These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are delightfully chunky cookies loaded with two different kinds of peppermint candy and chocolate chips! The soft cookie base is the perfect vehicle for the festive add-ins, providing a festive twist to a classic cookie recipe. Make a batch for your cookie tray or Christmas party today!
Welcome back to my favorite time of year, the 🎄12 Days of Christmas Cookies🎄! Today we’re featuring my favorite candy combination—peppermint and dark chocolate! Whether you drink it in hot cocoa form or eat a minty dessert, this combination is a winner during the holiday season!
Every day for 12 days we’ll be posting a new cookie recipe. Some will be specifically Christmas themed and others will be wonderful to make all year long.
Welcome to 2025’s 12 Days of Cookies!
These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are Day 1 of our 12 Days of Cookies!
Be sure to check out all of the other days for more goodies!
Day 1 – You’re on it!
Day 2 – Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Day 3 – Chai Biscotti
Day 4 – Haystacks
Day 5 – Cherry Pie Bars
Day 6 – Cookies and Cream Cookies
Day 7 – Cranberry Orange Cookies
Day 8 – Brown Butter Shortbread
Day 9 – Buckeye Cookies
Day 10 – Ricotta Cookies
Day 11 – Chocolate Pizzelle Recipe
Day 12 – Christmas Cookie Cups
SAVE THIS RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP PEPPERMINT COOKIES TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
This recipe uses Andes peppermint baking chips, which can sometimes be hard to find. If you can’t find them at your local grocery store, you can order them online or check less-traveled stores. I found mine once at Fleet Farm, of all places!
You can also chop up a box of Andes Peppermint Crunch Thins for a very similar add-in.
Ingredients for Peppermint Cookies
If you’re doing a bunch of holiday baking, you probably already have all or most of these simple ingredients on hand. Here’s what you need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Granulated white sugar
- Cream cheese (room temperature)
- Unsalted butter, melted (omit the salt if using salted butter!)
- Vegetable oil
- Large egg
- Milk
- Pure vanilla extract
Mix-ins and Garnish
- Crushed candy canes
- Andes Peppermint Baking Chips (see note above)
- Dark chocolate chips (or you can use semisweet if you prefer)
How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prepare: First, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet or sheets with a sheet of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add the melted butter, vegetable oil, egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. The batter should be smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. Add the dark chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, and peppermint chips, then mix completely.
- Using a #60 cookie scoop or a tablespoon, place scoops of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet(s) about an inch apart. They will spread slightly, but not too much.
- In a resealable sandwich bag, place the 3 candy canes you’ll be using for garnish and roughly break them with the butt end of a knife or a rolling pin. You want larger broken pieces, not the finer bits that went into the cookies.
- Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes or until just slightly golden brown. When you remove them from the oven, place a few of the larger chopped candy cane pieces and additional dark chocolate chips on the tops of each cookie, if desired.
- Then, to form neater and more rounded edges on the cookies, place the opening of a glass, the top of a small bowl, or a biscuit cutter around the warm cookie. Then move it in a circular motion for a few seconds, moving the cookie around inside.
- Allow the cookies to cool on baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
FAQs
How do I store these Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, they freeze very well! You can store them in a freezer bag or another airtight container for up to 3 months (though I think they taste the best within a month.) Let thaw on the counter for a few hours before serving.
Can I make Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies ahead of time?
Yes, you can! The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours, tightly covered. Or you can freeze the dough and bake as needed!
To freeze the dough: Make the recipe as directed and scoop onto a baking sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30-45 minutes to harden, then transfer the cookie dough balls into a freezer bag or other container. When you’re ready to bake, take out as many as needed and bake the cookies from the frozen dough. You will probably need an extra 2-3 minutes, but there is no need to thaw them first.
More Peppermint Desserts
If you love peppermint and chocolate like I do, then these recipes are right up your alley! Try one of these next time:
- Peppermint Cheesecake Bars with a delicious chocolate cookie crust!
- Peppermint Brownie Pie: fudgy brownies with just the right amount of peppermint.
- Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti– these crunchy Italian cookies are perfect for dunking in hot cocoa or coffee.
- Peppermint Bark Cookies– these cookies are a great way to use up any of that peppermint bark you were gifted, or you can make your own!
- Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie– a creamy chocolate and peppermint filling topped with fresh whipped cream and garnished with peppermint candy!
- No Bake Peppermint Dream Dessert – this no bake dessert has a cookie crust, peppermint cheesecake layer, Andes Peppermint Baking Chips, white chocolate or cheesecake pudding layer, and whipped topping!
What’s your favorite holiday flavor combination? Let me know in the comments. And, if you liked this Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, leave me a review or comment below!
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Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips Can use semi-sweet
- ¼ cup crushed candy canes
- ¾ cup Andes Peppermint Baking Chips Or you can chop (1) 4.67 ounce box Andes Peppermint Crunch Thins
- additional dark chocolate chips for garnish
- 3 candy canes, roughly chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet or sheets with a sheet of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add the melted butter, vegetable oil, egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Batter should be smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined. Add the 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/4 cup crushed candy canes, and 3/4 cup Andes Peppermint Baking Chips and mix completely.
- Using a #60 cookie scoop or tablespoon, place scoops of dough onto prepared cookie sheet(s) about an inch apart. They will spread slightly, but not too much.
- In a resealable sandwich bag, place the 3 candy canes you'll be using for garnish and roughly break with the butt end of a knife or a rolling pin. You want larger broken pieces, not the finer bits that went into the cookies.
- Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes or until just slightly golden. Upon removing from the oven, place a few of the larger chopped candy cane pieces and additional dark chocolate chips on tops of each cookie, if desired. Then, to form neater and more rounded edges on the cookies, use the opening of a glass, top of a small bowl or biscuit cutter to gentle circle around the cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Comments & Reviews
Awful recipe! They flatten completely out and couldn’t barely get them off the parchment paper. Followed recipe exactly
Waste of time!
Jen, I’m so sorry to hear that. I know how frustrating it is when you are looking forward to making a recipe and it doesn’t work.
Please know that I wouldn’t have posted a recipe I hadn’t tested and didn’t think would work. The last thing I want is for this to happen!
You said that you followed the recipe exactly, so it could have been certain things that caused them to flatten or a combination of things. When cookies do flatten it can be that the flour was just scooped with a measuring cup instead of being added to the measuring cup with a spoon and then leveled off with a knife; a different flour other than all-purpose flour could have been used: the baking powder and baking soda may have been expired; the dough could have been over mixed causing gluten to develop; the oven temperature could be off. Could it be that any one of these may have been the cause?