These fudgy one-bowl peppermint brownie cookies are soft, gooey, and topped with crushed peppermint candy. Peppermint extract adds the perfect hint of flavor that pairs well with the extra decadent dough. Not only do these cookies has a beautiful color but they are fun and festive at any holiday gathering! This cookie dough requires just an hour of chill time and cookies turn out perfect each time.
Use these in your holiday cookie box or bring to a cookie exchange! Getting into holiday baking, try these Peppermint Marshmallows or this Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Find all of my Cookie and Dessert Recipes here for more seasonal inspiration!
Highlights Of The Cookie
A Christmas Peppermint Brownie Cookie recipe combines the rich, fudgy texture of brownies with the festive crunch and minty flavor of peppermint, making it the perfect holiday treat. Here are some highlights of what makes this homemade recipe special:
- Fudgy, Rich dough: this chewy cookie has a dense, brownie-like texture, which makes each bite indulgent and soft in the center. Made with melted chocolate and cocoa powder, giving the cookies a deep, rich chocolate flavor.
- Peppermint Flavor: Crushed peppermint candies or candy canes are sprinkled on top, adding a burst of minty flavor and crunch.
- Festive and Colorful: Topping the cookies with extra peppermint or even a drizzle of white chocolate adds a festive, holiday-ready touch. The vibrant red from the crushed candy canes contrasts beautifully with the dark chocolate of the cookie base.
- Easy to Make: this recipe involves mixing in the chocolate mixture, combining wet and dry ingredients, folding in the peppermints, and baking until slightly undercooked for that fudgy texture. No special equipment required!
- Customizable Toppings: drizzle with white chocolate, add crushed peppermint bark, or even a sprinkle of sea salt for a sweet-salty contrast. These cookies make a great addition to any holiday cookie tray or cookie exchange.
These cookies can be made smaller or larger depending on preference, they add the perfect contrast to treats bags, holiday dessert trays, or cookie boxes! I top my cookies with crushed peppermint candies or candy canes, but you can get creative with toppings like Andes mints, peppermint patties, or chopped white chocolate peppermint bark.
These cookies need to chill for an hour before baking so they set up and do not spread into each other. The cookie dough has more of a brownie like consistency that is hard to scoop without chilling. Make sure to account for the hour of chill time before beginning!
Key Ingredients
These cookies use simple ingredients, see below for ingredient substitutes if there are any as well as special notes and suggestions:
- Unsalted Butter: if using salted butter, omit adding more salt later in the recipe. Do not substitute margarine or oil.
- Chocolate chips: any kind of chocolate chips will work, semi-sweet, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips. Chopped chocolate bars work great as well.
- Granulated white sugar: I do not recommend swapping any other type of sugar for this recipe. Other sugars can impact the dough differently and change how the cookie bakes and rises.
- Brown sugar: make sure to pack your brown sugar. Light or dark brown sugar works.
- Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this cookie. Let your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe, this helps the eggs incorporate better.
- Pure vanilla extract: use homemade or store-bought vanilla extract.
- Peppermint extract: this can be found in most baking aisles, a little goes a long way.
- Baking soda: do not substitute baking powder and make sure your baking soda is fresh and not expired, after a couple months it will start to lose it’s potency.
- All-purpose flour: no substitution here, other types of flour will change the texture and affect baking differently
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: make sure to use unsweetened cocoa, this adds rich chocolate flavor and gives the cookies a dark color.
- Peppermints: candy canes, peppermint candies, or pre-crushed peppermints will all work here.
How to Make The Peppermint Cookies
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Fudgy One-Bowl Peppermint Brownie Cookies (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Melt together chocolate chips and butter.
- In a bowl combine eggs, sugars, and extracts. Add in melted chocolate.
- Mix in dry ingredients.
- Chill, scoop, and bake. Top with crushed peppermints and enjoy.
- In a small saucepan combine the butter and chocolate chips. Heat over medium heat until melted, stirring frequently. Once melted remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the eggs, sugars, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, whisk well to combine. Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, stir constantly until combined so the eggs do not curdle.
