Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cookies are intensely chocolate-y cookies with crinkled edges and gooey centers, and a texture that’s richer and fudgier than the most decadent brownies you’ve ever had.
The peppermint extract in the batter and the crushed peppermint on top amp up the Christmas spirit in these cookies, but you can omit the peppermint if you want to make these more versatile to serve at other times of the year. John doesn’t like peppermint (crazy – right?) so even when I make these at Christmas, I make half the batch with and half without peppermint. I wait until after I’ve scooped out and baked half the cookies before stirring the peppermint extract into the remaining batter. That’s not the ideal time to add it, but it doesn’t seem to do any harm, and John loves these cookies in their plain, un-minted fudginess.
Step one is to melt the butter together with most of the chocolate, until it’s silky smooth. I rarely advocate using chocolate chips for the melted chocolate in baking – I usually prefer chopped chocolate from a bar – but in this recipe they work fine, and using chips saves a lot of chopping. The remainder of the chips get stirred in after the batter is mixed, so they make pockets of melted chocolate in the finished cookies.
For the peppermint garnish on the tops of the cookies, candy canes are best. I’ve tried using round peppermint candies, but they’re harder than candy canes and don’t crush as easily. You want very small shards of peppermint – practically dust – to sprinkle on top of the cookies. Large shards are too hard and crunchy, and too much of a contrast to the soft texture of the cookies.
To make the peppermint dust, put a candy cane (still in its wrapper) on your work surface and tap it a few times with a rolling pin until it shatters. Open the wrapper and dump the peppermint dust into a cup. During the last minute of baking the cookies, sprinkle the tops sparingly with the peppermint candy and it will melt just slightly to adhere to the cookies.
Making these ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cookies will keep for about 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container before they begin to dry out just slightly, and they’ll still be enjoyable for a couple of days beyond that.
- Because these cookies are so soft, and the surface of the cookie has a thin, brownie-like skin, they won’t look as pretty and glossy after they’ve been frozen and thawed, but they’ll still taste good. To freeze, arrange the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them until firm before packing them carefully in a zip-lock freezer bag or freezer container.
Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably European-style)
- 18 ounces (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon strong, hot brewed coffee - or hot water
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¾ cup (3 1/8 ounces, 90 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Peppermint hard candies or candy canes for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Place the butter, half of the chocolate chips, and all of the unsweetened chocolate in a microwave safe bowl (or the top of a double boiler) and heat it gently until melted. If using the microwave, heat on 50% power for 3 minutes, then stir, then heat for 2 more minutes or until all but the largest bits of chocolate are melted, then stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Step 2 Stir the hot coffee into the chocolate mixture, then set it aside.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and peppermint extracts until the mixture is thickened and light, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the chocolate mixture, stirring with the mixer on low speed or with a rubber spatula.
- Step 4 In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk. Fold the dry ingredients into the batter, then fold in the remaining chocolate chips.
- Step 5 Chill the batter for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you’re going to garnish the cookies with peppermint candy, shatter the candy: Place a candy, in its wrapper, on your work surface and gently whack it with a rolling pin, 2 or 3 times. Open the wrapper and dump the shards of candy into a small bowl. Repeat until you have about 1/3 cup of candy dust and small pieces.
- Step 6 Once it’s finished chilling, drop the dough by heaping tablespoon-fulls onto the parchment-lined sheets. Put one sheet of the cookies in the oven on the center rack, and bake for 8 to 9 minutes. When the cookies are almost done, with edges that are firm and crinkly but centers that still look slightly wet, sprinkle the top of each cookie with some of the peppermint dust. Bake 1 to 2 minutes more, until the tops look just set but not dry.
- Step 7 Slide the parchment paper off the sheet and onto a cooling rack with the cookies on it, and let them cool on the parchment on the rack while you bake the second batch. Set the hot baking sheet aside on another rack to cool. Just before the next batch comes out of the oven, gently move the cookies off the parchment onto the rack, put the parchment back on the bare sheet, and drop the next batch of cookies onto it. Repeat until all the cookies are baked.
