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Say hello to your new favorite holiday cookie: chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies! So rich, so decadent, and so dreamy, these snowy cookies remind me of a winter wonderland. Crackled tops give way to soft and fudgy centers, flecked with crushed peppermint candy canes that melt ever so slightly into the dough while baking. Finished with a generous roll in powdered sugar (because the more, the merrier!), these crinkle cookies are Christmas bliss!
These fudgy, brownie-like peppermint crinkle cookies are perfect to make when you’re short on time because there’s no dough chilling required here. Simply make the dough, let it rest for a few minutes, then scoop and roll in sugar.
A double coating of sugar is the secret to perfect crinkle cookies. First roll the dough balls in granulated sugar, then coat generously with powdered sugar. This method encourages the cookies to crackle as they bake, and helps the powdered sugar coating remain in place.
Craving more crinkle cookies? You may also like my red velvet crinkle cookies!
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Melt Chocolate – Combine unsweetened chocolate and butter in a bowl and microwave in bursts, stirring until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make Dough – Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl, whisking until incorporated. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold in dry ingredients just until incorporated, then fold in crushed candy canes. The mixture will resemble fudgy brownie batter. Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
Scoop Dough – Spray a medium (1 1/2-inch) cookie scoop with nonstick spray and scoop balls of dough. Roll first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar to coat. Place two inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake – Bake at 325°F, rotating pans halfway through, for 14 to 15 minutes, until cookies are puffed and cracked, with edges set. Cool cookies for 15 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make Ahead Tips
Make the dough in advance, then roll into balls (without the sugar coating) and freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour. Transfer cookie dough balls to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Just before baking, roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar and coat generously in powered sugar. Bake as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
More holiday cookie recipes you’ll love:
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies
Fudgy Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 28 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Say hello to your new favorite holiday cookie: chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies! So rich, so decadent, and so dreamy, these cookies are Christmas bliss. No mixer or dough chilling required!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 4 peppermint candy canes, crushed
For rolling
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and peppermint extract in a large bowl until combined; add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold in flour mixture just until incorporated, then fold in crushed candy canes. Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Place granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate shallow bowls. Use a cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to scoop 1 1/2-inch balls of dough. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then coat generously in powdered sugar. Place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 14 to 15 minutes, until cookies are puffed and cracked, with edges set. Let cookies cool for 15 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Rolling the cookies in granulated sugar first before rolling in powdered sugar helps the cookies crackle and keeps the powered sugar coating in place.
Great fudgy, peppermint flavor with a good chewy texture. Crackle appearance consistent with 2 step sugar coat–this process is very tedious and messy though, be forwarded!
Thanks for your feedback, Kim!
Haven’t made these in years. Gonna give your recipe a try. If I wanted to make a big batch to freeze, could I just double the recipe? And I noticed a few questions about omitting the candy cane and adding a bit more of the extract, too.
You can omit the candy cane and increase the peppermint extract to 3/4 teaspoon. I don’t recommend doubling this recipe since the dough needs to stay warm throughout the mixing and shaping process. It’s best to make one batch at a time.
YUM!!! My new favorite cookie??? I am gluten free and used Cup4Cup flour – crispy outside, chewy inside, like a brownie! Very chocolatey- I used an unsweetened Ghiradelli baking bar. The peppermint level was just right, its there but not overpowering. I like less sweet desserts and was worried with the double sugar rolling they would be too sweet for me – they were not at all! You can be generous with the powdered sugar to get a nice crackle effect. Just perfect. Don’t flatten the balls, keep them round – they will puff up a lot in the oven and then flatten out while cooling to give that chewy texture. 14 minutes was just right on silpat. This perfect recipe will be a new Christmas tradition, thank you!
Hi Jacqueline, thanks so much for trying these cookies and sharing your detailed notes. 🙂 Glad to hear these worked well for you with Cup4Cup flour too!
Ok, like previous comments, these are amazing…do yourself a favour and make twice as much…..trust me…
Thanks so much, Janine! Happy Holidays!
can you give a cup measurement on the crushed candy? (I have mini candy canes).
Thanks
Hi Linda, I’d use about 16 mini candy canes.
I made them! I feel like I’m eating a chewy brownie and peppermint candy together.
Thanks so much, Deb!
Hi! I haven’t made these yet but I was wondering, can I omit the candy cane? And if so, should I add more peppermint extract? Thanks in advance!
Hi Caitlyn, yes you can omit the crushed candy cane and I would increase the peppermint extract to 3/4 teaspoon. Happy baking!
These cookies are so yummy! They have a perfect texture somewhere between a cookie and a brownie with delicious crispyness around the edges. Love the addition of candycanes. Yum!
I actually did a vegan version as one of our loved ones is vegan and they also came out perfect in vegan form (vegan margarine instead of butter, commercial egg replacer instead of eggs and dairy free dark chocolate).
This recipe is going to be added to our yearly Christmas baking collection 🙂
Hi Tash, thanks so much for your feedback! 🙂 Happy to hear these worked so well for you in a vegan version too!
Hi, I just finished baking these cookies – for a friend who is attending a “friendsmas” tomorrow. My friend loves chocolate and peppermint and I offered to bake something for her to bring to the gathering.
The recipe process was spot-on. While I was crushing the peppermint candy, I ended up with a good amount of peppermint candy “powder”, so I added it to the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to use for the final rolling. The dough got rather stiff before I added the crushed peppermint candy (it’s winter, the house is 60 degrees, and the chocolate cooled rather quickly). I used a sturdier spatula to fold in the peppermint candy and all was good.
The cookies baked within the recommended time, I allowed to cool on the baking pan before transferring to the cooling rack.
Yes, I just had to try one and may I say – OUTSTANDING!!! Chocolatey and minty, fudgy center, crunchy peppermint candy and the sugary (and minty, in my case) coating. A perfect combination of flavors and texture.
Thank you for this recipe – will part of my baking “repertoire” in the future.
I have also baked your Red Velvet Crinkle recipe many times – everyone loves them.
Thank you so much, Lan! I really appreciate your feedback and adding some peppermint to the coating is brilliant. Can’t wait to try that next time myself! 🙂 Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
Hello again! What a lovely recipe, was wondering if I really have to roll the dough it into balls before freezing them of up to 2mos? Can I just transfer the unballed dough into a parchment paper then a freezer food grade container then ball them when I need to bake them again? Thanks!
Thank you so much! I would absolutely roll the dough before freezing because the dough consistency is much easier to work with when it’s freshly made. Rolling the cookies before freezing also makes future baking a breeze because you won’t have scoop anything later. 🙂 Hope that helps!