These Peppermint Mocha Cookies are rich, chewy and chocolatey with a hint of coffee and are topped with a nice crunch of crushed peppermint candy. They’re perfect for the holiday season and are sure to disappear at a cookie exchange! Best of all, they’re super easy to make!
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There’s just something magical in the air as we approach Christmas, and for me, it’s all about experimenting in the kitchen and trying out new fun recipes.
My sugar cone Christmas trees, Christmas donuts, and these homemade chocolate reindeer cupcakes have been huge hits! But I really wanted to try something simpler and effortless. And that’s when I made these cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Peppermint Mocha Cookies Recipe
- Fudgy and delicious: The cookies have a rich, soft and fudgy texture similar to a brownie, but so much better.
- Easy to make: The recipe is simple and straightforward, and you won’t need any fancy ingredients too.
- Festive: The rich chocolatey cookies are sure to stand out at your holiday parties and get-togethers. Top them with some crushed candy cane and they’ll be next level delicious!
Ingredients
- Butter: I used unsalted butter here. Salted butter works just as well for this recipe.
- Eggs: To make the cookies nice and moist, and also to lend them a bit of structure.
- Sugar: I used a mix of brown and white sugar here. You can make do with using just white sugar too, if that’s what you prefer.
- Flour: Just your classic all purpose flour.
- Baking powder: To help the cookies rise.
- Vanilla: To lend that beautiful sweet aroma to the cookies.
- Instant coffee: For that nice kick of mocha flavor.
- Unsweetened chocolate: For that rich, chocolate flavor. You could also use chocolate chips if you want to.
- Candy cane: Crushed candy cane will be the topping for these holiday cookies, and will lend that nice bit of peppermint flavor and texture too.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Coffee-licious: I used instant coffee powder here, but if you want the cookies to have that a powerful hint of coffee flavor, use espresso powder.
- Gluten-free: To make gluten-free peppermint mocha cookies, swap the all purpose flour in the recipe for any gluten-free flour of your choice.
- Make it minty: Want the cookies to have some extra minty flavor? Add a bit of peppermint extract into the mix. Just remember that it can be quite powerful, so a little goes a long way.
How to Make Peppermint Mocha Cookies
To make the chocolate mocha cookies, you’ll need to make the cookie dough 2 hours in advance, ideally overnight. Then, when you’re ready to bake them, preheat your oven at 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: Cream the butter. Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
Step 2: Add the eggs. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to whisk. Add the vanilla and mix again.
Step 3: Make chocolate and coffee mixture. Microwave the chocolate in a bowl in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until it is melted. Stir in the coffee granules and allow it to cool down.
Step 4: Mix it. Add the chocolate and coffee mixture to the butter and egg mixture and give it a quick mix.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and use a spatula to mix everything until you have a uniform consistency.
Step 6: Shape the cookies. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for 2-12 hours. Scoop out the dough and roll it into balls. Roll these balls in granulated sugar to fully coat the outside.
Step 7: Time to bake. Transfer the coated balls to your prepared baking sheet. Pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies look puffed up.
Step 8: Remove, cool, and serve. Remove the cookies from the oven and add the crushed peppermint candy to the top of the cookies while the cookies are hot. Allow them to cool down on the pan for about 2 minutes. Then, transfer them to a rack and let them cool down completely before you serve!
⭐ Hint: Chill the Dough!
For the best flavor, texture, and shape, you need to chill the dough. Two hours will work, but I find it easier to make the cookies ahead of time and let them rest overnight.
If you love the flavors of peppermint and chocolate, then you've got to try these Peppermint Oreos!
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store your leftover mocha peppermint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Freezing: You can freeze unbaked cookies too, if you want to! Freeze the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet until they’re solid and then pop them in a freezer safe bag or container before you freeze them. They should stay fresh for up to 2 months. Pull them out when you're ready to bake them and pop them right in the oven. They may require a slightly longer baking time since they are frozen.
Serving Suggestions
These chocolate mocha peppermint cookies are my absolute favorite to have during the holidays! Add them to a holiday cookie box, party dessert tray, or simply to snack on in front of the fire.
They’re the perfect sweet treat to nibble on after a day of indulging in a hearty meal of classic Christmas favorites like oven roasted turkey, some honey roasted chicken thighs, and a nice smoked green bean casserole.
You can also pair it with some other Christmas-inspired sweet treats like Christmas funfetti bread and Christmas marshmallows.
Recipe Tips
- Let it rest: Letting the cookies rest for a while is another important step. Once they’re out of the oven, allow them to cool down and cook in the residual heat to get that perfect chewy texture.
- Start right: The key to baking cookies with the perfect texture and flavor is to start with room temperature eggs and softened butter. This makes sure the ingredients are incorporated perfectly, and you have a smooth, consistent batter.
- Don’t overmix: Avoid overmixing the cookie dough, especially when you combine the flour and the egg mixtures. Doing this will cause the cookies to become dense and hard.
- Chill matters: As much as you’re tempted to, don’t skip chilling the cookie dough. Chilling helps the fat solidify, and the cookies won’t end up spreading too much or turning flat when they are baked.
Recipe FAQs
Adding too much flour or overbaking the cookies can cause them to become hard and dry. Make sure you measure the flour correctly, and bake the cookies until they’re crisping up on the sides, but still look a tad bit undercooked in the middle.
You absolutely can once they're fully cooled! I would recommend using any store-bought frosting of your choice, and if you have a few extra minutes, definitely try making the frosting I used for my tiramisu cookies.
Video
More Delicious Peppermint Recipes
Do you like peppermint? Here are some other recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Peppermint Mocha Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature, or ½ c room temperature shortening (not Crisco)
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounce unsweetened chocolate baking squares 8 individual rectangles
- 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules crushed to fine powder with back of spoon
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspooon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar for coating
- 1 6-inch candy cane or 2 - 3" canes or 2 hard peppermint candies (such as Russell Stover), crushed optional
Instructions
- Beat together the butter and and the sugars until sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes).
- Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and blend. Batter will be a light caramel color.
- Heat chocolate in 15-20 second bursts in microwave until very soft. Stir in between each interval, Do not overheat.
- Add the powdered coffee granules to melted chocolate and stir until smooth and dissolved. Allow to cool and then add to butter mixture.
- Stir in the dry ingredients and the crushed peppermint pieces to butter mixture.
- Chill dough for 2 hours to overnight.
- Roll into 1 ¼" balls. Roll each ball in the ⅓ cup sugar.
- Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes.
- When approaching the 10-minute mark the cookies will puff up. They then will deflate and develop a bumpy or pebbly appearance on top. Do not over-bake.
- Remove pan from oven and add crushed peppermint candy to the top. Allow cookies to rest on pan for up to 2 minutes and carefully place on rack to cool. Cookies will be soft and delicate.
Video
Notes
- Let it rest: Letting the cookies rest for a while is another important step. Once they’re out of the oven, allow them to cool down and cook in the residual heat to get that perfect chewy texture.
- Start right: The key to baking cookies with the perfect texture and flavor is to start with room temperature eggs and softened butter. This makes sure the ingredients are incorporated perfectly, and you have a smooth, consistent batter.
- Don’t overmix: Avoid overmixing the cookie dough, especially when you combine the flour and the egg mixtures. Doing this will cause the cookies to become dense and hard.
- Chill matters: As much as you’re tempted to, don’t skip chilling the cookie dough. Chilling helps the fat solidify, and the cookies won’t end up spreading too much or turning flat when they are baked.
Nutrition
This post was originally published December 2016. It has been updated with new images and content.
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