These Peppermint Cocoa Cookies are deeply chocolatey, chocolate cookies dipped in melted white chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint. They are rich and flavorful, just like a warm cup of hot cocoa.
With a simple drizzle of white chocolate on top and red and white crushed peppermints, these cookies are festive and perfect for Christmas cookie exchanges or holiday parties. They’re easy to throw together and do not require any chilling in the fridge.
When we make hot cocoa at home, we use a mix of melted bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. Just like hot chocolate, these cookies are made with melted high-quality chocolate and cocoa powder.
If you prefer mint chocolate rather than peppermint, try these Chocolate Mint Cookies.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Peppermint Cocoa Cookies.
- Butter: Softened to room temperature. I use salted butter.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: Adds just the right amount of sweetness, moisture, and flavor.
- Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible.
- Bittersweet Chocolate: Use high-quality bittersweet chocolate such as Ghirardelli or Guittard. This chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is used instead of flour in this flourless recipe (just like in this Simple Flourless Chocolate Cake). Use a high-quality cocoa powder if possible, such as Ghirardelli.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: For leavening.
- Salt: To bring out and balance flavor.
- Chocolate Chips (optional): Toss in an additional 1 cup chocolate chips if desired. Use bittersweet, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate chips.
- White Chocolate Chips: Use high-quality white chocolate chips such as Ghirardelli. It tastes very different than lower-quality white chocolate, and it also melts much easier.
- Peppermints: I recommend using soft peppermint candies rather than hard peppermint candies. Soft peppermints are much easier to eat, especially when sprinkled on a cookie, than hard peppermints, but either works.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Peppermint Cocoa Cookies
Below are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Peppermint Cocoa Cookies.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 1. Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
Step 2. Eggs: Add the eggs and combine.
Step 3. Melt the Chocolate: Add the bittersweet chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir, then continue to add 30 seconds at 50% power, stirring in between until melted. Allow the chocolate to cool, then add the melted chocolate to the bowl and combine.
Step 4. Salt, Baking Powder, and Baking Soda: Add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and combine.
Step 5. Cocoa Powder: Add the cocoa powder and combine.
Step 6. Chocolate Chips (optional): Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. You can use bittersweet chocolate chips that you may already have on hand, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate.
Step 7. Bake: Scoop roughly 2 tablespoons worth of batter per cookie on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 9 minutes.
Let the cookies cool briefly, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool fully.
Tip: If you want perfectly round cookies, roll the dough between the palms of your hands before placing it on the baking sheet and baking. I tend to not mind the more imperfect looking cookies, but either way works.
Step 8. Decorate with White Chocolate and Crushed Peppermint: Add a handful of peppermints to a quart sized bag and crush with a meat hammer or rolling pin.
Tip: I prefer to crush the peppermints so that the pieces are fairly small, rather than larger chunks.
Just like with the bittersweet chocolate, melt the white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave at 50% power stirring in between starting at 1 minute and reducing to 30 seconds until melted.
Dip the cookies in the melted white chocolate. You may need to use a spoon to help scoop the white chocolate onto the cookies.
Tip: If the white chocolate is too thick and difficult to work with you can add a splash of heavy cream or milk to thin it out.
Immediately sprinkle with the crushed peppermint so that it sticks to the white chocolate before it hardens.
Let the white chocolate cool fully before storing or stacking.
❄️ Storage and Make Ahead Tips
- To Store: Once the white chocolate has fully cooled and hardened, store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Make Ahead or Freeze: To make the cookies ahead, make the dough, roll into balls, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months before baking. The fully baked and decorated cookies can also be frozen after they have fully cooled.
- When Freezing the Dough: Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, or for 20-30 minutes at room temperature, then bake. Or bake directly from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
💖 For More Holiday Cookies You May Love
If you tried this Peppermint Cocoa Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Peppermint Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips high quality such as Ghirardelli
- 1 cup cocoa powder also high quality, such as Ghirardelli
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, bittersweet or semi-sweet optional
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 handful soft peppermints, crushed
Instructions
Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and combine.
- In a microwave safe medium bowl, add 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave by microwaving at 50% power for 1 minute, then stir. Continue to add 30 seconds at 50% power, stirring in between until melted. Let rest until the chocolate has cooled, but is still melted.
- Add the melted chocolate to the cookie batter and combine.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and combine. Add the cocoa powder and combine.
- Optional: Add 1 cup of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter and stir to combine (these additional chocolate chips are optional).
- Add about 2 tablespoons worth of dough per cookie to a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove and allow to cool fully.
Crushed Peppermints and Melted White Chocolate
- Meanwhile, add a handful of unwrapped peppermints to a quart sized freezer bag and use a rolling pin or meat hammer to crush the peppermints. I prefer the look of the finely crushed peppermint, rather than larger chunks, but either works.
- Melt the white chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave. Heat for 1 minute at 50% power and stir, then add 30 seconds at 50% power, stirring in between until the chocolate has melted.
- Dip the fully cooled chocolate cookies in the melted white chocolate, and place on a sheet of wax paper. Immediately sprinkle the white chocolate with crushed peppermint so that it sticks while the white chocolate is still warm. Allow to cool fully before storing or stacking.
Notes
- High Quality Chocolate: Use high-quality bittersweet and white chocolate chips such as Ghirardelli. They'll taste better and melt easier.
- If using the microwave, rather than a double boiler, be sure to heat the chocolate at max 50% power to avoid scorching the chocolate.
- If the white chocolate is too thick and difficult to work with once melted, you can add a splash of heavy cream or milk to thin it out.
- Additional Chocolate Chips: You can add an additional 1 cup of chocolate chips to the cookie dough, but this is not necessary. Choose any type of chocolate chips from bittersweet (used earlier in the recipe), semi-sweet, or milk chocolate, depending on what you have on hand.
- Peppermints: I recommend using soft peppermint candies rather than hard peppermint candies. Soft peppermints are much easier to eat, especially when sprinkled on a cookie, compared with hard peppermints, but either works.
- I prefer to crush the peppermints so that the pieces are fairly small, rather than larger chunks.
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