These chocolate peppermint cookies have soft centers, chewy edges, and are rich and chocolatey. Mint chocolate cookies are easy to make in 10 minutes and don't require any chilling - a simple and easy holiday cookie!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, sea salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined.
Beat in eggs, vanilla and peppermint extract.
Mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
Add chopped peppermint bark and beat on low speed to combine.
Use a 1 – 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out dough and then roll it into balls.
Put ¼ cup sugar into a small bowl. Roll each ball in the sugar.
Place on prepared cookie sheets evenly spaced, with at least 1 ½” between the cookies.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 8-9 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely set, and starting to crackle around the edges.
Let them sit on the baking pan for 2-5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
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Notes
Optional: you can chill the dough if desired or if you'd prefer to make the dough ahead of time before baking the cookies. Ingredient substitutions
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter works well too, however I recommend tasting the dough to ensure that it’s salted to your liking. A vegan butter substitute and coconut oil also work well.
Granulated Sugar. White granulated sugar or organic cane sugar both work well in this recipe.
Flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour, or use a gluten-free all-purpose baking to make them gluten-free.
Peppermint/vanilla extract. I included what I believe is the perfect ratio of both extracts to make the most delicious cookies - feel free to adjust to your own tastes.
Peppermint bark. The melty chopped peppermint bark makes these cookies so delicious. It's easy to find peppermint bark during the holiday season at a grocery store (Ghirardelli makes squares and Hersheys makes bells), Trader Joe's, Williams Sonoma, etc. If you would like to make these and it's not the holidays, I suggest using another mint chocolate like andes chips (or chopped andes mints), chopped Fannie May mint meltaways or Frango mints, mint truffles, etc.
StoreStore leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.Freeze
Freeze the dough. Roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on a large baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer to flash-freeze. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container to freeze for up to two months. To bake, remove dough from freezer and let it come to room temperature, then bake according to the recipe instructions.
Freeze baked cookies. Transfer baked and cooled cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw slowly at room temperature.