Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies
Updated January 15, 2021
Quick Summary
Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies-chocolate cookies with chocolate chips, peppermint crunch pieces, and candy cane pieces! These cookies are the PERFECT Christmas cookie!
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Pin ItWe put up our Christmas tree and did some holiday baking over the weekend. I let the boys pick what cookies they wanted to make and they chose Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies. These cookies are the perfect holiday cookie. A batch of these cookies will get you in the holiday spirit ASAP. You need to add them to your holiday baking list right now.
Chocolate and mint is a popular combo, especially during the holiday months. The chocolate and peppermint combo in these cookies is perfection. I add a little peppermint extract to the chocolate cookie dough and mix in chocolate chips and peppermint crunch pieces.
I also dip the dough lightly in crushed candy cane pieces. Caleb and Maxwell love candy canes and had a fun time crushing them up for these cookies.
Important note-don’t go crazy with the candy canes because they will melt. I dip just the tops of the cookie dough balls. If you want to make the cookies extra pretty, you can add extra candy cane pieces right after they come out of the oven. And it is ok if the candy canes melt a little, you just don’t want to roll the entire cookie balls in candy canes because you will end up with a melted mess. Just dip the tops and finish with candy cane pieces.
If you are looking for a cookie to take to your Christmas cookie exchange party or a cookie to give to your family and friends this holiday season, I highly recommend these Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies. They are festive and are guaranteed to be everyone’s new favorite holiday cookie. Happy baking!
The recipe, photos, and post have been updated from the original post in 2009.
Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peppermint crunch pieces
- 1/2 cup crushed candies for dipping cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
- With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Next, add in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix until just combined.
- Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips and peppermint crunch pieces.
- Place the crushed candy canes in a small bowl. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons and lightly dip the tops of the cookies into candy cane pieces. Make sure you don’t get carried away. You only want the tops to have the candy cane pieces. If you roll the whole cookies in the candy canes you will end up with a melted mess.
- Place cookie balls on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until cookies are set, but still soft in the center. Don’t overbake. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 3 minutes. If desired, add extra candy cane pieces right after they come out of the oven to make the cookies extra pretty. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Note-store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They also can be frozen. If you can’t find the Andes peppermint crunch baking chips, you can buy the Andes Peppermint Crunch Thins and chop them up. If you can’t find candy canes, you can crush up peppermint candies. Important note-don’t go crazy with the candy canes because they will melt. I dip just the tops of the cookie dough balls. If you want to make the cookies extra pretty, you can add extra candy cane pieces right after they come out of the oven.
Have you tried this recipe?
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If I need to could I refrigerate the dough for a day or two before baking the cookies??
Quick, satisfying and delicious. I did not do the final candy topping (lazy) and they were just fine without. You can get the crushed candy canes from Amazon.
Great recipe
Hi , can the dough be frozen and cooked later is so what do you recommend?
Best cookie ever!
Best cookie ever!
These cookies turned out great! I used Bob Mills 1 for 1 gluten free flour. A new family favorite!
Thanks for letting us know! They are perfect for the holidays!
Don’t bother putting any peppermint pieces on until they come out of the oven. All it does it melt and leave the top of the cookie looking like it has craters. Nice flavor and texture though.
Delicious!
Wonderful! The perfect balance of peppermint and chocolate!
Awesome cookie! Great chocolate flavor and the peppermint is terrific!
Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Delicious! I used a gluten free all purpose flour, subsituted coconut sugar for brown sugar and added 2 teaspons of apple sauce.
My daughter and her boyfriend made these for Christmas, everyone loved them! Turned out great and this was their first time baking!
This is a perfect holiday treat. Thanks for this!
I’m having trouble writing down the recipes as these commercials keep interrupting and covering more than half of the ingredients and preparation rules! I ended up not even making them!!!!
I was wondering if these can be frozen after being baked?
I made the Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies yesterday, using my heavy-duty stand mixer which, toward the end of the mixing process, labored somewhat, forcing me to stir-in the chocolate chips with a sturdy wooden spoon in order to have them evenly distributed. I did not have peppermint crunch pieces, so I pulverized two or three candy canes to a fine powder & added it with the flour mixture. I followed the rest of the instructions precisely, even allowing the baked cookies to sit on the parchment-covered baking sheets for exactly three minutes before removing them to cooling racks. The results were nothing less than perfection! I froze the cooled cookies, separating the layers with waxed paper, & will be adding each one as a ‘piece de resistance’ to neighbors’ & co-workers’ Holiday cookie tins. Thank you, Maria, for sharing such a great recipe!
