My White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are famous. Crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips combine for the best Christmas cookie!
I’ll try and give the short version as to why these cookies are famous. I know you want to get to the recipe! My recipe for Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies has been called “mind-blowing”. Everyone who tries them are hooked and raves about them.
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Most recently, I baked 28 dozen cookies over a four week period for my son’s football team. I think of them as good luck now. My son’s team went on an unforgettable playoff run to make it to the regional final game (Ohio, Division 2) for the first time since 2008. It was his Senior season. He was their starting Center. It was incredibly fun and an experience that he (and me) will cherish forever.
Anyway, that’s 336 cookies that I recently baked. This recipe is the exact same as that recipe. Except that instead of peanut butter and chocolate chips, these contain white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. And I recently changed them up even further. You can bake them with one cup of white chocolate chips and one cup of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. And if you like nuts, chopped Macadamia nuts would be a great addition to them too. However you choose to make them, I promise you will love these cookies!
Ingredients for white chocolate peppermint cookies
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour.
- Butter – Make sure to soften your butter before you start making the dough. I usually use the soften setting on my microwave to do this.
- Light Brown Sugar – Be sure and pack it down into the measuring cup.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg – Use one large egg. Try to remember to get it out of the refrigerator a few minutes before you start making the dough.
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt
- Peppermint Extract – Helps to enhance the peppermint flavor of the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract
- White Chocolate Chips – I always use Ghirardelli brand. I have not personally tested another brand. Please let me know your experience in the comments if you bake these with a different brand of white chocolate chip.
- Candy Canes – I have tested both and I prefer using candy canes instead of peppermint candies.
How to make peppermint white chocolate 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 butter and sugars until fluffy. If you don’t own a stand mixer, use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl.
- Add the egg and extracts and beat again until combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda and salt.
- Add the flour mixture and the white chocolate chips. Mix on low speed for about a minute until the dough is smooth and well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to form 24 cookie balls.
- Dip the top halves of the cookies lightly into the crushed candy canes.
- Place the cookies, peppermint side up, onto cookie sheets 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
I have been baking cookies for many years. These are my favorite, time-tested tools…
- Nordic Ware Commercial Half Sheet Pans
- Silpat Silicone Baking Mats
- OXO Medium Cookie Scoop
- Chopnotch Measuring Cups and Spoons
- OXO Bent Icing Spatula (for leveling off flour and sugar)
- OXO Cookie Spatula
More Christmas Cookie recipes
White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli brand
- 8 miniature candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the butter, sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low until combined and then beat on medium speed for about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, peppermint and vanilla extracts until light and fluffy.
- In a separate clean bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture and the white 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 24 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 (12 cookies per baking sheet).
- 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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Nikki says
Oh Yummy, a perfect cookie for the Holiday season.
foodtasticmom says
Absolutely. They look festive and taste delicious!
Charles says
Your White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are gonna be great on Christmas Eve! Thanks for sharing!
foodtasticmom says
Love to hear that you’ll be making them for your own celebration. Enjoy!!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
Festive and yummy! The perfect addition to a holiday cookie repertoire! We made a double batch.
foodtasticmom says
I always make more than one batch at a time. So glad you enjoyed them!
kushigalu says
My favorite holiday cookies. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
foodtasticmom says
Mine too! You’re welcome.
Katherine says
The creamy sweet white chocolate is so perfect with the peppermint in these festive cookies!
foodtasticmom says
I’m glad you liked them!
veenaazmanov says
A new recipe for me to try this Christmas. Looks so creative. Combination so unique too.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks, Veena!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
These are so pretty and festive. I made these and they came out perfectly so making them again for Christmas.
foodtasticmom says
Very happy to hear this. Thanks for taking the time to rate and review!
Toni says
These are really perfect holiday treats!! A great gift idea, too! Thanks for the recipe!
foodtasticmom says
They are perfect for gift giving!
Dannii says
Now this cookie just screams Christmas. My kids are going to love making these.
rebecca says
really like your tip to add semi-sweet chocolate chips and nuts to them. these cookies are tasty!
foodtasticmom says
Doing half and half white chocolate and dark chocolate (or semi sweet) is really the way to go, in my opinion. That’s the beauty of recipes. They can adapt and grow as you do!
Gina Abernathy says
Wow! You baked a lot of cookies! I wish I could have been sitting in your kitchen testing them as they came out of the oven. I am baking with my mom tomorrow and this recipe will be one I use for our Christmas cookies.
foodtasticmom says
The experience really helped to re-ignite my love of baking. I’m so grateful for it! Love that you will be using my recipe with your Mom. I miss my Mom! Especially at the holidays. Enjoy!!
Anjali says
These cookies are so fun and festive! Perfect for the holidays!
foodtasticmom says
They are my favorite holiday cookie to make.
Ned says
These are perfect cookies for the holidays! I am excited to give these as neighbor gifts.
foodtasticmom says
These are terrific cookies for gift giving!
Andrea says
Loving the flavors in this cookie. It truly is a perfect Christmas cookie.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much!
Cindy Stone says
I actually made these today! I’m a nervous baker and these turned out great!! Thanks for making the recipe so easy to follow Jill!
foodtasticmom says
So happy to hear this! Glad I could help and that you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for leaving a comment and review too. Happy Holidays, Cindy!
Shirley Cramer says
When i make these, they spread out so much they don’t resemble a cookie. What am i doing wrong?
foodtasticmom says
I’m not sure, because I’ve made this cookie recipe so many times and never had that issue. Maybe try refrigerating the dough for about 30 minutes before shaping it into balls. Make sure to just lightly dip the tops into the crushed peppermint too.
Beyond that, I’m not sure what the issue might be. I’m sorry you are having trouble with them!