These easy, no chill chocolate Christmas cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and sprinkled with crushed candy cane pieces.
If you like this recipe, check out my White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies next!
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I’m known for my cookies. I’ve baked hundreds if not thousands of dozens over the years. One of my favorite memories was baking cookies for my son’s high school team during their playoff run a few years ago. I baked both my son’s favorite Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. And a variation of my White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, but with the addition of bittersweet chocolate chips.
Since I’m in Christmas cookie mode, I wanted to add a double chocolate peppermint cookie to my collection. There’s something about deep chocolate flavor combined with festive candy canes during the holiday season. I can’t resist it. Peppermint bark, peppermint chocolate mochas, Peppermint Brownies with Candy Cane Kisses… sign me up!
More Christmas cookie recipes
Ingredients for peppermint chocolate cookies
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. It is not tested to be a gluten-free recipe.
- Butter – One stick of unsalted butter is needed, and be sure it is softened.
- Sugars – Both light brown sugar for chewiness and granulated white sugar are used in this recipe.
- Chocolate – I swear by Ghirardelli brand when baking any sort of chip cookies. But by all means use your favorite brand. These are double chocolate cookies, using both cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
- Egg – Use one large egg and be sure to let it get to room temperature before using.
- Candy Canes – You only need 8 mini candy canes for one recipe of cookies. A little goes a long way!
- Peppermint Extract, Salt, Baking Soda – If you’d like a more subtle peppermint flavor, use vanilla extract instead of peppermint.
Instructions for double chocolate peppermint cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Crush the candy canes and put them into a small bowl.
- Using a stand mixture, cream together the softened butter with the sugars, egg and peppermint extract until fluffy. If you don’t own a stand mixer, use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed for about a minute until the dough is smooth and well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to form 21 cookie balls.
- Dip the top of each cookie lightly into the crushed candy canes.
- Place the cookies, peppermint side up, onto a cookie sheet lined with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper, 12 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Pro tips
- You can easily double or triple this recipe.
- Be sure and rotate your baking pans halfway through baking time. Front to back and top to bottom if you are baking two pans of cookies at a time.
- Here are some great methods for softening your butter quickly.
- The cookies will look a bit underdone when you take them out of the oven. They will set up as they cool on the cookie sheets.
- Make sure to double bag your candy canes in Ziploc bags. Then use a hammer to gently crush them into tiny pieces. You can use a rolling pin if you don’t have a small hammer.
Storage directions
Keep these cookies in a cookie tin or other type of air tight container on your counter for a few days. These also freeze well. Place them in layers in an airtight container. Be sure and separate the layer with sheets of wax paper. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to one month.
Kitchen tools
- Baking sheets and cooling rack set
- Silpat silicone baking sheet liners – I always use these or parchment paper to prevent sticking
- My favorite cookie scoop that is essential to my cookie baking success
- Magnetic set of measuring spoons
- Black KitchenAid Stand Mixer like I use to test all of my baking recipes
Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli brand bittersweet chocolate chips
- 8 mini candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and peppermint extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low until combined and then beat until light and fluffy. I scrape down the bowl with a spatula halfway through.
- In a separate clean bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture and the bittersweet chocolate chips. Mix on low speed until a cohesive cookie dough forms, about 1 minute.
- Use a medium size cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons capacity) to form 21 cookie dough balls. Lightly dip the top half of each cookie dough ball into the crushed candy cane pieces. Place the cookies, candy cane side up, on baking sheets lined with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies for 10 - 12 minutes. I rotate the pans front to back and top rack to bottom rack halfway through baking time.
- The cookies should look a bit underdone when you take them out of the oven. They will set up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes, or until they've firmed up. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature.
- Cookies are best eaten within a day or two. If you'd like to freeze the cookies, layer them into an airtight container, separating the layers by sheets of wax paper. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to one month.
Notes
Nutrition
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