Description
These delicious Peppermint Bark Cookies combine rich cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips with a festive hint of crushed peppermint candies, perfect for holiday celebrations. Soft and chewy with a delightful peppermint crunch, they bring a refreshing twist to classic chocolate cookies.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- a pinch of salt
Add-ins
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to ensure easy cleanup and prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth and homogenous.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt to evenly distribute all the dry ingredients.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips and Peppermint: Carefully fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies, spreading them evenly throughout the dough.
- Portion Dough: Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers remain soft and chewy.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
- Optional Decoration: For an extra festive touch, melt additional chocolate and drizzle it over the cooled cookies, then sprinkle with more crushed peppermint candies if desired.
Notes
- Do not overmix the dough once the dry ingredients are added to maintain a tender texture.
- Crushing peppermint candies finely will help distribute the peppermint flavor evenly and prevent large candy pieces from breaking teeth.
- You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- For a stronger peppermint flavor, consider adding a few drops of peppermint extract along with the vanilla.
- These cookies freeze well; freeze the baked cookies or dough balls for later baking.
