We know that Christmas has come and gone already, but in our minds the holiday season doesn’t end until until that first day back to work in the new year – so we’re still going to share some Christmas cookies with you. These ones, which we based on a recipe in the New York Times, are especially seasonal, as you can see: they’ve got peppermint both inside the cookie and sprinkled on top. They’re also some pretty easy cookies to make, so you won’t need to break a sweat while baking them up. So if chocolate and mint are your thing, follow along here!
For these, you’ll need:
- A 4-ounce bar of semisweet baking chocolate
- Cocoa powder
- A stick of butter
- 2 eggs
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Peppermint extract
- Flour
- Peppermints
Start by chopping up your chocolate and placing it into a bowl with 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. In a small pan melt your butter over medium-low heat, and when it’s fully liquid pour it over your chocolate to melt.
Let it sit, and then fit your stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Place your eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar, and a packed 1/2 cup of brown sugar in the mixer’s bowl and combine them all together on a medium-high speed until they’re fully combined, for at least 5 minutes. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add in 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract, then stir the chocolate around to dissolve any pieces that are still solid and pour that in as well, mixing everything together.
Now measure in 3/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and combine just until the flour and cocoa are mostly mixed in, then use a mixing spoon or spatula to stir everything together fully. Scoop up portions of cookie dough that are about 1/4 cup each and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Unwrap 9 peppermints and place them in a plastic zipper bag, then put a kitchen towel over the bag and use a heavy rolling pin to crush them up.
Place the cookies in your oven at 350°F and bake for 10 minutes, then sprinkle peppermint on top …
… and bake for another 2 minutes.
And when the cookies are cool, you can eat them!
The chocolate lovers in our lives said these were their favorite cookies – after all, you’ve got two different forms of chocolate here, plus some peppermint on top and inside to balance it all out. They look very nice and festive, and they’re a thicker, chewier cookie in contrast to some of the crisper cookies we also made this year. We’ve got one more holiday treat to show you, so check back later this week for our last seasonal offering!