Of all the seasonal baking flavors, I think the combination of peppermint and chocolate might be my favorite one. It just feels extra Christmassy to me. And it really puts me in the mood for some Holiday fun!
I have lots of peppermint and chocolate desserts here on the blog from years past (check out these super easy brownies and this festive cream roll cake!), but these No-Chill Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are already garnering top ranking in my book. They are deeply chocolatey, thick and chewy. I would describe them as almost brownie-like in taste and texture. And because the cookie dough is no-chill, they are quick and easy to make. And that gets them major bonus point!
The peppermint flavor in these No-Chill Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies comes from a combination of peppermint extract and crushed peppermint candies (I used candy canes). This combination gives these cookies the perfect minty touch! The crushed peppermint candies that go into the batter mostly dissolve upon baking, so I like to add a few more to the top of the finished cookies. This makes the cookies look festive. And it gives them a nice little crunch.
It’s easy to go overboard with the peppermint extract and find yourself in toothpaste territory, which is definitely not where we want to go here. So be sure to measure your extracts properly. I admit that I often just eyeball adding vanilla extract to recipes. But I NEVER mess around with peppermint extract. Get out that teaspoon!
These No-Chill Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies have three types of chocolate: unsweetened cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. These also have a little instant espresso powder, which is one of my favorite ingredients to sneak into chocolate desserts. It doesn’t make these cookies taste like coffee, but it does make the chocolate taste even more chocolatey! It’s a magic pantry staple that’s always nice to have on hand for Holiday baking.
Cheers,
Liz
No-Chill Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups (12 tablespoons) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for decorating
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, plus more for decorating
- 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies, plus more for decorating
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, extracts and espresso powder and beat until well combined. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With your mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients one-third at a time. Beat until combined, stopping to scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies.
- Scoop out tablespoon sized portions of the cookie dough and roll into balls. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheets, leaving about 2-inches between each cookie dough ball.
- Transfer the baking sheets to your pre-heated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes. The cookies will look moist in the center, but the edges should be set.
- Remove the baking sheets from your oven and while the cookies are still warm, gently press in a few extra chocolate chips and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. Allow the cookies to rest on their baking sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooled, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
