Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 100 g white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, large, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 3 ml peppermint extract
Dry Ingredients
- 260 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 5 g baking soda
- 3 g sea salt
Inclusions & Topping
- 250 g semisweet chocolate, chopped chunks or chips
- 60 g peppermint candies or candy canes, crushed
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 231 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 31 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 20 g
- Sodium
- 117 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 36 mg
- Potassium
- 72 mg
- Calcium
- 20 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 16 mg
- Phosphorus
- 41 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 71 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 6 mcg
- Water
- 7 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 6 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl to remove lumps and aerate.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing only until streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix.
Fold in the semisweet chocolate chunks by hand using a spatula.
Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (up to 72 hours). This solidifies the fat to prevent excessive spreading.
Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop dough into 45g balls (approx 2 tbsp) and place on baking sheets spaced 5cm apart. Bake until edges are set but centers remain soft.
Immediately upon removing from the oven, gently press the crushed peppermint candies into the tops of the soft cookies.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef's Notes
- For perfectly round cookies, place a large round cookie cutter over the hot cookie immediately after removing from the oven and swirl it gently to reshape the edges.
- Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder rather than natural cocoa; the lower acidity results in a darker color and fudgier texture.
- Crush the peppermint candy into varying sizes—dust for distribution and larger shards for visual appeal and crunch.
- Do not skip the chilling step. The flour needs time to hydrate and the butter needs to resolidify to achieve the thick, chewy texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in airtight container; texture is best at room temperature.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze dough balls before baking for best results, or freeze baked cookies.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread too thin and are greasy
Cause: Butter was too warm/melted or dough wasn't chilled long enough
Fix: Chill the remaining dough for another 30 minutes before baking the next batch
Prevention: Ensure butter is room temp (not melted) and chill dough for full hour
Cultural Context
Chocolate peppermint cookies are a staple of the modern American 'Christmas Cookie Box' tradition, combining the European technique of butter-sugar creaming with the quintessential winter flavor pairing of dark chocolate and mint, popularized in the US in the mid-20th century.
