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There’s something truly magical about the combination of dark chocolate and peppermint, especially when it’s baked into a soft, chewy cookie. It’s a flavor pairing that feels both decadent and refreshing—a little bit of holiday spirit you can enjoy any day of the year. Honestly, these cookies are my go-to when I want to impress guests or just treat myself after a long day. The deep, rich cocoa base provides this incredible depth, while the peppermint adds a cool, bright note that cuts through the sweetness perfectly. You’ll notice the aroma that fills your kitchen is absolutely intoxicating—like a cozy café meets a candy cane. The texture is just… dreamy. They’re crisp at the very edges but stay wonderfully soft and fudgy in the center. And the best part? They’re surprisingly straightforward to make. No fancy techniques, no hard-to-find ingredients. Just a bowl, a whisk, and a whole lot of deliciousness waiting to happen.

Recipe Overview

Why You’ll Love This Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Intense Chocolate Flavor. We’re using both cocoa powder and dark chocolate chunks, so you get a double dose of rich, deep chocolate in every single bite. It’s not just a hint—it’s the main event.
The Perfect Chewy Texture. The secret is in the resting time for the dough, which allows the flour to fully hydrate. This gives you a cookie that’s crisp on the outside but remains wonderfully soft, chewy, and almost brownie-like inside.
Refreshing Peppermint Zing. The peppermint isn’t an afterthought; it’s a star. It provides this cool, bright burst that perfectly balances the richness of the chocolate, preventing it from feeling too heavy or overly sweet.
They Look as Good as They Taste. With the festive crushed candy canes sprinkled on top, these cookies are a visual delight. They’re the kind of treat that makes people’s eyes light up before they’ve even taken a bite.

Ingredients & Tools

115 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
150 g light brown sugar, packed
50 g granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract (not mint extract!)
125 g all-purpose flour
35 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
150 g dark chocolate chunks (or chips, 60-70% cacao)
2-3 candy canes, crushed, for topping

Tools: A large mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, a baking sheet, and parchment paper.

A quick note on the ingredients—using melted butter is key for that chewy texture we’re after, and the Dutch-process cocoa gives a much deeper, smoother chocolate flavor compared to natural cocoa. And please, don’t skip the sea salt! It makes all the chocolate notes pop.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 180 kcal
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 25 g
Fiber: 2 g

Serves: 18 | Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 25 min (includes chilling)

Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes

Why melted butter? Using melted, cooled butter instead of creamed butter is the secret to a denser, chewier cookie. It creates a dough that spreads just the right amount and delivers that fantastic fudgy center.
Don’t confuse your extracts. This is crucial. You want pure peppermint extract, not mint extract. Mint extract often contains spearmint, which tastes more like toothpaste. Peppermint extract gives that clean, cool, candy-cane flavor we love.
The power of chilling. I know it’s tempting to skip the chill time, but please don’t! Chilling the dough for at least an hour prevents the cookies from spreading too thin and allows the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Crushing candy canes. The easiest way to crush them is to leave them in their wrapper and whack them a few times with a rolling pin. You’ll want a mix of fine powder and small chunks for the best texture and visual appeal on top.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Step 1: Start by melting your butter. You can do this in a saucepan over low heat or in short bursts in the microwave. The goal is to have it fully melted but not hot—just warm to the touch. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to cool down slightly. While it cools, you can whisk together your dry ingredients—the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt—in a separate, medium-sized bowl. A little whisk here ensures there are no clumps of baking soda, which is never a fun surprise.

Step 2: In your large mixing bowl, combine the melted (and cooled!) butter with the brown and granulated sugars. Whisk them together vigorously for a good minute. You’ll notice the mixture will become smoother and look a bit like wet sand. Now, add in the room-temperature egg, the vanilla, and that all-important peppermint extract. Whisk again until the mixture is completely smooth, glossy, and well-emulsified. This is your wet base, and it should be beautifully homogenous.

Step 3: It’s time to bring it all together. Switch to a spatula for this part. Gradually add your whisked dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold gently—you just want to mix until the last traces of flour disappear. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Once the flour is incorporated, fold in the dark chocolate chunks. The dough will be quite soft and sticky, and that’s exactly what you want.

Step 4: This is the hardest part: the chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and press it directly onto the surface of the dough. Pop it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. This rest period is non-negotiable for that perfect texture. It hydrates the flour, firms up the butter, and concentrates the flavors. If you skip it, your cookies will spread into thin, flat puddles.

Step 5: When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll them into rough balls and place them on the sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each one for spreading. Now, generously press the crushed candy canes onto the tops of the dough balls.

Step 6: Bake for 9-11 minutes. The trick is to pull them out when the edges look set but the centers still appear soft, puffy, and slightly underdone. They will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet after you take them out. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a full 5 minutes—this is what sets their structure. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They’ll be very soft initially but will firm up to that ideal chewy texture.

Serving Suggestions

Complementary Dishes

A simple vanilla ice cream — The creamy, cold vanilla is a classic partner for the rich, warm cookie, creating the ultimate à la mode experience.
A warm mug of chili — The spicy, savory notes of a good chili are brilliantly offset by the sweet, cool mint and dark chocolate, making for a surprisingly perfect meal combo.
A cheese board with sharp cheddar — The bold, salty cheese provides a fantastic savory contrast that makes the chocolate and mint flavors taste even more vibrant and complex.

Drinks

A glass of cold whole milk — It’s a timeless pairing for a reason; the milk cuts through the richness and cleanses the palate beautifully between bites.
A rich hot chocolate — Double down on the chocolate! A warm, creamy cup of cocoa turns this into the most decadent, cozy treat imaginable.
Peppermint tea — This amplifies the minty freshness in the cookie while keeping the whole experience light and refreshing, perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Something Sweet

Peppermint bark — It’s a match made in holiday heaven, continuing the chocolate-mint theme in a different, delightful textural form.
Orange sorbet — The bright, citrusy zing of orange provides a lovely, tangy counterpoint to the deep, dark chocolate, creating a really sophisticated flavor profile.
Chewy caramel squares — The buttery, salty-sweet flavor of caramel adds another layer of decadence that complements the fudgy cookie base perfectly.

