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Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate peppermint cookies should be on your holiday baking list of goodies. These crinkle cookies bring together the flavors of the season– chocolate with soft peppermint bits that melt in your mouth. Santa might request these chocolate peppermint cookies as his goodnight snack on Christmas Eve or at least that is what I am telling my boys!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies on a wire rack

Crinkle cookies are easy to bake and make a big impact with their festive sprinkling of powdered sugar. Let it snow! Coffee crinkle cookies are right up there on my long list of favorite cookies too. 

Melted chocolate adds to the deep flavor of these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies. This cookie is perfect for holiday baking and belongs on any list of the best holiday cookies!

Speaking of chocolate, if you have a craving for a more traditional chocolate chip cookie with a gluten free twist, try this almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Peppermint chips are a seasonal item at the grocery store. Or buy these Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips here online.

If you are in a pinch and can’t find the peppermint chips you can use crushed candy canes. I really do prefer the softer peppermint chips, though. Sometimes a candy cane pieces are just too crunchy.

What are crinkle cookies?

Crinkle cookies are a type of cookie that has a cracked or crinkled effect on its surface after baking. 

That cracked effect is created by rolling the raw cookie dough into granulated sugar or confectioners sugar before baking.

Sometimes you can add to the festive look and dust your finished cookies with more powdered sugar after baking too. It looks like freshly fallen snow at this time of year which makes the perfect holiday cookie!

Ingredients:

  • all purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • cocoa powder
  • salt
  • semi-sweet chocolate chips (Semi- sweet is perfect for baking but feel free to use whatever chocolate chips you love. Dark chocolate can be overpowering so maybe just half dark and half semi-sweet if you go that direction.)
  • butter
  • white granulated sugar
  • eggs
  • peppermint chips are the key to that holiday flavor
  • confectioners’ sugar for that dusting that looks like snow

How do I make crinkle cookies?

  1. Prepare the cookie dough: beat the butter, sugar, and add the eggs with a paddle attachment in your stand mixer. A hand held electric mixer can do the job as well. Add the melted chocolate. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl then fold them into the wet ingredients. Mix in the peppermint chips on low speed. 
  2. Refrigerate the cookie dough.
  3. Make small balls of dough and roll in confectioners’ sugar.
  4. Bake and sprinkle with more confectioners’ sugar on top of the cookie after baking if needed. Cool on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

So make these cookies with your family or make a batch for a holiday cookie exchange. The recipe doubles easily and the finished cookie dusted with powdered sugar makes a festive treat inside a cookie tin too.

Crinkle cookies tend to spread while baking like many other cookies. If you don’t care what size your cookies are when they finish baking then you can skip the refrigeration step. 

If you DO care that your cookies stay a consistent shape batch to batch, please refrigerate the dough before baking. Cooled cookie dough means that the butter is also cooled and won’t melt the instant that your cookie dough balls hit the hot oven.

You can even freeze the cookie dough ahead of time and then bake directly from frozen. This is great for time management or for portion control– only bake what you want to eat! If you bake your frozen dough just add another 3-5 minutes onto the baking time.

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I originally made these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies in 2013 for a cookie with the #CreativeCookieExchange and have updated the recipe and photos in 2017. The more recent update occurred in 2021.

My cookies were shared at a church potluck. Festive and bright, these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies are easy to share with a crowd and they travel well. Print the recipe to have ready to share.

Can I store cookies in a tin?

If you are storing these cookies in a cookie tin it’s nice to place each one in a cupcake baking cup to keep the cookies from moving all over the place while you transport them. Last year I used Pringles containers to store, gift and ship my cookies.

Brownie Cookies and rugelach are more tasty options for cookies that travel well. How do you like to wrap homemade gifts? Try these 12 Cookies to Bake this Season for more ideas. These fun winter snowmen cookies make perfect Christmas cookies too.

Yes! I think peppermint crinkle cookies check all the right boxes for a cookie exchange. These classic Christmas cookies will be requested year after year. Here is why:

These cookies are festive. Peppermint is perfect for the holiday season. 

You can double the recipe easily. This cookie recipe is not fussy and no special equipment is needed. Just roll up your balls of dough, dust them with sugar, and get baking.

These cookies are ideal for homemade gifts, too. Package with hot chocolate for a festive treat!

Yield: 40 cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

These chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies are festive and holiday-party ready.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspsoon salt
  • 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 8 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup peppermint chips
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk gently to blend. Set aside.
  2. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Let cool slightly.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well blended.
  4. Fold in the flour mixture and the peppermint chips.
  5. Cool the dough in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Overnight is ok too.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare pans with parchment paper.
  7. Make small balls with the cookie dough. Roll in the confectioners' sugar. Place on the prepared baking pans and bake for 10-12 minutes.
  8. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes then cool completely on wire racks.
  9. Dust with more confectioners sugar if needed.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

40

Serving Size:

1 cookie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g

This data is provided by Nutritionix and is an estimate only.

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Chocolate Peppermint Cookies on a plate with text overlay

More holiday cookie recipes

Post updated in November 2019.

Abbe@This is How I Cook

Wednesday 20th of December 2017

I love these cookies Holly. Zoe would devour them as chocolate and mint are favorites of hers. Hope we can finally manage getting together in the new year! By the way I am loving your IG posts! Have a Merry Christmas!

Holly Baker

Wednesday 20th of December 2017

Thanks, Abbe! I found some Andies Mint chips too that I plan to use sometime soon. Yes, lets get together in January!

shelley

Wednesday 20th of December 2017

The cookies look great. Where is the recipe?

Holly Baker

Wednesday 20th of December 2017

Thanks, Shelley, the recipe didn't appear for some reason-- thanks for your comment. I've updated it and can see it on my end. Hope you can too!

Yvette

Wednesday 18th of December 2013

What a yummy sounding cookie. You gain weight but have great breath ;) My kinda cookie! And that pringle can idea -- GENIUS!!!

And did you change the look of your blog? LOVE it!

Holly F

Wednesday 18th of December 2013

Thanks, Yvette! I did switch to Wordpress so I am learning a lot this week! I didn't do the transfer myself but now am hoping to spend some time learning about WordPress so I can customize and update a few things. It's a work in progress but I am excited so far! I hope your Christmas preparations are coming along well. Not much longer to go!

The Ninja Baker

Wednesday 18th of December 2013

The peppermint crunch do indeed make your cookies sparkle, Holly.

Love the trick of the Pringles potato chip containers for shipping =)

Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories

Tuesday 17th of December 2013

Why didn't I know about these Andes peppermint chips?????? They sound wonderful! I need to get some. Your cookies are so gorgeous and I love the packaging.

Holly F

Tuesday 17th of December 2013

I only found them recently and think I'd better stock up before they disappear from the shelves! they are softer, more like white chocolate chips rather than hard, candy canes. Love them!

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