These festive chocolate peppermint cookies are soft and fudgy chocolate cookies packed with creamy white chocolate and chunks of Andes Peppermint Crunch. They’re quick to make and the perfect addition to a Christmas cookie platter!
I’ve rarely met a Christmas cookie that I didn’t like. These chocolate peppermint cookies put a holiday spin on my double chocolate chip cookies. They keep all the ooey-gooey fudginess that I can’t resist in a soft-baked chocolate cookie, and they’re ready in about 30 minutes. Holiday baking doesn’t get much better!
Why I Love These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Soft and fudgy. These peppermint cookies are bursting with chocolate and fresh peppermint flavor inside and out. They stay soft and chewy for days thanks to a few key ingredients!
- Make-ahead friendly. This recipe is easy to prepare in advance, and you can freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies to thaw out for last-minute baking.
- Holiday worthy. These chocolate peppermint cookies are great for cookie swaps, holiday parties, and gifts. They also happen to look great on a Christmas cookie plate or Christmas dessert charcuterie board next to more holiday favorites like pinwheel cookies, classic snowball cookies, and peanut butter buckeyes.
If you’re looking for more easy Christmas cookies to bake this festive season, try my Peppermint Kiss cookies and these fun, twisty candy cane cookies, next.
Ingredient Notes
These are the important ingredients in these cookies along with some quick notes and substitutions. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for a complete ingredients list with the full recipe amounts.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter. Melting the butter gives the cookies a chewier texture.
- Sugar – These cookies use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar. Just like when I make classic chewy chocolate chip cookies, the extra moisture from brown sugar goes a long way here.
- Cocoa Powder – I like the richer flavor of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder, but any natural unsweetened cocoa powder will work as well. Check out the different types of cocoa powder for more details.
- White Chocolate Chips – You can also use another kind, like semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips if preferred.
- Andes Peppermint Crunch – If you can’t find Andes Mints or Peppermint Crunch where you are, you can chop up Peppermint Kisses or any peppermint chocolate bar or candy you’d like.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
The cookie dough is very quick, and since there’s no chilling needed, you can have a batch of warm, gooey double chocolate peppermint cookies fresh from the oven in under 30 minutes. These are the steps, and you’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Melt butter in the microwave, let it cool a bit, and then cream the butter with both sugars until it’s fluffy. Next, beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly add them to the wet ingredients to form the dough. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and peppermint candy.
- Scoop the cookie dough. Now, use a large cookie scoop to portion balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. Leave about 2″ between each cookie, to account for spreading.
- Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 9-11 minutes. I like to leave these chocolate peppermint cookies slightly underbaked, so they’re soft (but not gooey) in the centers. They’ll continue to set up while they rest on the baking sheet afterward. Finally, move the baked cookies to a wire rack.
How to Fix Cookies That Spread
Sometimes if the butter is still too warm by the time these hit the oven, the cookies will spread more than you want. But there’s a way to fix this! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a large round cookie cutter, or use a spatula and work you way around the outside edge of the cookie, pressing it back in towards the center. This makes the cookies nice and round and also a little thicker. However, you have to do these right when you pull it out of the oven before the edges have set.
Julianne’s Recipe Tips
- Use dark chocolate cocoa powder. I like to use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. It’s richer and gives the cookies a deeper chocolatey flavor. You can use another unsweetened, natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will give these cookies a much darker color and extra fudgy flavor.
- Melted butter is key! The melted butter creates a chewier texture after the cookies are baked. Plus, it’s easier to cream with the sugar. Be sure to let the melted butter cool off for a few minutes before you combine it with the other ingredients.
- Don’t over-bake. These cookies are dark in color, so it can be tricky to see when they’re done. The middles should not be glossy on top. I recommend pulling them from the oven while they’re slightly underbaked and letting them finish baking on the cookie sheet so they’re perfectly soft and gooey.
- Double or triple the recipe. During the holiday season, it’s great to plan ahead. If you have multiple holiday parties to prep for, make a big batch of cookie dough and store the dough balls in the freezer. That way you can easily bake when you’re ready to serve them!
- Add extra chocolate chips. Right when these come out of the oven, place a couple extra chocolate chips or peppermint chips on top of the cookies and gently press them in. They will melt a little bit and provide some extra gooey flavor.
Make-Ahead
This chocolate peppermint cookie recipe is a great way to get ahead on holiday baking. To prepare the dough ahead of time, follow the directions as written, then scoop it out onto a baking sheet. Flash freeze for 15 minutes until the dough hardens a bit. Then place an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend placing a piece of parchment paper between the layers of cookie dough. When you’re ready to bake, thaw for 1 hour before baking, then bake as directed.
