Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

We have a huge Christmas cookie debate going on in our house. My kids and I believe that everything can benefit from less candy this time of year, while Adam is adamantly against the event to suggest of mint in her cookies. In our effort to convert him, I created these peppermint chocolate shortbread cookies that are like a soft and chewy snowball wrapped in a melted chocolate center. They also have a double dose of peppermint flavor, extracted from the batter and candies sprinkled on top.

One bite (or five) and even Adam was convinced—these are the best chocolate peppermint cookies any of us have ever tried (even those of us who aren’t Team Peppermint), and I’ll be making batches of these for the holidays. gatherings throughout the season.

Why I Love These Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

• Melted chocolate center. When you bite into these cookies, they are filled with rich chocolate flavor (think chocolate lava cake in cookie form).
• A new twist on snowball cookies. I wanted to reinvent the classic chocolate snowball cookie, so I rolled these in powdered sugar, making them look festive and Christmas-y.
• Crushed peppermint. These are topped with crushed peppermint for holiday flavor, crunch, and festive color.

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

Mix the wet ingredients. This one-pot recipe begins as expected—in a stand mixer, cream together your unsalted butter and sugar until smooth, then add peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and a large egg.

Add the dry ingredients. Where most recipes will tell you to add your dry ingredients separately, I’m a fan of washing as few dishes as possible. Add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, stir gently, and mix in the wet ingredients until just combined.

Cool for an hour. More on that below, but this is an important step in maintaining the state of cookies again making sure they are soft and chewy.

Form into balls, then roll in powdered sugar. This will give your cookies a festive snowball effect.

Stick a chocolate disc in the center of each cookie. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then add a chocolate disc to the center of each cookie dough ball. I like to use dark chocolate here, but semisweet or dark works well, too. This is the step that will give us that molten lava cake-like center after baking.

Bake and leave slowly. Remember, we’re going for a soft and gooey consistency (not crispy) with these cookies.

Sprinkle with crushed peppermint. Do it while the chocolate is still melting, so it acts as glue to hold the peppermints together. Then cool on a wire rack to let them sit before eating.

Peppermint Cookie Success Secrets

1. Since the candy canes melt in the oven, you’ll want to sprinkle on your crushed candies or peppermints when they come out of the oven. Do it while the chocolate is still melting, so the crushed cane sticks!
2. One secret to soft and chewy cookies is to rest the dough for at least an hour in the refrigerator before baking. This step evaporates some of the water and raises the sugar level, helping to keep your cookies chewy.
3. We will also keep these cookies chewy (not crispy) by leaving them slightly undercooked. We’re looking for that poorly set molten lava center in the middle.

Method of Storage and Freezing

It’s rare that I make a batch of cookies without doubling the leftovers from freezing the batch. I love having fresh baked cookies ready every time, whether it’s family movie night, or we need an unknown dessert to take to dinner or bring to the neighbors. These chocolate peppermint cookies keep well for up to three days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. However, if you decide to freeze them, here are two options:

Freeze the Dough and Bake When Ready to Eat

This is my preferred method of freezing cookies because you get all the payoff for freshly baked cookies. Method: continue with step 4 of the recipe by rolling the chilled dough into balls. But instead of rolling them in powdered sugar, you’ll put them on a baking sheet and put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This makes them stronger so they don’t come together. Transfer cookie dough balls to a gallon-size Ziploc and freeze for up to a month. When you are ready to bake, thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then continue with steps 5-8.

Freeze Already Baked Cookies

If you have leftover pre-baked cookies, you can freeze them completely. Just seal in a gallon-size Ziploc and freeze for up to a month. When ready to eat, reheat on 50% power in the microwave or place on a baking sheet in a 350 F oven for about 5 minutes.



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Print

Explanation

These peppermint chocolate chip shortbread cookies have a wonderful melty center. There’s double the amount of peppermint, which is extracted from the batter and the cookies are crushed on top.

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• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 spoon vanilla extract
• 1 a large egg
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 spoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 12 baking chocolate discs (bittersweet or semisweet)
• crushed peppermint

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1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium high. Add both the extracts and the egg, and beat until well combined. Sprinkle flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.

3. Refrigerate for at least an hour until hard.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and roll into tablespoon-sized balls. A cookie scoop makes this easy.

5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and place on a lined baking sheet, spaced one inch apart.

6. Place 1 chocolate disc in the center of each cookie, pushing down slightly.

7. Bake for 10 minutes – you want the center to be slightly browned. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle quickly with crushed peppermint while the chocolate is still melting.

8. Let cool on wire rack, then eat!