Peppermint Bark Cookie (Easy Holiday Cookie Recipe)
Peppermint bark cookies are one of my favorite December traditions — soft, dark-chocolate cookies dipped in creamy white chocolate and showered with crushed peppermint. They’re festive, simple to bake in batches, and ideal for cookie exchanges, co-worker gifts, or a cozy weekend at home. The base is rich and deeply chocolatey, and the peppermint coating gives them that unmistakable holiday sparkle.
Why These Peppermint Bark Cookies are so delicious and perfect this season:
- It tasted like peppermint bark, but in cookie form. Dark cocoa plus cool peppermint is always a classic pairing.
- Perfect for gifting. These cookies stay soft for days and travel well.
- No fussy decorating. Bake, Dip. Sprinkle. Done.
- A great make-ahead option. The dough chills beautifully and the cookies freeze well.
- Ideal for holiday trays and cookie boxes. The crushed peppermint makes them look instantly festive.
Ingredients needed for these cookies:
- all-purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda ( make certain your baking soda is fresh)
- salt
- unsalted butter, softened
- sugar
- light brown sugar
- eggs
- spiced vanilla extract- we love Wild Montana Foods Spiced vanilla extract, You can also use plain vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- peppermint extract
- white chocolate- I used 4- 4 oz packages of Ghirardelli.
- candy canes, crushed
Special equipment needed for this peppermint bark cookie:
- cookie sheets
- parchment paper- This is my favorite brand
- rolling pin or meat tenderizer to crush peppermint
- stand mixer with a paddle attachment
- heat proof glass bowl
- pan to simmer water (optional if you microwave the chocolate to melt it)
- wire rack
How to make these cookies:
- Preheat your oven and prepare your baking sheets.
- Mix your dry ingredients ( flour, salt, baking soda) in a small bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together, add in the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla and peppermint extract. Slowly add in the flour mixture.
- Scoop out the cookies using a scooper and shape into round balls, Chill for 10 minutes in the fridge.
- Bake the cookies on prepared baking sheets until the cookies are done- they will look at bit underbaked.
- Cool the cookies on wire racks.
- Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler ( a saucepan of simmering water with a bowl placed over it) or in the microwave. Crush the candy canes in a plastic bag using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer.
- Dip the cooled Peppermint Bark Cookie into the chocolate, halfway, and then sprinkle with the crushed candy canes/ peppermint.
- Cool in the fridge for 10-15 minutes on parchment until the chocolate is set.
Pro-Tips for Success:
- Use candy canes, not round peppermint candy. The candy canes are lighter and crush better. Round peppermints are too sticky and sugary.
- A small melon baller or scoop makes perfect sized cookies. I used food safe gloves to keep my hands from turning too dark, but frequent washing will help. This is the size I used.
- Make certain your oven temp is correct. An oven thermometer is your best friend.
- Slightly flatten the cookies prior to baking and give them lots of room- this dough will spread out a bit. I give my cookies 3-4 inches of space.
- Chilling the dough helps the cookies from “weeping” out during baking.
- Buy the best quality white chocolate you can find. I used Ghirardelli and it melted beautifully.
- Once the cookies are decorated, place them on parchment paper and chill in the fridge to help the chocolate set up.
- Do not over-bake these cookies. Set a timer. It’s hard to tell when chocolate cookies have burned.
What to Serve with Peppermint Bark Holiday Cookies:
1. Creamy hot cocoa with whipped cream
2. A glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream on ice
3. A scoop of vanilla bean or peppermint ice cream
4. A cold glass of egg nog
5. Keep it simple- a cold glass of milk
Try these other holiday recipes:
- Orange Shortbread Cookies with dark chocolate and pecans
- Traditional Rum Balls
- No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake
- Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Classic Italian Rainbow Cookies
Common questions about these cookies:
When baking chocolate cookies- timing and temperature are everything. Be certain your oven is set to 350 degrees. I have a digital oven probe to check my oven temperature. Also, setting a timer is SO important. You may have forgotten to set the timer a bit late and the cookies were well on their way to being overbaked. It is normal these cookies appear to be “underbaked”. They are soft cookies are this is the desired appearance.
You have a double boiler and you don’t even know it. Set a pan with an inch or two of water on the stove. Set the temperature or flame to low. When the water begins to bubble- or simmer- place a heat proof bowl over the saucepan. Do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Add in your chocolate and stir using a silicone spatula. Use a kitchen towel or hot pad to hold the bowl while you stir. See my photo above. 
You just need to chill the cookies once dipped in the chocolate and sprinkled with the peppermint. Place the cookies in the fridge for about 10 minutes or up to 2 hours.
You can use wax paper to chill the cookies once decorated. I do not recommend baking with wax paper. Most grocery stores now sell parchment. Invest in it. Parchment makes baking a breeze.
No- you want to use unsweetened cocoa powder, not sweetened. You can find this ingredient onto baking aisle. I use Ghirardelli, Hersey’s or Great Value. Do not use Dutch Processed cocoa either- your cookies may be flat.
Your baking soda may be old. Always buy a new box a the beginning of each baking season. Toss the old baking soda down your drain with a few ice cubes and run the disposal to fresh it up.
Chances are the flour is not measured correctly. I like to weigh my flour on a digital scale, but another easy method is to use a large spoon, fill your dry measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Just scooping the flour right out of the bag or container will result in the wrong amount of flour every time.
How to store these cookies and gifting ideas:
Store these cookies in plastic zip top or cellophane bags for up to 5 days. After that, consider wrapping in freezer proof containers and freeze until needed. The glossy shine on the chocolate will dull if frozen.
I love to wrap in cellophane bags and tie with a bow and an additional candy cane or close with a sticker and give to folks over the holidays or stuff into cookie boxes or tins.
Peppermint Bark Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour (240 g)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter ( 2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp spiced vanilla extract or vanilla paste We like Wild Montana Foods
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
For the decorating
- 16 oz white chocolate We used Ghirardelli
- ⅓ cup red and white candy canes, finely crushed with a rolling pin
- 1 tsp flakey sea salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars ( white and light brown) until smooth and slightly fluffy. Add in the eggs to the sugar mixture, one at a time then combine the vanilla and peppermint extract taking care to correctly measure the peppermint extract- a little goes a long way.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture and combine until just combined and any flour streaks are gone.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out balls of cookie dough, roll into a ball shape and place on the prepared baking sheets 3-4 inch apart. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. The cookies will appear slightly underbaked . Let the cookies rest onto baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. About 15-20 minutes.
How to decorate your cookies
- While the cookies are cooling, over a double boiler, melt the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl using a silicone scraper to help melt the chocolate Place the bowl of melted chocolate on a dish towel to protect your counters.
- Place the candy canes in a zip top bag and crush the candy, using a rolling pin, until finely crushed. Place in a small bowl. Add in the flakey sea salt.
- Once the cookies are cool, dip the cookies halfway in the melted chocolate, then place on a tray lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Chill for 10-15 minutes to set the chocolate. Store in an airtight bag until ready to serve.
Nutrition
