These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with candy cane pieces and are the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit! They are quick and easy to make with no chilling and perfect for taking to a holiday cookie exchange.
If you love all things peppermint, be sure to also try our Peppermint Bark Cheesecake, Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms, and Candy Cane Peppermint Pie next!
There are so many fun and tasty holiday cookies to make that each year I always try at least one or two new-to-me recipes along with some of our tried-and-true favorites. The simple twist of adding broken up bits of candy cane and peppermint extract to a buttery, toffee-flavored chewy chocolate chip cookie dough is a sure-fire way to make it feel like the holidays!
Why this recipe works
- No chilling required! Of course, you are welcome to chill or even freeze the dough and bake these cookies fresh on demand so you always have hot cookies to enjoy whenever friends come by to visit.
- Crispy edges with a chewy soft center are easy to achieve with the right ratios of butter, flour, and sugar.
- There’s no extra effort or mess of rolling out, cutting out, and decorating these cookies like some other traditional Christmas cookies. These are a classic drop cookie which means you can just scoop them onto your baking sheet with a cookie scoop and call it good.
I discovered the recipe for these peppermint chocolate chip cookies on my friend Sandra’s blog, The Foodie Affair, which I was assigned for Freaky Friday. It’s a quarterly blog hop hosted by Michaela from An Affair from the Heart where each of the participating bloggers is secretly assigned another participant’s blog, then you make one of their recipes to share. Last year I made lime meltaways for our holiday blog hop and they are still one of our favorites!
It’s always so fun digging into somebody else’s site and picking something special to make! Sandra is a talented blogger with lots yummy looking recipes to choose from. I’m still planning to make her ricotta cheese cookies this season and her white chocolate peppermint fudge looks right up my alley! And if you are looking for a showstopper holiday dessert, Sandra’s red velvet cheesecake cake looks incredible!
But I knew as soon as I saw her peppermint chocolate chip cookies that they were the ones I couldn’t resist making right away!
Recipe Ingredients
- Peppermint candy canes: For the best crunch factor, don’t crush your candy canes too small or the fine powder will melt right into the cookie dough. You want some larger chunks and bits so that the cookies have a little candy cane crunch.
- Chocolate: Sandra’s recipe calls for semisweet chocolate chips, but this would be so good with milk or white chocolate as well. You could also do a mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, which add to the melty chocolate factor in the best possible way.
How to Make This Recipe
- Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until creamy and light. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract and beat again, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and broken up candy canes. Scoop the cookie dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, then bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350°F oven until set around the edges. I like to underbake slightly for soft, chewier centers.
Recipe FAQ’s
If you can’t find candy canes but want to make these cookies, you can always use starlight mints, which are the round circular red and white mints that are always available in the candy aisle at the grocery store year round.
Recipe Tips
- Keep in mind that if there are candy cane pieces on the edges of the cookies while they bake they might melt on the pan. It’s helpful to move those to the tops of the cookies before baking and be sure to use parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Storage: These cookies keep well on the counter for about 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: If you want to freeze the cookie dough, I like to scoop the cookies into balls first and flash freeze for about an hour before transferring to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for longer term storage. You can bake them straight from frozen just by adding an extra couple of minutes to the bake time. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months.
