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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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!
Andrea says
Loving the flavors in this cookie. It truly is a perfect Christmas cookie.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much!
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!
Anjali says
These cookies are so fun and festive! Perfect for the holidays!
foodtasticmom says
They are my favorite holiday cookie to make.
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!!
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!
Dannii says
Now this cookie just screams Christmas. My kids are going to love making these.
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!
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!
veenaazmanov says
A new recipe for me to try this Christmas. Looks so creative. Combination so unique too.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks, Veena!
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!
kushigalu says
My favorite holiday cookies. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
foodtasticmom says
Mine too! You’re welcome.
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!
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!!
Nikki says
Oh Yummy, a perfect cookie for the Holiday season.
foodtasticmom says
Absolutely. They look festive and taste delicious!
Liza says
My whole family loves these pretty, festive cookies. They’re so easy to make and really tasty.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much for your kind review Liza!
Maria Senn says
I make cookies with my niece every Christmas and I’m always looking for a new recipe. We made these and they turned out great! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
foodtasticmom says
This makes me so happy to learn. Thanks for letting me know!
Cindy says
I made these cookies last night and they were a hit. They were not as pretty as yours, but it it is the taste that matters , on that score it is a definite winner. They did spread a bit, but I put the blame on using butter that was a little too soft, which is a baker error, not a recipe error. In the end this recipe is now going to be a part of our Christmas baking fest each year. Thank you!
foodtasticmom says
I wonder if it depends on the type of peppermint candies people use? The basic recipe is foolproof for me. Maybe the ingredients in the peppermints differ enough to affect the end result of the cookies. I’ve baked this recipe a couple of times and I use the individually wrapped starlight mints. Just thinking out loud… I’m really glad you enjoyed the flavor of these cookies. And that you’ll be making them again. Thanks for taking the time to write a review!
Lisa says
These cookies are, literally and figuratively, a HOT MESS. I am an experienced baker with cookies being my specialty. Whenever I try a new cookie recipe, I ALWAYS make the recipe as directed and make only one cookie to see how the dough responds. With this recipe, I had a big melted mess. I ended up using 2 cups of flour. And as for the crushed peppermint candy on top—melted away. The crushed candy made the cookies hard. I added 3/4 t. vanilla and 1/4 t. peppermint extract and did not use the crushed candy on the other cookies. Btw, the picture with the recipe CANNOT be the picture of these cookies. I think the picture is of bakery cookies purchased and photographed.
foodtasticmom says
I can assure you that the cookies in the photographs are NOT from a bakery. They were made by me and from this recipe posted. If you search my site I have many, numerous positive reviews. And I’ve published 800+ recipes at this point. I take pride in my work and the content that I share.
That being said, I have been having some troubling reviews on this particular recipe. But, I’ve also had a lot of success stories. I’m going to make them again – to see if I can somehow replicate the spreading or the candy melting. I’m really at a loss because I have made them a few times in the past and they always turn out.
But I promise you, I would not ever photograph something that I didn’t make myself and try to pass it off as my own. I take offense to that implication. I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you.
Madisen says
So I don’t know what happened, the cookies tasted amazing but they flattened out and spreader out really far. Did I do something wrong?
foodtasticmom says
I have had a few comments about this. After doing some research, not enough flour might be the reason. Sometimes when you scoop and flatten with a measuring cup, the amount of flour can vary (rather than weighing it). I’m sorry this happened, but that they still tasted good. I might need to alter the recipe to include another 1/4 cup of flour. I’ll have to test it. The few times I’ve made them, I have not had the issue. Thanks for your feedback.