These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy with crisp edges and a perfect balance of chocolate and peppermint. They are packed with crushed candy canes, peppermint bits, and gooey chocolate chips. Easy to make in one bowl and ideal for holiday gifting or your Christmas cookie tray.
Nothing says the holiday season more to me than peppermint and chocolate. These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect festive twist on my classic chocolate chip cookies. They are loaded with peppermint bits, crushed candy canes, and melty chocolate chips, and they bake up with crisp edges and soft, chewy centers. I guarantee these will become your new favorite Christmas cookie
I may or may not have had twelve of these in the last week while testing this recipe to get the texture and flavor just right.
They come together in one bowl without a mixer, and the dough can be prepared ahead of time for stress free holiday baking. These cookies are ideal for cookie exchanges, gift boxes, or simply enjoying as a festive treat at home. The flavor is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of chocolate and peppermint. The end result is a gooey center with a light crunch on the outside, making them completely irresistible.
For more easy Christmas cookie recipes try my chocolate peppermint mocha cookies, Christmas monster cookies or Molasses crinkle cookies.
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Why You'll Love These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Chewy: Perfect bakery-style texture with gooey chocolate chips.
- Quick & Easy: One-bowl recipe, no mixer, no fuss.
- Perfect for Sharing: Great for a holiday cookie exchange, gifting, or cozy nights in.
- Intense Flavor: The combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and peppermint delivers a deep, satisfying chocolate flavor that perfectly complements the cool peppermint.
- Festive Look: The crushed candy canes not only provide a delightful crunch but also give the cookies a beautiful, vibrant red and white holiday swirl.
- Freezer Friendly: The dough freezes beautifully, making it easy to prep ahead for last-minute holiday parties or gifting!
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted Butter: Use softened butter for the best texture. It gives the cookies their chew and helps them spread properly.
- Light Brown & White Sugar: The granulated sugar provides sweetness and helps these cookies spread while the brown sugar makes these chewy.
- Egg: Binds the dough and keeps it soft.
- Pure Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavor of these cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour: For best results, measure using a kitchen scale. If using measuring cups, fluff the flour, then spoon and level to avoid packing in too much.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies spread just the right amount.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: I like to use a combination of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, but you could use bittersweet or dark chocolate chips if preferred. I would stay away using milk chocolate chips as I find they these cookies way too sweet. You can also use chopped chocolate bars.
- Peppermint Candy Canes or Peppermint candies : I like to use a combination of candy canes pieces and andes peppermint crunch bits. I find the combination of the two gives these cookies the best texture. You can use trader joe’s seasonal peppermint chips as well.
Step-by-Step Instructions
You can use stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer.Preheat the Oven: Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, whisk softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
Fold in Mix-ins: Stir in chocolate chips, peppermint bits and crushed candy canes.
Chill (Crucial Step): Using a 2.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough, then chill the dough balls. You can also chill the entire bowl of dough if you prefer. Chill for at least an hour and up to forty eight hours for a deeper flavor.
Scoop & Bake: Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place them 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheets.Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers still look slightly soft.
Garnish: Immediately after removing them from the oven, press the reserved chocolate chips and candy cane pieces onto the tops of the hot cookies for a vibrant garnish. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cookies come out of the oven, you can “pull them together” by putting a circle cookie cutter or biscuit cutter around each cookie and gently scoot them to form nice round cookies.
Expert Tips
- Don't Overmix: Mix until ingredients are just combined to keep cookies soft.
- Measure Flour Accurately: For best results, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your flour. If you're using measuring cups, stir the flour to aerate it, then spoon it into the cup and level it off. It's very easy to overmeasure flour if you scoop directly from the container.
- Don’t Skip chilling the Dough: Chill for at least an hour (upto 48 hours) to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper: Since these cookies have candy cane pieces around the edges, they may melt onto the pan as they bake. Try to move any larger pieces toward the tops of the cookies before baking, and parchment will help prevent sticking.
- Peppermint candy canes: For the best crunch factor, don't crush your candy canes too small or the fine powder will melt right into the cookie dough. You want some larger chunks and bits so that the cookies have a little candy cane crunch.
- Do not Overbake: The cookies are done when the edges look set and the centers still appear slightly soft.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes! I understand chilling the dough can be annoying but its essential in this recipe. Chilling allows the flour to fully hydrate, the flavors to meld, and the butter to firm up. This prevents the cookies from spreading too quickly in the oven, giving you a thicker, chewier final result.
Yes, the crushed candy canes inside the cookie dough will partially melt, which is why we save some to press onto the top after baking. This preserves the color and crunch on the surface!
I find these cookies have plenty of peppermint flavor from the candy canes and peppermint bits. But if you prefer an even stronger flavor, you can use up to one half teaspoon of peppermint extract. Just keep in mind that peppermint extract is very strong, so a little goes a long way.
Top them with white chocolate drizzle or roll the edges in crushed candy canes before baking.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage (Baked Cookies): Store cooled peppermint chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Dough: Scoop the dough into balls, place them on a parchment-lined tray, and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the total bake time. Frozen dough lasts for up to 3 months.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Holiday Recipes You Will Love
Recipe
Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- Stand or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 grams) Unsalted Butter softened
- ½ cup (100 grams) Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup (110 grams) Light brown sugar
- 1 Large Egg Room Temp.
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅔ cups (210 grams) All-Purpose Flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Peppermint bits or chips
- ½ cup (85 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for topping
- ½ cup (85 grams) white chocolate chips plus more for topping
- ¼ cup crushed candy canes plus more for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla extract, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Gently fold in the peppermint bits, both kinds of chocolate chips and crushed candy cane pieces until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop the dough using a 2.5 tablespoon cookie scoop or chill the entire bowl. Chill for at least one hour or up to forty eight hours. (Overnight preferred)
- When ready to bake, Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look slightly puffy and soft. Remember, they will continue to set as they cool.
- Immediately after removing them from the oven, press the reserved chocolate chips and candy cane pieces onto the tops of the hot cookies for a vibrant garnish.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure flour carefully using a kitchen scale. If using cups, fluff the flour, then spoon and level. Too much flour can make the cookies dry.
- Move any large candy cane pieces to the tops of the dough balls before baking. Candy canes near the edges may melt onto the pan.
- Do not overbake. The cookies should look slightly soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. They will continue to set as they cool.
- For extra festive cookies, press additional chocolate chips and peppermint bits on top right after baking.
- If your kitchen is warm, chill the dough between batches to maintain thickness and prevent spreading.
- While the cookies are still warm, place a circular cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don't cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. Swirling the cookie should help to smooth out any uneven edges and make the cookies perfectly circular.
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