I am so glad you loved the cookies!
They tasted good but they turned out flat. I live at a high altitude so that may have someone to do with it.
*Something
I don’t know why but they didn’t spread out and came out tasting like dry cocoa powder. (I double checked all of the amounts)
I won’t be making these again 🙁
Looks like I’m late to the party but I’m glad to find this recipe! So yummy! I wonder if they even make the Andes mint chips anymore. I couldn’t find them so I crushed a bar of Ghirardelli peppermint bark and it worked!
Glad you loved the cookies. Thanks for reporting back!
This made a lot more than 3 dozen – more like 5- 5.5 dozen! They didn’t turn out as pretty as yours, though, because the crushed candy cane on top melted (and in some cases ran down the sides and formed puddles on the edges of the cookies). I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa which is a mix of natural cocoa and Dutched, a friend used natural for one batch and Dutched for the other, and we both noticed that the natural cocoa yielded a softer cookie, whereas the more alkaline cocoas gave a crisper texture. We found this is due to the Maillard reaction. So if you prefer a softer cookie, natural cocoa is the answer (or maybe add a bit of cream of tartar, like you do in snickerdoodles). I’d love to know how you got the candy to not get all melted on top – when I just pressed it into the tops of the last sheet of cookies when they came out of the oven, most of it still fell off after taking them off the wire rack and during transport, as well as when you took a bite!
Could I use choc cake mix cookie for this? Thx!!
Good recipe. The candy cane or peppermint topping is best if you have chunks, not pulverized. The 3 minute rest after coming out of the oven is spot on.
Glad you like the cookies!
These are amazing! One of my new favourites! I took the Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares and chopped them up to add to the batter. These are so yummy! Thanks for an amazing recipe!!
You are welcome. They are so festive.
Does it have to be Dutch process cocoa?
you can use regular unsweetened cocoa.
Followed recipe exactly. Easy to make, tasty peppermint flavor and crunch. Beautiful presentation too. Will make again!
This recipe was awesome! However, I think I messed up. I put chocolate chips and candy cane pieces into the dough….. which made it way to much with putting on top as well……I don’t think I was supposed to do that…. but….. they still were good!!
Best recipe ever! I ate the whole batch by myself.
I underbaked them a little bit so they were really fudgy. I use Ghirardelli’s 100% Dutch cocoa and Andies candy cane baking chips.
I didn’t have parchment paper so I floured my pan and chilled the dough for a few minutes beforehand.
I am so glad you loved the cookies!
A M A Z I N G! I have made these cookies for the past several years and they are always a huge hit. Thank you for sharing!
A M A Z I N G! I have made these cookies for the past several years and they are always a huge hit. Thank you for sharing! Personaly I prefer to use mint-fudge chocolate chips instead.
They are a holiday staple!
Can you chop up peppermint bark and use that instead of chips?
Yes!
I forgot to buy the baking soda and I used baking powder instead. Turned out great but look like mini cookies. Absolutely, delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
One problem (so far): It would have been MUCH, MUCH easier to take the candy canes out of the plastic before malleting them. This is taking me forEVER to get the plastic wrappers out of the candy! I hope the rest of the recipe goes better.
I made these vegan, by adding dairy free buttery sticks and 1/2 cup apple juice. I would have used apple sauce if I had any. I only used 1/2 the chocolate chips, yet they were chocolaty! They were delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.
Nice! Thank you for sharing!
Delicious
Thanks!
Delicious and so festive
Perfect for the holidays!
These are the best cookies ever! I made batch after batch and kept eating them all in one day!
Most cookie recipes that I make come out too cakey but these come out perfect every time!
YAY!
Made them last year (2024) and they were amazing! I ended up freezing some because we couldn’t eat them fast enough (they are a little rich). I actually found 4 of them this week that were still left in the freezer (probably got lost or they’d be gone). It’s almost a year later, and they were still amazing warmed up in the microwave.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!