To be honest, I really wanted to call these Christmas crack cookies. Buuutttt, I thought that might not be appropriate. You never know who you may offend these days, so I tend to play it cool and neutral. That’s partly why you won’t see any political posts. But mainly that’s because I hate talking politics with anyone. It can stir up a lot of anger or arguments that I just don’t have the energy to spend on. I’d much rather talk about the weather. Seriously. That’s how boring I am. But hey, whatevs, each to their own. But back to business. Seriously though, can I call them Christmas crack? Because they kind of, really need that name. They are incredibly addicting.
Last week, this particular cookie idea came to me. When I ran it by my husband, he wasn’t very enthusiastic, much to my disappointment. But I said the heck with it, I am going to try it out anyway. Well, these ended up being a huge hit. He bashfully admitted how he was wrong and the cookies were delish as he grabbed two more from the baking tray. Insert eye roll emoji.
So let talk cookie anatomy for a minute. I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe for my base. That’s my go-to when I cookie experiment. I added some cocoa powder to make them chocolatey rich as well as peppermint extract. I still added chocolate chips because why wouldn’t I? Then, because peppermint extract isn’t enough, I rolled the cookie dough in finely crushed candy canes. Yeeesssss. The candy canes give it a wonderful red-ish crust on the outside. The peppermint/chocolate flavor ratio is just right. Neither over powers the other. I am not usually a big cookie person, or chocolate fan for that matter. But I’ll tell you what, I have not been able to keep my hands out of the cookie jar this week. Chewy, pepperminty, and chocolately, your perfect Christmas crack cookie.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Recipe adapted from Lily’s Café Cookbook, Revised Edition by Kyra Alex
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
These soft and chewy cookies are full of chocolate and rolled in peppermint which yields a beautiful red coating to the cookies. These are perfect for the holidays.
Ingredients
- 16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4-1/2 cup finely ground peppermint candy canes or candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just fluffy again. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture at low speed, and mix just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into small rounds, about 2 tablespoons, and roll in the crushed candy canes. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops have begun to crack, but the centers are still soft. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing from baking sheets.
