!

Variations

Dip half of the biscuits in white chocolate before sprinkling with crushed candy canes.

Swap the peppermint extract for vanilla for less of a minty flavor.

Dust them with powdered sugar for a snowy look.

Special diets

To Make them Gluten Free Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies: Swap the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum.

To make them Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies: To make these cookies vegan, replace butter with vegan butter and make sure you use soy milk, almond milk or another dairy-free milk in place of the milk in this recipe. Also check that your chocolate chips and candy canes are vegan.

NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. If you have a food allergy or intolerance you should determine whether the ingredients in each recipe are suitable for you.

Storage 

Storing: These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container on the counter or in your pantry for up to 2 weeks.

Freezing: You can freeze the cookie dough before it’s baked or even freeze the baked cookies, just make sure each is sealed properly in a bag with as much air taken out as possible. Thaw overnight in the fridge for the dough and thaw on the counter for baked cookies.

FAQs 

What is the best candy cane to use? Most peppermint candy canes taste very similar as they are mostly made the same way. The most popular candy cane is Brach’s.

Do candy canes ever go bad? Candy canes will stay good for at least one year, and even up to 5 years, as long as they are held at the same temperature so they don't melt at all.

Can you crush candy canes in a blender? Candy canes will turn into a dust if crushed in a blender or food processor. It’s best to use a rolling pin to crush them into uneven rustic pieces that look great on these cookies.

More Christmas Cookies

I hope you love these peppermint chocolate chip cookies. Be sure to try these other festive holiday cookie recipes too!

Try these Icelandic Meringue Cookies or Piparkokur (Icelandic Pepper Cookies).

For a taste of Italy, make these Pignoli Cookies (pine nut cookies).

Make your own 3D Christmas tree farm with 3-ingredient Christmas Tree Cookies.

Make some classic Vegan Gingerbread Cookies.

Germany is famous for Christmas cookies, so be sure to try Frankfurt's iconic Bethmännchen (marzipan cookies).

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