- Sift in the flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder, mix until fully incorporated. Cover and chill for 60 minutes, the dough should set up.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a portion scoop, scoop 1 oz. scoops of dough out onto the prepared cookie sheet. Spread about 3 inches apart so cookies don’t bake into each other.
- Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with crushed peppermints, the cookies will be very soft and gooey when they come out of the oven. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.*
- Enjoy while warm or keep in an airtight container for 4-5 days!
Recipe Variations
- Fold in a chopped chocolate bar or chocolate chips.
- Use different colored peppermints or candy canes for topping.
- Fold in chopped peppermints before baking.
- Make cookies into ice cream sandwiches, with vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
- Top with chopped peppermint bark, Andes mints, or melted white chocolate.
You Can Freeze This Cookie Dough
Simply make the cookie dough according to the recipe, scoop even sized amounts of dough onto a sheet pan and place in the freezer until hard. Transfer the cookie dough to an airtight container or freezer bag labeled with the date, type of cookie, and baking instructions (or reference back to this post for baking directions!). Keep in your freezer stash for 3-4 months. Remove desired cookie dough when needed, thaw, bake, and enjoy! You may even want to make a double batch!
More Cookie Recipes
If you liked these chewy cookies, you’ll love these other easy cookie and cookie bar recipes – perfect for the sweets lover in your life!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies – the best combo of chocolate and peanut butter, these bars are loaded with chopped and whole Reese’s peanut butter cups!
- Nutella Oatmeal Cookie – soft, chewy, and loaded with gooey Nutella.
- Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars – if you’re a oatmeal raisin fan, you’ll love these! Oatmeal raisin cookie dough with the perfect hint of cinnamon, topped with a crunchy streusel.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Blondies – chewy cookie bars studded with oats, chocolate chips, and the perfect amount of peanut butter.
Tools I Use Recommend
- USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely.
- Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set – I love this set of nesting bowls. I use them for everything, Pyrex glass does not break easily so you can trust on these bowls for years, plus they come in 3 useful sizes and can be stacked!
- Portion Scoops – my go to for getting even sized cookies that bake perfectly each time!
Recipe FAQs
I like rich, dark chocolate chips or a roughly chopped up chocolate bar. But any type of chocolate would work from chocolate chunks, to mini chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate.
Yes, chilling cookie dough allows the fat and chocolate to set up so the cookie doesn’t spread too thin. This dough only needs to chill for an hour, if you do not chill this dough – the cookies could spread into each other.
Leftover cookies can be cooled completely, transferred to a airtight zip top bag or glass container and kept at room temperature for 4-5 days. See above instructions for freezing cookie dough.
Peppermint Brownie Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 12 oz. Semi Sweet or Milk Chocolate chips
- 3 whole Eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tsp Peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/4 cups All purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Crushed peppermints , for topping
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine the butter and chocolate chips. Heat over medium heat until melted, stirring frequently. Once melted remove from the heat and set aside.1/2 cup Unsalted butter, 12 oz. Semi Sweet or Milk Chocolate chips
- In a large bowl combine the eggs, sugars, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, whisk well to combine. Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, stir constantly until combined so the eggs do not curdle.3 whole Eggs, 1/2 cup Brown sugar, 3/4 cup Granulated sugar, 1 tbsp Vanilla extract, 2 tsp Peppermint extract
- Sift in the flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder, mix until fully incorporated. Cover and chill for 60 minutes, the dough should set up.1/2 tsp Baking soda, 1 tsp Salt, 1 1/4 cups All purpose flour, 1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a portion scoop, scoop 1 oz. scoops of dough out onto the prepared cookie sheet. Spread about 3 inches apart*.
- Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with crushed peppermints, the cookies will be very soft and gooey when they come out of the oven. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.*Crushed peppermints
- Enjoy while warm or keep in an airtight container for 4-5 days!
Notes
Nutrition
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Even after chilling the dough, it ran off my cookie sheet while baking! How can I salvage this batter?
Hi Laura , If your cookies spread too much, your flour may have been under-measured or a over-crowded baking sheet may be the issue. You can also chill them for a bit longer which should help them hold their shape more, as the fat has set up for longer. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!