Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peppermint chocolate chip cookies are as festive as they are delicious. Loaded with dark chocolate chips and crushed candy canes, these holiday cookies are just as soft and chewy as your favorite chocolate chip cookie!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoon unsalted butter cool room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour *See notes below for measuring*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup chopped dark chocolate bar or chocolate chips plus more for topping
- ¼ cup candy canes crushed in small peices, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars. Cream together the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Mix in the wet ingredients. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda until almost combined then fold in the chocolate chips and candy cane pieces until just combined.
- Scoop and chill the cookie dough. Scoop the cookie dough into 2 tbsp balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill the cookies in the freezer for a minimum of 3-4 hours, or until frozen solid. Overnight will yield the best flavor!
- Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Bake the frozen cookies spaced at least 2 inches apart for 9-10 minutes. They will look pale and still underbaked when you pull them out but will continue to bake and firm up while cooling.
- Decorate with extra candies. Press more candy cane pieces and dark chocolate chips to the tops. Then let the tray cool completely on a wire rack before removing and enjoy!
- Store leftover baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Store the frozen cookie dough balls in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 1 month. After this time, the candy canes start to melt and disappear into the cookie dough.
Notes
*Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
Use cool room temperature butter: butter should be between 64-68F for best results and to prevent the cookies from overly spreading in the oven! You can stick a thermometer into your stick of butter to gauge if it's ready.
Smash the candy canes. Use a mallet or hard object to smash the candy canes inside a ziplock bag. Make sure to crush them into very small pieces; large chunks will melt and pool out of the cookies and stick to the pan.
Candies near the edge of the cookies may melt out. If you notice any large chunks of candy cane on the bottom of the cookie dough balls, I suggest covering them with a piece of dough or moving them to the top. This will keep the cookies from sticking to the pan after baking.