Toss these chewy and festive peppermint bark brownie cookies right into your holiday cookie tins! Imagine fudgy brownie cookies dunked in white chocolate infused with peppermint-it's the ultimate combo for a sweet, minty delight.
The whole family can get in on the fun of making these festive treats. It's like having a fudgy brownie and tasty peppermint bark all in one bite! These cookies fly off the plate at our house, so making an extra batch might be a good idea.
Try our peppermint hot chocolate and cranberry coffee cake recipes next for more Christmas treats!
Table of Contents
Important Ingredient Notes
A complete list of ingredients, measurements, and detailed printable recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
You will need the following ingredients to make these peppermint bark cookies:
- Flour. Be sure to use good-quality all-purpose flour for the best flavor and texture in these cookies.
- Cocoa powder. I love the mellow, toasted chocolate flavor and the deep, rich color that Dutch-processed cocoa powder adds to these cookies. It also tastes incredible in my chocolate chess pie!
- Chocolate. I recommend good-quality semi-sweet chocolate such as Ghirardelli for this recipe. This is also my go-to brand for my pumpkin spice hot chocolate. Roughly chop the chocolate so that it melts well.
- Vanilla and peppermint extract. I always strongly recommend using good-quality extracts when baking for the best flavor. There's nothing worse than cheap or imitation extracts imparting weird or "off" flavor into a whole batch of cookies! Nielsen-Massey is my go-to for top-quality, pure baking extracts.
- Chocolate chips. This is an optional ingredient and whether or not you add them depends on how much of a chocolate lover you are! Semisweet or dark chocolate chips both work great.
Variations and Substitutions
- Feel free to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder such as Hershey's instead of Dutch-processed cocoa.
- Bittersweet or sweet baking chocolate can be substituted for semi-sweet chocolate.
- Add more or less peppermint extract according to how minty you want your cookies to taste. Always add a very small amount at a time as the flavor can be very strong and you can go from delightfully minty to chocolate-flavored toothpaste very quickly!
- Use semi-sweet chocolate for dipping instead of white chocolate for an even richer chocolate flavor.
How To Make This Recipe Step-By Step
Step 1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the salt and set aside.
Step 2. Add the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
Step 3. Beat the egg and sugar mixture for 3 to 5 minutes until light in color and doubled in volume.
Step 4. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate with the butter in the microwave at 20-second intervals until smooth.
Step 5. Swap the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and mix in the melted chocolate on medium speed (4-5 on a stand mixer) until combined and smooth. Make sure the chocolate is not hot before adding it to the eggs.
Step 6. Mix in the flour mixture until no more streaks of dry flour are visible, scraping down the bowl as needed. If using, mix in the chocolate chips.
Step 7. Scoop out 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Step 8. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. The centers will not look done when the cookies are removed from the oven. This is exactly what you want! The cookies will firm up as they cool.
Step 9. Melt the white chocolate and shortening in the microwave until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
Step 10. Dip the cooled cookies into the melted white chocolate halfway then sprinkle the crushed peppermint over top. Place the cookies on a flat surface to set.
Recipe FAQs
Peppermint bark is a variation of chocolate bark, made with white and dark or semi-sweet chocolate and chopped candy canes.
You either added too much flour or overbaked your cookies. The cookies should look slightly underbaked when removed from the oven.
Pro Tips for the Best Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Measure your flour properly! Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Adding too much flour can result in dense, dry cookies versus fudgy, chewy cookies.
- Beat the eggs and sugars long enough. The egg and sugar mixture should be light in color and doubled in size before the chocolate is added. This ensures your cookies have that signature crackly top!
- Do not overbake the cookies. For a fudgy, chewy center, only bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. The centers will not look done when you take them out of the oven-that is what you want! The cookies will continue to set as they cool. This same rule applies to many of my other desserts, including these maple pecan blondies.
- Do not let the white chocolate coating set before adding the crushed peppermint. Doing so means the peppermint pieces will not stick to the cookies. I recommend dipping one cookie at a time and immediately sprinkling the peppermint pieces on each cookie.
More Cookie Recipes You Will Love!
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📖 Recipe
Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie Cookies
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder - or regular unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate - roughly chopped
- ¼ cup butter - softened and cubed
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar - or light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - optional
White Chocolate Coating
- 8 ounces white chocolate - chopped bar or chips
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ cup crushed peppermint or candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the salt and set aside.
- Add the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg and sugar mixture for 3 to 5 minutes until light in color and doubled in volume.
- Meanwhile, melt the semi-sweet chocolate with the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl at 20-second intervals until smooth.
- Swap the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture on medium speed (4-5 on a stand mixer) until combined and smooth. Make sure the chocolate is not hot before adding it to the eggs.
- Mix in the flour mixture on medium speed until no more streaks of dry flour are visible, scraping down the bowl as needed to ensure everything gets incorporated. If using, mix in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop out 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies in batches for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops are crackly. The centers will not look done when the cookies are removed from the oven. This is exactly what you want! The cookies will firm up as they cool.
- Melt the white chocolate and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl at 20-second intervals in the microwave until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
- Dip the cooled cookies into the melted white chocolate halfway then sprinkle the crushed peppermint over top. Dip and sprinkle peppermint over one cookie at a time so the peppermint sticks to the white chocolate. Place the cookies on a flat surface to set. Transfer the cookies to the refrigerator to set quickly.
Notes
- Measure your flour properly! Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Adding too much flour can result in dense, dry cookies versus fudgy, chewy cookies.
- Beat the eggs and sugars long enough. The egg and sugar mixture should be light in color and doubled in size before the chocolate is added. This ensures your cookies have that signature crackly top!
- Do not overbake the cookies. For a fudgy, chewy center, only bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. The centers will not look done when you take them out of the oven-that is what you want! The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
- Do not let the white chocolate coating set before adding the crushed peppermint. Doing so means the peppermint pieces will not stick to the cookies. I recommend dipping one cookie at a time and immediately sprinkling the peppermint pieces on each cookie.
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