Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Chocolate peppermint cookies are soft and chewy cookies featuring melty semi-sweet chocolate chips paired with crunchy, refreshing peppermint pieces.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy about 3 candy canes or 15 peppermints
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed using an electric mixer. Beat for 2 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Scrape the sides, then add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat for an additional minute.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Then stir in the chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion into 3 tablespoon-sized balls.
- Place cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart and bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the top of the cookie has a dry appearance.
- Remove from the oven. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints over the cookies. You can also press in additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. It is important that it is soft so that it mixes well into the ingredients. The softened butter also helps the cookies spread properly.
Peppermint is a potent flavoring, so a little peppermint extract goes a long way!
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
To give your double chocolate peppermint cookies a bakery-like appearance, strategically place some peppermint pieces with the red stripes facing up and press additional chocolate chips into the cookies.