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Chocolate peppermint cookies are soft, chewy double chocolate cookies made with cocoa powder, chocolate chips and peppermint extract, then topped with crushed candy canes the moment they come out of the oven. The dough uses melted butter, so there is no mixer to pull out, and a short chill gives thick cookies with crackly tops and fudgy middles.
They taste like a cup of peppermint hot chocolate in cookie form, which is exactly why they disappear first from a Christmas cookie tray.
How do you make chocolate peppermint cookies?
Makes: about 24 cookies · Prep: 15 minutes · Chill: 30 minutes · Bake: 9 to 11 minutes per tray
- 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (43 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ to ¾ tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup crushed candy canes (about 6 regular candy canes), for topping
- Optional: 2 oz (57 g) white chocolate, melted, for drizzling
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, breaking up any cocoa lumps.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with both sugars until glossy, about 1 minute. Whisk in the egg, the yolk, the vanilla and ½ tsp peppermint extract. Taste a tiny bit of the batter and add the last ¼ tsp of extract if you want a stronger mint flavor.
- Combine. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet with a spatula just until no flour shows, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Melted-butter dough is soft at first and spreads too much if baked right away. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop 1½-tablespoon balls of dough, leaving 2 inches between them.
- Bake one tray at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look slightly underdone.
- Top right away. Press the crushed candy canes onto the warm cookies so they stick. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack. Drizzle with white chocolate once cool, if you like.
Should you bake the candy canes into the dough or put them on top?
Put most of them on top. Candy cane pieces melt in the oven, so pieces baked inside the dough turn into sticky pockets and can glue the cookies to the pan. Pressed onto the warm cookies, they stay crunchy and keep their red-and-white color.
To crush them, seal the candy canes in a zip-top bag and tap them with a rolling pin until most pieces are smaller than a pea. Shake the bag through a sieve if you want to remove the fine peppermint dust, or keep the dust and stir it into a mug of peppermint hot chocolate.
How do you fix common chocolate peppermint cookie problems?
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies spread flat | Dough too warm, or butter still hot when mixed | Cool the butter 5 minutes before mixing and chill the dough the full 30 minutes |
| Cakey, dry cookies | Too much flour or overbaking | Spoon and level the flour; pull the cookies while the centers still look soft |
| Mint tastes like toothpaste | Too much extract, or mint extract instead of peppermint | Start with ½ tsp pure peppermint extract and taste before adding more |
| Candy cane topping is sticky | Humidity, or topping baked too long | Add the topping after baking and store cookies in an airtight tin |
| Bitter or flat chocolate flavor | Unsifted cocoa lumps, or too little salt | Whisk the cocoa well with the flour and use the full ½ tsp salt |
Which cocoa powder is best for chocolate peppermint cookies?
Use natural (non-alkalized) unsweetened cocoa powder. This dough rises with baking soda, which needs the acidity of natural cocoa and brown sugar to give the cookies lift and their crackly tops. Dutch-process cocoa is not acidic, so with baking soda alone the cookies come out denser; our guide to baking with cocoa powder explains the rule.
Grevista is a one-ingredient natural cocoa powder from Vietnamese Trinitario cacao. Its bright, fruity chocolate note works well against cool peppermint. See sizes on the Grevista cocoa powder page.
What are some easy variations?
- Peppermint sandwich cookies: bake the cookies slightly smaller, then sandwich them with a little vanilla buttercream flavored with a drop of peppermint extract.
- White chocolate peppermint: swap half the semisweet chips for white chocolate chips.
- Peppermint crinkles: roll the dough balls in powdered sugar before baking, the same way as our chocolate crinkle cookies.
- Mint-free version for kids: leave out the extract and top with sprinkles instead of candy canes.
How do you store and make chocolate peppermint cookies ahead?
| How | How long | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Baked cookies, airtight tin | Up to 4 days at room temperature | Keep away from steam and humid kitchens so the candy stays crunchy |
| Dough in the fridge | Up to 2 days | Let it sit 10 minutes before scooping |
| Frozen dough balls | Up to 3 months | Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes |
| Frozen baked cookies (no topping) | Up to 1 month | Thaw, warm for 2 minutes in the oven, then add the crushed candy canes |
Baking a full holiday tray? These cookies sit well next to our chocolate Christmas cookies made from one cocoa dough, the marshmallow-topped hot cocoa cookies, and a jar of homemade hot cocoa mix for gifting.
If you are deciding which tin to buy for recipes like this one, see our guide to the best cacao powder, which compares options by flavor, processing and published lab testing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use peppermint oil instead of peppermint extract?
Yes, but use far less. Food-grade peppermint oil is much stronger than extract, so start with 1 or 2 drops for this batch and taste the dough.
Is mint extract the same as peppermint extract?
Not quite. Mint extract is often a blend that includes spearmint, which tastes more like chewing gum. Pure peppermint extract gives the classic candy cane flavor.
Can I make these cookies without chilling the dough?
You can, but they will spread thinner and crispier. If you are short on time, chill the scooped dough balls in the freezer for 10 minutes instead.
Written by the Grevista Editorial Team. Last updated October 31, 2026. How we check facts: Editorial Policy.