Chocolate Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crushed peppermint candy gives these Chocolate Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cookies an extra festive look. 

If you need a cookie recipe for Christmas gifts, make these chocolate and peppermint cookies. You'll get a yield of about 45 cookies, and they will last up to 10 days at room temperature and at least 30 days in the freezer. 

Peppermint Stick Cookies

These peppermint stick cookies are fun to make, fun to eat, and so Christmasy. 

These peppermint stick cookies begin with a vanilla butter cookie. It's drizzled with melted chocolate and then sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies. 

Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Pound Cake

This chocolate peppermint swirl pound cake takes regular pound cake and dresses it up for the holidays!

This peppermint pound cake is so, well, pepperminty! The chocolate batter includes peppermint extract, and the vanilla batter includes crushed peppermint candy.

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

These Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies are totally fun to make, and they are so "pepperminty!"

These peppermint candy cane cookies are flavored with both peppermint and vanilla extracts, which give them a wonderful flavor and aroma.

Chocolate Mint Sandwiches

These chocolate mint sandwiches are super crispy (but still tender) and super chocolaty. The cookies themselves are similar to chocolate wafers (only way better), and would make an excellent chocolate wafer crust (if you want to take it to the next level)

The filling is made from melted white chocolate spiked with a little peppermint oil. As a result, the filling hardens pretty quickly, just like a chocolate bar, so there's no moisture to soften the cookies themselves. The cookies will last up to two weeks in a sealed container, which makes them perfect for make-ahead gifts. They can even be frozen for up to two months.

Peppermint White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

This shortbread peppermint cookie is perfect for Christmas. While the ones I made here are simple rounds, you can roll out the dough and make it into any shape you like.

These cookies are flavored with white chocolate incorporated into the dough. Then they are brushed with a white chocolate glaze and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy. I think I need to do a better job of crushing the candy. Either way, they are tasty.

Peppermint White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Recipe adapted from Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers

Ingredients

2 ounces chopped white chocolate

1/2 C all purpose flour

1 T plus 1 tsp cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

3 1/2 T softened unsalted butter

3 T confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp shortening

1/4 C crushed peppermint candies

Instructions

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Microwave 1 ounce of the white chocolate for about a minute to melt. Stir and set aside. 
3. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, and nutmeg together in a bowl. 
4. In a small deep bowl, add the butter, sugar, and vanilla, and mix with a hand mixer until whipped. Add the melted white chocolate.
5. Add the flour and mix on low speed until blended.
6. Turn the dough out onto a piece of waxed or plastic paper and pull it together. Roll it into a log and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
7. Slice the log into 1/2 inch pieces and place them onto the baking sheet. 
8. Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes.
9. Microwave the rest of the chocolate, add the shortening, and paint one side of each cookie with chocolate. Sprinkle with the candies. 
10. Cool and enjoy!