How to Store
- Storage: Store cooledcookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezing: You can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months. Let the frozen cookies thaw on the counter, or you can microwave them straight from the freezer for 15-20 seconds before serving.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These double chocolate peppermint cookies are soft and chewy, stuffed with creamy white chocolate chips and peppermint candy. Make them for this year’s Christmas platter!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) melted butter
- 1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (48g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (105g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (55g) Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup (135g) white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-45 seconds. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Combine the melted butter with the brown and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until well combined, 2-3 minutes. Next, add the egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir to combine and slowly add the dry ingredients into the dough, mixing on low speed until dough starts to form.
- As the dough thickens, add the chocolate chips and peppermint crunch. Beat until incorporated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking sheet. Scoop the dough using a large cookie scoop and place on baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. The center of the cookies should be slightly underbaked but not too gooey. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Storage: Store the cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter, or microwave straight from the freezer for 15-20 seconds.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 263
- Sugar: 23.6g
- Sodium: 191.8mg
- Fat: 14.2g
- Saturated Fat: 8.6g
- Carbohydrates: 34.3g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 3.4g
- Cholesterol: 43mg
I made these gluten free and they turned out awesome. Thanks!
That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing!
These cookies are delicious and very pepperminty. Will definitely be making these often.
Wonderful Margie, thank you for sharing!
Hey just wondering about the flour. It says 3/4 cup flour; should it be 1 3/4 cup considering there is 1/2 cups cocoa powder? Just seems like that isn’t enough flour… Thanks
that is correct, this recipe makes 10 cookies
Not sure what I did wrong, but these cookies wouldn’t stay together. They were too soft and flat and just fell apart. They tasted delicious…just couldn’t use them for the cookie exchange I was hoping too. Such a bummer!
Hmm I am not totally sure to be honest. Did you make any ingredient swaps?
Son fáciles de hacer y deliciosas. Gracias por compartirlas.
How long would you bake these in a 9×13 pan, if I wanted to shorten the process? 25 minutes? 30 minutes? Or more?
Hi Michelle, I’ve never done this type of cookie in a 9×13 inch pan. Generally 20-25 minutes is good for cookie bars but that depends how thick they are.
My husband wasn’t a lover of chocolate until he tried your triple chocolate poke cake. I made these cookies yesterday (I didn’t have white chocolate chips so I used semisweet) and he didn’t want me to give any away. They are so good. Nice thick and chewy. A definite favorite in our house. Thank you and Merry Christmas. 🎄🎄🎄
Aww I love that! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback. I am so happy you enjoyed them!
Best Christmas cookie! Chewy and delicious!
Yeah! Thank you so much!!
Wonderful recipe! These cookies turned out thick and chewy with just the right amount of peppermint flavor.
The perfect addition to any holiday cookie box- friends loved them!
Thank you so much Katelyn! I am so so glad you enjoyed them!
I know this is an older recipe, but I came across it and made them using Bob’s GF 1-for-1 one flour since my boy has Celiac and Love chocolate and mint. They came out great!!! Thanks for a wonderful Christmas recipe
That is amazing Katie! I have actually also made this with a 1:1 GF flour as well. I am so glad you came across this recipe!
These turned out so well! I used a small scoop (1 TBS) and baked for 9 minutes. Will definitely be making these every holiday season from now on! Perfect size to give out to family and friends.
Love that! Thank you for sharing!
Yum! What a great idea!
Thank you!
Your cookies look wonderful!! ( as do all the ones you received!) I LOVE the candy cane kisses and have avoided buying them yet for that exact reasons….probably about time to give in 😉
I can’t stop eating them!
Stopping by from Pin It Thursday, and had to come check out these gorgeous cookies. I’m dying for one right now. The chocolate looks so rich and delicious! Have pinned!
Thank you Erin!
I wanted to participate in this cookie swap so bad! But I missed the deadline, haha. Your cookies look wonderful! I’m jealous of whoever got them. 🙂 The ones you received look amazing as well!
Thanks Beth! Sign up for the updates or like them on Facebook so you can sign up for next year!
Oh my gosh. You had me at “double chocolate” 🙂
All three cookies you received look unbelievable! Especially those brown butter pecan shortbread cookies. Yum!
Thank you Sally! Double the chocolate makes everything better!
These look so rich and tasty!
Thanks Jocelyn!