Looking for the perfect holiday dessert for your get togethers? These Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches are soft, super chocolatey and so delicious! The filling is a peppermint white chocolate buttercream and the crushed candy canes around the edges give the perfect crunch! Read below to find some tips and tricks to ensure these come out perfect every time!
What makes these cookie sandwiches so delicious?
Corn starch: Corn starch is added to cooking and baking recipes for all different reasons. For savory dishes like gravy or sauces it can be used as a thickening agent. For these cookies, it actually helps create that chewy texture that elevates these to another level. Corn starch is one of those ingredients you only need once in awhile, but it’s typically essential in a recipe. My suggestion is to buy a container to keep in your pantry for the random times you need it, like this recipe!
Dark chocolate cocoa powder: Recently I’ve been loving dark chocolate cocoa powder over normal for my recipes. It doesn’t necessarily taste like dark chocolate, it simply gives the dessert a richer chocolate flavor. If you already have traditional cocoa powder, no worries you can use it!
White chocolate: For this recipe I bought Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave. If you aren’t a fan of white chocolate you can skip this part, but it really is a nice, light taste in contrast to the rich chocolate cookie. I like to dip half the cookie in the white chocolate, but you can also get fancy and drizzle the chocolate over top.
Candy canes: I went back and forth on what I wanted to sprinkle over top. I tried peppermint bark and peppermint flavored sprinkles but ended up going with crushed mini candy canes. I originally thought the peppermint flavor would be too intense, but with how small the pieces were they gave the best little pop of holiday flavor and texture. You can either roughly chop them, or if you have a food processor, unwrap them and buzz them in there for 15-20 seconds.
How to make perfectly round cookies
This trick is totally optional but I use it anytime I bake cookies to ensure they are perfectly round every time! These cookies will also spread a bit, so you want to do this to ensure they’re all round but also not too large! As soon as the cookies come out of the oven and while they are still hot use a large round cookie cutter, or something else round and larger than the cookies (I’ve used a glass or bowl before). Place it over top of the cookie and move it around in a circular motion for 3-5 seconds, gently bouncing the cookie around inside. This will round the edges of the cookie out giving that perfectly circular shape. This will make your cookies pretty and uniform!
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal Baking Salt kosher salt
For the buttercream:
- 6 ounces white chocolate melted and room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream or milk room temperature
- ¾ tsp Diamond Crystal Baking Salt kosher salt
For garnish:
- 1 cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the melted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and the vanilla extract. Mix on medium for 1 minute. Add in both eggs and mix on low until incorporated. Add in the flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low until everything is combined. The dough will be soft!
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium sized cookie dough scoop (about 2 tablespoons of dough per ball) to scoop 26 even cookies. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to chill the cookie dough. This will help to enhance the flavor and prevent spreading. Preheat the oven to 350°
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, space each about 2 inches apart and bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are just set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream:
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and peppermint extract, and salt and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled white chocolate and heavy cream and mix until incorporated. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until creamy. Add more heavy cream if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency.
For the assembly:
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, match them up into pairs. Add frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tip (I used Wilton 1M). Place half of the cookies top side down and pipe on a ring of frosting. Take the second cookie and place it on top of the buttercream top side up. Roll in the crushed candy canes right before serving and enjoy!
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