Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you looking for unique cookie ideas for your holiday cookie tray? Why not try the soft and chewy peppermint chocolate chip cookies? They will become your new favorite!

We always enjoy classic chocolate chip cookies, easy gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, and healthy ginger cookies during the holiday season; however, this year, peppermint chocolate chip cookies are making the rounds!

You can take these delicious holiday cookies to a cookie exchange, make some for your kids, or serve them with Crock Pot Hot Chocolate on a chilly winter night. There are endless possibilities to enjoy these Christmas cookies. And even though they don’t look exactly like your favorite chocolate chip cookies, these chewy peppermint chocolate chip cookies taste heavenly!

Recipe Ingredients–What You Need

The ingredients for these peppermint chocolate cookies are similar to a chewy chocolate chip recipe; however, there are pieces of candy canes for some peppermint crunch and a holiday twist!

All-Purpose Flour

We need 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour for this recipe, as it is the main ingredient. The reason? For starters, it is the best kind of baking flour when you’re thinking of taste and texture rather than health benefits. I use regular white flour very sparingly, so I think I appreciate how nicely it works compared to “healthy flours.” It helps the cookies rise and gives them structure. (Gluten is good for that!) Let’s appreciate what it does give us nutritionally:  All-purpose flour is rich in iron, calcium, protein, fiber, and fat as well as vitamins B2 and B3.

Baking Soda

We need 1 teaspoon of baking soda for this peppermint chocolate chip cookie recipe. Baking soda is the primary ingredient that helps give you the perfect cookie texture, puffy and chewy.

Cornstarch

We will add 1½ teaspoons of cornstarch to this recipe. This is the secret ingredient that makes these cookies extra soft and thick. Don’t skip it!

Butter

We will add ¾ cup of unsalted butter, melted and cooled at room temperature. It is one of the main ingredients used in cookie recipes as it adds richness and structure to the cookies. Melted butter makes these cookies nice and chewy! And because it’s melted, you don’t even need to use a mixer! For maximum nutritional benefits, look for organic, grass-fed butter.

Light Brown Sugar

Brown sugar helps keep these Peppermint Chocolate Chip cookies soft! Brown sugar is also a good source of calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium.

Granulated Sugar

While brown sugar makes the cookies soft, white sugar is important, too, as it helps the cookies spread. Therefore, we will add ½ a cup of granulated white sugar to this recipe.

Egg

You can’t bake cookies without eggs! Although you will find eggless cookie recipes, an egg is important if you’re looking for rich, moist, and chewy cookies. We will be adding one egg at room temperature to the butter mixture to bind all the ingredients together. As for the health benefits, eggs are an excellent protein source and contain Vitamin B, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin D.

Egg Yolk

We will also need 1 egg yolk for this recipe at room temperature. Egg yolks have a high-fat content; therefore, they are a perfect addition to help the cookies turn out rich and moist. But that’s not all! As we will add the egg yolk to the flour mixture, it helps to create a smoother and more homogeneous cookie dough.

Vanilla Extract

We will add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract to the cookie dough mixture as it enhances the taste of all other ingredients and gives the cookies a sweet and tempting aroma.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

I have used 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks for the recipe; however, you can also add in white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, pieces of dark chocolate, or a mix of all for an awesome batch of double chocolate chip peppermint cookies.

Candy Cane

The final and most important ingredient is 1 cup of candy cane pieces. Candy canes have a distinctive peppermint flavor because they consist of oil from the Menta and Piperita leaves of the peppermint plant. However, if you don’t have any peppermint-flavored candy canes, you can add a few drops of peppermint extract, peppermint chips, peppermint candy, or Andes mints to the flour mixture. You can also throw in a peppermint bark for additional flavor. I always look for naturally dyed candy canes to avoid artificial food dyes.

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I lightly adapted the recipe from a delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction that I’ve made a few times and loved.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until they are well combined, and there aren’t any lumps. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk again until they are incorporated. Now whisk in the vanilla extract.
3. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix them together with a wooden spoon.
4. Fold in the chocolate chunks and candy cane pieces.
5. Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or up to 3 days. I like to let mine chill overnight.
6. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it soften at room temperature. This can take 10 minutes or up to 20-30 minutes depending on how long it chilled and how cold your house is.
7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
8. Measure 2 heaping tablespoons for each cookie and roll it into an oblong ball. You want the shape to be tall for thicker cookies.
9. Place 8 cookies per sheet, about 2 inches apart.
10. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes, until the edges are very lightly brown. They may look slightly undercooked, but they will firm up as they cool.
11. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

1.  Make sure the candy cane bits are towards the center of the cookie dough balls to avoid them melting on the pan. If there are larger pieces of candy cane, crush them into smaller bits.
2. For a chewy chocolate chip cookie, make sure to give the cookie dough some chill time to solidify the fats.
3. Always place the cookie dough balls on parchment paper or a cookie sheet to keep the cookies from sticking to the pan.
4. Use a cookie scoop and make similar-sized cookie dough balls to get cookies of the same size and shape.
5. Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze them for up to 2 months.

If you love cookies, check out my gluten-free peanut butter blossoms and brown butter snickerdoodles recipes for your holiday party cookie tray.

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Happy baking!

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