More Christmas Cookies
- Lime Meltaway Shortbread Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies [aka Russian Tea Cakes]
- Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Nutella Sandwich Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened (227g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (200g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 6 peppermint candy canes crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy and light, about 3-4 minutes.1 cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Add eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Mix well until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl so everything mixes together evenly.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed just until combined.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Stir in chocolate chips and candy cane pieces.2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips, 6 peppermint candy canes
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment paper. You can sprinkle the tops of the cookies with extra candy cane pieces, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F while the cookies chill.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- Keep in mind that if there are candy cane pieces on the edges of the cookies while they bake they might melt on the pan. It’s helpful to move those to the tops of the cookies before baking and be sure to use parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Storage: These cookies keep well on the counter for about 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: If you want to freeze the cookie dough, I like to scoop the cookies into balls first and flash freeze for about an hour before transferring to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for longer term storage. You can bake them straight from frozen just by adding an extra couple of minutes to the bake time. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Take a look at all of our 2021 Freaky Friday Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes:
- An Affair from the Heart – Candy Cane Puppy Chow
- The Carefree Kitchen – Christmas Linzer Cookies
- Devour Dinner – Peppermint Meltaways
- Family Around the Table – Chocolate Overload Cookies
- The Foodie Affair – Easy Pie Crust Cookie Recipes
- Fresh April Flours – Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Fresh Cooky – White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Hostess at Heart – Crumbl Cookie Recipe
- Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Lemoine Family Kitchen – Lemon Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry Jam
- Lemon Blossoms – Cranberry Orange Biscotti
- Life Currents – Chocolate Mint Rugelach
- Life, Love & Good Food – White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Soulfully Made – Polar Bear Paw Cookies
- The Speckled Palate – Saltine Cracker Toffee
- Sue Bee Homemaker – Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Take Two Tapas – Sugar Cookie Truffles
Anyone would be thrilled to find these cookies on a holiday party cookie tray! Delicious!
Amy – these are so perfect!! Two of my favorite things in one! Thank you for sharing your talents and for being a part of our group! I hope that you and your family have an amazing Christmas!
these are the perfect holiday cookies! so adorable, and festive and delicious!!
Thank you, Amy! I’m glad you picked these cookies. They’re always the first to go on a cookie tray and make a great holiday gift for neighbors too! Now I need to make a batch asap!
These cookies look perfect Amy, great texture and the perfect chewy!!!
Bring on the peppermint goodies! These look so wonderful!
I’m such a huge peppermint fan, and these were SO delicious! My family loved them too, and I’ve got a little stash in the freezer for my upcoming parties too. Thanks for sharing these cookies, Amy!
These are Christmas Cookie perfection! Adding these to our weekend baking list!
Chocolate and peppermint are a match made in heaven, especially during the holidays!
Oh my goodness these cookies are so good! I love the peppermint bits and chocolate chip combination! These are perfect to make for santa and kids can help make them too. Thank you Amy!
I really love candy canes baked into a dessert- they get a lovely soft and chewy texture that I really enjoy. Love that it was added to a chocolate chip cookie! SO good!
Oh my gosh, just look at those perfect cookies. Soft, chocolatey centers with crisp edges are my definition of the best cookies.
I couldn’t stop thinking about these once I saw them… and wow, is this an amazing combination of flavors! These are gonna be excellent for Santa and allllll the cookie plates.
These are SO GOOD! The texture was amazing and I loved the crunch!
I mean you can’t get any more delicious or festive for the holidays with chocolate and peppermint! I am making an extra batch for the neighbors! I am going to be the winner at the cookie exchange with these!
These are the perfect Christmas cookies!
I couldn’t resist making these cookies. The chocolate and peppermint are my kind of cookie flavors all combined. YUM
My grandmother loves anything peppermint. She adored these when my mom and I brought some over to here early. We used candy canes because we had a surplus we were gifted. They looked alright but deff tasted delicious! I did this for the December Challenge
I made these with my kids and I followed the directions while adding 1tsp peppermint extract to bump up the candy cane flavor. They were a bit. Chewy and flavorful with a great holiday flavor. The dough seemed dry and I added a few drops of water to bring the 2nd half together. I did chill the dough as recommended and I think that helped. I also had my butter and egg at room temperature. So good!
These cookies were the BEST they were gone so quickly! I love the peppermint flavor and melted chocolate chips. Perfectly crispy outside and soft and gooey inside! Can’t wait to make these again!
Followed this recipe exactly and they came out super dry and flakey not at all the cookie consistency I think they need more butter and or egg. I would suggest looking at other recipes for this.