Looking for delicious holiday cookies that are super easy to decorate? I’ve got you covered 🙂 These chewy, fudgy Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies are the perfect dessert addition to any holiday gathering. They truly taste like my favorite holiday beverage, peppermint mocha, minus the coffee and I can’t wait to share the recipe with you!
What makes these cookies so tasty?
Peppermint extract: To give these cookies that classic holiday flavor combo you need to add the peppermint extract. You should be able to find it in your local grocery store in the baking aisle right by the vanilla extract, or feel free to order it on amazon. The mint flavor is not overpowering, but if you aren’t a peppermint fan you can omit it and these cookies will still be incredibly 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.
Recipe tip
Chill the cookie dough: These cookies are made with melted butter. They are super flavorful but because the fat is melted, they can easily spread. In order to avoid over spreading you should chill the dough for 30 minutes. I find the easiest way to do this is to scoop the cookie dough and then chill it. Otherwise you are fighting to scoop the cool dough.
These cookies have quickly become my new favorite holiday dessert. They’re incredibly chewy and packed with holiday flavors, not to mention so dang easy to decorate. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you try the recipe, so please rate and leave a comment below! 🙂
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For garnish:
- 8 oz white chocolate
- 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 both vanilla and peppermint extract. Mix on medium for 1 minute. Add in both eggs and mix on low until inporated. Add in the flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low until everything is combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium sized cookie dough scoop (about 2.5 tablespoons of dough per ball) to scoop 20 even cookies. Refrigerate for 30 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 9-10 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.
- Add white chocolate to a heat proof bowl, microwave for 20 seconds and stir. Repeat until completely melted and smooth. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
To decorate:
- Once the cookies have cooled, dip half of the cookie in the white chocolate and place on the parchment paper. Sprinkle the white chocolate with the crushed candy canes. Repeat until all have been decorated and allow the chocolate to set on the cookies, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Sam Miner
I’m not really a peppermint person but my boyfriend loves peppermint so I gave these a try. For not loving peppermint, I ended up having two which was surprising to everyone!
ipek
Please can you share the ingredients in grams?
Rebekah
These Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies are seriously the most delicious cookies I’ve ever made or tasted in my life. I’ll definitely be making these every year on Christmas Eve for my family. AMAZING
Emily
The chocolate + peppermint combo is perfect for Christmas Eve! Glad you loved them 🙂