These chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies have a cracked outside, a fudgy and rich inside, and a cooling hint of peppermint! Not only are they decadent and delicious, but the snowy white coating is reminiscent of a winter wonderland. Perfect for any winter festivities, these mouthwatering crinkle cookies are going to be a hit with everyone who tries them!
Easy Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Recipe
I'm in the midst of a ton of holiday baking right now, with a big emphasis on trying out some new Christmas cookies! This is my favorite time of the year for a wide variety of reasons, but all of these sweet treats are definitely high up on the list!
Whether you are looking for a new recipe to try out, cookies for a cookie swap party, or you just enjoy baking (like me), these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies are a great choice! Not only are chocolate and peppermint a winning combination, but the dark chocolate contrasting with the frosty powdered sugar is absolutely beautiful!
Jump to:
If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, check out my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, my fantastic Christmas cake, fruitcake and more cake ideas, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies Ingredients
If you don't already have these common baking ingredients in your pantry, you can easily find them in the baking aisle of your grocery store! The candy canes are a seasonal item that will be all over the store during the wintertime.
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate - 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped. This will be melted and added to the dough.
- Butter - 4 tablespoons of butter that has been chopped into cubes.
- Sugar - ¾ cup of white granulated sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar - ¾ cup of packed light brown sugar.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs that are at room temperature. This ensures even baking.
- Peppermint Extract - ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract for a hint of mint.
- Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt to enhance the other flavors.
- Baking Soda - ¼ teaspoon of baking soda.
- Cocoa Powder - ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder that has been sifted. You can swap this out for Dutch-processed cocoa powder if you want a really deep chocolate flavor.
- Flour - 1 cup of all-purpose flour that has been spooned and leveled.
- Candy Canes - 4 crushed candy canes. You can easily crush them by placing them into a Ziploc bag and using a rolling pin or a heavy skillet.
For Rolling to Make The 'Crinkle'
- Sugar - ½ cup of white granulated sugar to act as the initial coat.
- Confectioners' Sugar - ½ cup of powdered sugar for that beautiful crackle!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
The secret to beautiful crinkle cookies is allowing the dough to rest and coating them in two separate types of sugar! For this recipe, you will need two baking sheets, a microwave-safe bowl, a large mixing bowl, and a wire cooling rack!
When you're done baking, you will have about 20 yummy cookies (depending on how large you made them)!
Mix The Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Dough
- Prepare. To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Melt the chocolate. Add 4 ounces of unsweetened chopped chocolate and 4 tablespoons of butter to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 30 seconds. Remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir. Continue to heat it in 15-second increments, stirring in between each one, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup of both sugar and brown sugar, 2 large eggs, and ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract. Whisk until smooth and then add in 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Mix together once more.
- Fold together. Whisk in the cooled, melted chocolate. Once smooth, gently fold in the sifted ½ cup of cocoa powder and 1 cup of all-purpose flour until just combined. You don't want to over-mix the dough.
- Rest. Fold in 4 crushed peppermint candy canes. Then, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Roll & Bake The Cookies
- Prepare sugars. Pour ½ cup of both granulated sugar and confectioner's sugar into two separate shallow dishes.
- Scoop dough. Using a cookie scoop that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray, scoop the cookie dough into balls that are roughly 1½ inches in size.
- Roll in sugar. Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar first, followed by the powdered sugar, and then place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Make sure to leave about 2 inches of space in between each ball of dough.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 14-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. You'll know your cookies are done when they have puffed up, the edges have set, and the tops have cracked.
- Cool. Remove the baked crinkle cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 15 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
This winter treat is a great addition to your holiday cookie trays! Just make sure to wrap them separately so they don't make any of the other cookies taste minty. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Make sure to roll your cookie dough balls in the granulated sugar before the powdered sugar. This helps the powdered sugar to stick and crackle.
- You want to heat your chocolate in small increments to prevent it from burning. If you need more help, you can check out my walk through for how to melt chocolate!
