There’s a lot of reasons I could never be a professional food blogger. I think the most prevalent one is that I’m finally posting these Christmas cookies in mid-January. BUT, I think these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are still seasonal enough. 
I made them for a Christmas party at work in mid-December, based off of a recipe Molly posted on here a while back (that I still often think of often, despite eating them 5 years ago). I adapted the Vanilla Frosted sugar cookies to be chocolate by adding cocoa powder, and made the frosting peppermint. I swapped crushed candy canes for sprinkles, and voila!
These were really incredible, and I’m definitely planning to add them to the annual rotation. It’s an amped-up cookie recipe, with a few special ingredients. But they’re worth it – the milk powder gave it an almost hot-chocolate-y taste, and I have no doubt the corn syrup helped.
Every year I try to make at least one new type of cookie to mix into the rotation of classics that my family makes every year. And occasionally those new cookies make it into the rotation for a while. We had a chocolate-peppermint-crinkle-kiss cookie going for a while, but now I’m thinking these will take their place. In the past few years, I’ve come to appreciate even more the traditions that stay the same, and the traditions that can adapt. My family is one that takes our traditions very seriously, but it’s always fun to add a new one!
So without further ado, here’s the recipe, only a month and a half late. Only 11 more months til I make them again!
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PinIngredients
For the Chocolate Cookies:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp glucose or corn syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2/3 cups milk powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the Peppermint Frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Topping:
- Crushed candy canes, or festive sprinkles
Instructions
Make the sugar cookies:
- Combine the butter, sugar and glucose in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides, add in the eggs and vanilla and beat for 7-8 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the flour, cocoa powder, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together – no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Using a 2 3/4 oz. ice cream scoop (1/3 cup measure) portion out the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet – you should get 15-20 large balls of dough. Pat the tops of the cookie balls flat – wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week. Do not bake the cookies from room temp – they will not bake properly!
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the chilled dough at least 4 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes – the cookies will puff, crackle and spread. The cookies should look lightly browned on the edges (golden brown on the bottom) – the centers will show just the beginning signs of color. If they haven’t reached that color yet, leave them in a for an extra minute or two. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before frosting.
Make the frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft, about 1 minute.
- Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, the salt, and peppermint extract. Beat on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated.
- Add another 2 cups sugar and the cream. Add remaining 2 cups of sugar as needed to thicken the frosting. Beat on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Frost cookies generously. Fill a bowl with crushed candy canes or sprinkles. Place cookies frosting side down into bowl of sprinkles and press firmly to coat.