Top Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake: Using hot, freshly melted butter. If your butter is too hot, it will start to cook the egg when you add it, creating a weird, grainy texture. It can also cause your cookies to spread excessively. Always let it cool a bit.
Mistake: Skipping the chill time. I’ve messed this up before too, thinking I could get away with it. The result is a flat, greasy cookie. The chilled dough is essential for controlling spread and achieving that thick, chewy center.
Mistake: Overbaking the cookies. They might not look “done” in the middle when you take them out, but that’s the point! They set up as they cool. Overbaked cookies become cakey and lose that wonderful fudginess.
Mistake: Using mint extract instead of peppermint. This is a flavor disaster waiting to happen. Mint extract will make your beautiful cookies taste like dental hygiene products. Always double-check the label for “Peppermint.”

Expert Tips

Tip: Weigh your flour. If you scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup, you’re likely packing in too much, leading to dry, cakey cookies. For the most consistent results, use a kitchen scale. It’s a game-changer.
Tip: Make a “flavor-enhanced” sugar. For an even more intense minty aroma, you can add a drop or two of peppermint extract to your granulated sugar a day ahead and let it dry out in an open container. The sugar crystals will absorb the flavor.
Tip: Under-scoop your dough. When portioning, use a cookie scoop but don’t pack it heaping full. A slightly under-filled scoop gives you a more perfectly round, uniform cookie that bakes evenly.
Tip: Add a pinch of espresso powder. You won’t taste coffee, I promise. But adding just 1/4 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to your dry ingredients will deepen the chocolate flavor immensely, making it taste even richer and more complex.

FAQs

Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely, and honestly, it often tastes even better! You can keep the covered dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavor deepens, and the texture becomes even chewier. You can also scoop the dough balls onto a baking sheet, freeze them solid, and then transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, just adding 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.

My cookies came out flat. What happened?
This is almost always a temperature issue. The most common culprits are butter that was too warm when mixed, or dough that wasn’t chilled long enough. The butter melts too quickly in the oven, causing excessive spread. Next time, ensure your butter is just warm, not hot, and don’t skip that crucial hour in the fridge. Also, check that your baking soda is fresh!

Can I use milk chocolate instead of dark?
You can, but the cookies will be much sweeter and the flavor profile will change. The intense bitterness of dark chocolate is what creates that beautiful balance with the sweet mint. With milk chocolate, the mint might overpower the more subtle chocolate. If you do switch, I’d recommend reducing the candy cane topping a bit to compensate for the extra sweetness.

Why are my cookies cakey and not chewy?
A cakey texture usually points to too much flour or overmixing. Remember to spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off, or better yet, weigh it. Also, once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until the flour disappears. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which leads to a more bread-like, cakey structure instead of a tender, chewy one.

How should I store these cookies to keep them soft?
The key to keeping them soft is an airtight container. Once they are completely cool, place them in a container with a tight-fitting lid. If you want to ensure maximum softness for days, you can toss in a single slice of bread. The cookies will draw moisture from the bread, staying soft, and the bread will get hard instead—it’s a neat little kitchen trick!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Cost Level $

Category Healthy Christmas Cookies

Difficulty Medium

Cuisine American, dessert

Servings 18

Total Time 85 minutes

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Make the best Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies with this easy recipe. They're soft, chewy, and perfectly balanced. Get the foolproof recipe now!

Ingredients

For the Ingredients

115 g unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
150 g light brown sugar (packed)
50 g granulated sugar
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
0.5 tsp peppermint extract (not mint extract!)
125 g all-purpose flour
35 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp fine sea salt
150 g dark chocolate chunks (or chips, 60-70% cacao)
2-3 candy canes (crushed, for topping)

Instructions

01
Start by melting your butter. You can do this in a saucepan over low heat or in short bursts in the microwave. The goal is to have it fully melted but not hot—just warm to the touch. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to cool down slightly. While it cools, you can whisk together your dry ingredients—the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt—in a separate, medium-sized bowl. A little whisk here ensures there are no clumps of baking soda, which is never a fun surprise.
02
In your large mixing bowl, combine the melted (and cooled!) butter with the brown and granulated sugars. Whisk them together vigorously for a good minute. You’ll notice the mixture will become smoother and look a bit like wet sand. Now, add in the room-temperature egg, the vanilla, and that all-important peppermint extract. Whisk again until the mixture is completely smooth, glossy, and well-emulsified. This is your wet base, and it should be beautifully homogenous.
03
It’s time to bring it all together. Switch to a spatula for this part. Gradually add your whisked dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold gently—you just want to mix until the last traces of flour disappear. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Once the flour is incorporated, fold in the dark chocolate chunks. The dough will be quite soft and sticky, and that’s exactly what you want.
04
This is the hardest part: the chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and press it directly onto the surface of the dough. Pop it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. This rest period is non-negotiable for that perfect texture. It hydrates the flour, firms up the butter, and concentrates the flavors. If you skip it, your cookies will spread into thin, flat puddles.
05
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll them into rough balls and place them on the sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each one for spreading. Now, generously press the crushed candy canes onto the tops of the dough balls.
06
Bake for 9-11 minutes. The trick is to pull them out when the edges look set but the centers still appear soft, puffy, and slightly underdone. They will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet after you take them out. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a full 5 minutes—this is what sets their structure. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They’ll be very soft initially but will firm up to that ideal chewy texture.