- Spoon and level your flour (or weigh it) to prevent packing too much flour into the measuring cup and creating dense cookies.
🥡 Storing
Keep your leftover cookies stored at room temperature in a sealed container for 4-5 days. Take a look at some ideas for what to do with leftover Christmas cookies!
Freezing Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
If you want to freeze baked cookies, allow your cookies to cool completely before placing them into a storage container with parchment paper separating the layers. These crinkle cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw before enjoying them.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough! After rolling your dough into balls, but before rolling them in sugar, you can chill them in the fridge for 1 hour before transferring them to the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, allow them to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling in sugar and baking as directed. For more information, take a look at my post on freezing Christmas cookie dough!
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❓ Recipe FAQs
If you roll the cookies in only powdered sugar, the coating can dissolve into the cookies and you won't achieve the desired crackle effect. Using the granulated sugar as a base coat helps the cookies to crack as well as keeps the powdered sugar in place.
You'll know your cookies are ready to take out of the oven when they are nicely cracked and the inside still appears slightly glossy. They will be slightly soft while warm but will firm up more as they cool.
Your dough needs to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling and baking. If you don't allow the dough to rest, the cookies will spread too quickly in the oven and you won't get the crackle effect.
🎅 More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - If you're wanting another minty cookie option, these cookies are drizzled with chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes!
- Christmas Cowboy Cookies - These heart cookies are jam-packed with oatmeal, chocolate chips, M&Ms, peanut, and coconut!
- Christmas Cookies - Classic sprinkled Christmas cookies that are perfect for decorating as a family!
- Empire Biscuits - Two shortbread cookies are packed together with a jam filling and then topped with homemade icing and a glace cherry!
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies - A chocolate cookie is rolled in sugar, baked, and then topped with a chocolate Hershey's kiss candy!
- Russian Tea Cakes - Tender and buttery cookies are packed with chopped walnut and rolled in powdered sugar!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Subscribe to the newsletter today (no spam, I promise)! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Crinkle Cookies
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
- 4 tablespoon butter (cubed)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled)
- 4 candy canes (crushed)
For Rolling
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add your chopped chocolate and butter to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 30 seconds. Remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir. Continue to heat it in 15-second increments, stirring in between each one, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and peppermint extract. Whisk until smooth and then add in the baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Whisk in the cooled, melted chocolate. Once smooth, gently fold in the sifted cocoa powder and all-purpose flour until just combined.
- Fold in the crushed peppermint candy canes. Then, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Pour your granulated sugar and confectioner's sugar into two separate shallow dishes.
- Using a cookie scoop that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray, scoop the cookie dough into balls that are roughly 1½ inches in size.
- Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar first, followed by the powdered sugar, and then place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Make sure to leave about 2 inches of space in between each ball of dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 14-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. You'll know your cookies are done when they have puffed up, the edges have set, and the tops have cracked.
- Remove the baked crinkle cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 15 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Make sure to roll your cookie dough balls in the granulated sugar before the powdered sugar. This helps the powdered sugar to stick and crackle.
- You want to heat your chocolate in small increments to prevent it from burning. If you need more help, you can check out my walkthrough for how to melt chocolate!
- Spoon and level your flour (or weigh it) to prevent packing too much flour into the measuring cup and creating dense cookies.
- To store: Keep your leftover cookies stored at room temperature in a sealed container for 4-5 days. Take a look at some ideas for what to do with leftover Christmas cookies!
- To freeze baked cookies: Allow your cookies to cool completely before placing them into a storage container with parchment paper separating the layers. These crinkle cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw before enjoying them.
- To freeze the dough: After rolling your dough into balls, but before rolling them in sugar, you can chill them in the fridge for 1 hour before transferring them to the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, allow them to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling in sugar and baking as directed. For more information, take a look at my post on freezing Christmas cookie dough!
Comments
No Comments