Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
A Christmas cookie classic these peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie boxes. Delightfully chocolatey with folded in candy cane pieces, this is an easy recipe to accompany a glass of milk for Santa.
What’s So Special About Crinkle Cookies?
Crinkle cookies are popular holiday cookie probably because the powdered sugar and dark cracks look like melting snow. Add in candy canes and you can’t pass up baking these to get you in Christmas spirit. Chocolate crinkle cookies are soft on the inside and lightly caramelized on the outside.
Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Ingredients
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Use semi sweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate chips for this chocolate crinkle cookie recipe.
- Candy canes: Used to fold into the cookie dough. You can either find candy cane pieces or finely crush up candy canes.
- Peppermint extract: If you don’t want a ton of peppermint flavor you can sub for vanilla extract.
Major Allergens Present:
Equipment Needed
- Hand or stand mixer: Used to make the cookie dough. This chewy peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies recipe uses the creaming method which needs a mixer to make the process a lot easier and yields better results. You will use the beaters for a hand mixer and paddle for a stand mixer.
How to Make Chewy Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
What Are Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Made Out Of?
This quick chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies recipe is a basic chocolate cookie recipe with the addition of candy canes and powdered sugar. Filled with chocolate chips for extra chocolatey flavor, this recipe is also tossed in powdered sugar responsible for the crinkly outside. Don’t forget to include this in your holiday cookie swap!
Make the Cookie Dough and Chill
These simple chocolate peppermint cookies recipe use a basic creaming method. A creaming method is mixing the butter and sugar together until fluffy. This adds air into the dough formed by the sugar crystals slicing through the butter. Second, you add the eggs and extracts, and finally adding the dry ingredients and liquids (if any) alternately. Many cakes and cookies use this method and is a foundation for baking, so know this method well. The key is to continuously scrape the bowl and attachment(s) before and after each addition of ingredients. This ensures all the ingredients are playing together cohesively.
We need to chill this cookie dough to harden up the butter for at least an hour. If the butter is too soft from mixing then these cookies will spread tremendously. Believe me; I learned the hard way. Make sure that if you need to do a second round of scooping and baking that you are putting the dough back in the fridge until you are ready to scoop and bake. Alternatively, you can scoop, refrigerate for an hour, then bake if preferred.
Scoop and Bake the Cookies
Scoop the cookies and roll into a ball in your hands. Toss in the granulated sugar as this creates a barrier between the cookies and powdered sugar enabling the crinkling. Then very generously toss in powdered sugar which is the essential aspect for crinkle cookies. Place two inches apart on your baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy the best chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies during the holiday season.
Getting hung up or lost on all the baking terminology? Study up here.
Help Making Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
How to Make Rounder Cookies:
- When you scoop the cookie, roll into a ball in your hand before placing on the tray. Slight smoosh down evenly using the center of your palm.
- Immediately after taking the chocolate peppermint cookies out of the oven, use a circular ring like a ring cutter, small bowl, or wide glass and ring around the cookie. Work quickly!
How to Prevent Your Chocolate Peppermint Cookies From Over Spreading:
- Space your cookies at least 2 inches apart and at least 1 inch from the edge of the pan. Whenever you are baking cookies for the first time, do a test run to see how much they will spread. This quick test can save you a headache for the rest of the dough!
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour. If you have to do multiple rounds of baking, be sure to keep the dough in the fridge.
- When creaming the sugar and the butter, make sure the butter is fully creamed and that you do not have any chunks of butter. Those chunks will melt first, and your cookie will super spread awkwardly in that area!
Enhancing This Candy Cane Crinkle Cookies Recipes:
- Replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips!
- Remove the peppermint entirely and replace with a teaspoon of espresso powder and coffee extract to make a mocha treat!
How to Store and Freeze Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
- Freeze the dough, pre-scooped for up to 2 months.
- Store cookies at room temperature covered for up to two weeks.
Troubleshooting Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Peppermint:
- My cookies aren’t crinkling! The dough is too wet! This is where chilling and having the layer of granulated sugar comes in handy. However, if you’re noticing the outside is wet, roll on a paper towel prior to tossing in granulated sugar.
Something else going wrong? Reach out and we will troubleshoot together!
Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer Use the paddle for a stand mixer and beaters for a hand mixer
Ingredients
- 100 g Granulated sugar
- 100 g Light brown sugar
- 1 stick Butter, unsalted softened
- 1 ea Whole egg
- ½ tsp Peppermint extract
- 125 g All purpose flour
- 50 g Cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup Candy canes finely crushed
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine the sugars and softened butter in a bowl, and using the paddle for a stand mixer or beaters for a hand mixer, cream together on medium speed until light fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and attachment and mix another 30-60 seconds.
- Lower speed to medium-low, and add in the egg with the peppermint extract. Mix until combined then. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and attachment and mix another 30-60 seconds.
- Add in the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until a dough comes together.
- Add in the chocolate chips and candy canes and mix until combined.
- Wrap the dough and cool in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop the cookie dough about 1.5 inches in diameter and roll into a ball in your hand. Toss lightly in the granulated sugar then toss aggressively in the powdered sugar.
- Place about 2 inches away from each other and bake for about 10-12 minutes rotating halfway through baking. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? The dough is too wet! This is where chilling and having the layer of granulated sugar comes in handy. However, if you’re noticing the outside is wet, roll on a paper towel prior to tossing in granulated sugar.
- How to make chewy vs crunchy cookies? Granulated sugar enables crispy cookies while brown sugar enables chewy cookies because of the little bit of molasses. Also, the state of the butter can determine whether your cookie is crunchier or chewier. Cold butter enables crispy cookies while melted enables chewy.
- Can I use peppermint oil in cookies? Please don’t! Always use extract and not the essential oils.
Have another question? Reach out and I’ll try to answer it for you!
