Are you looking for a fun, festive Christmas Cookie that's easy to make? These delicious Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies are it!
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These tasty cookies were a happy accident! I had originally set out to make a thicker, more traditional chocolate cookie, but the tops of my cookies kept crackling.
Finally, I decided it was a sign. After all, who doesn't love a Chocolate Crinkle Cookie? And these cookies are pretty perfect as-is. They're crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle, full of wonderful Christmasy flavors, and super cute to boot!
Best of all, they're so simple to make. And I can assure you, after many attempts to get the cookies to stop crinkling (and failing, ha), getting them to crackle is pretty much fool proof.
Ready to try these Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies for yourself? Then, keep reading for all the details!
Ingredients
These easy Christmas Crinkle Cookies use simple ingredients ... you probably have most of them in your pantry already! Here's what you'll need:
- Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder (such as Hershey's or Ghirardelli)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar + Granulated Sugar
- Peppermint Extract
- Large Egg
- Powdered Sugar
Tip: Replace the peppermint extract with vanilla extract, and you'll have a tasty chocolate cookie that you can enjoy year round!
You'll Also Need
To make this recipe, you’ll also need a couple baking sheets, as well as a stand mixer to prepare the dough, and a baking rack to cool the finished cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Ready to get started? This recipe really is fool proof, and I'm going to walk you through it in detail. Let's go!
Making the Dough
To make the dough, you start by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Once combined, set this mixture aside for a moment.
Next, you'll use your stand mixer (or hand mixer) to cream together the unsalted butter and sugar. This recipe uses a combination of brown sugar (either light or dark will work) and granulated sugar. Once that's mixed, add the peppermint extract and a large egg.
Add the flour to the butter mixture in two batches, mixing just until everything is combined. Then, you need to chill the dough for one hour ... don't skip this step!
Shaping the Cookies
After the dough has chilled, you'll shape the dough and add that distinctive powdered sugar coating.
Start by rolling about one tablespoon of dough into a ball (using your hands). Then, roll the ball in the powdered sugar until it's completely coated. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To make things go faster, shape all the balls first, then roll them in the powdered sugar ... assembly line style.
Once the balls are coated in sugar, place them on a baking sheet. The cookies will spread as they bake, so space them at least one-inch apart.
Tip: Stir the powdered sugar occasionally with a fork as you coat the balls. This will keep it from compacting and will make the coating process easier.
Baking the Cookies
Bake the cookies until they spread out and their tops crinkle. It should take about 10 minutes or so.
It can be a little difficult to tell when these cookies are done. Just keep in mind that the dark part of the cookies (inside the crackle) may still look slightly under done when you remove them from the oven. The cookies will continue cooking after you remove them from the oven though, so don't over-bake them.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about five minutes, then transfer them to a baking rack to cool completely. As the cookies cool, they will deflate a bit (they're fairly thin), crisp up on the edges, and become chewy in the middle (the best part).
These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies taste just as good as they look, and I find it impossible to avoid sneaking a bite before they've cooled. Yum!
What makes a cookie crinkle?
Cookies crinkle when the exterior of the cookie cooks faster (and hardens more quickly) than the rest of the cookie. As the cookie rises and spreads, the cookie's hardened top cracks and pulls apart, forming a crinkly cookie. Now you know the secret!
Storing Chocolate Crinkles
To maintain peak freshness, store these cookies in an airtight container. They should keep for about a week, but will taste freshest when eaten within two to three days. The cookies can also be frozen.
Related Recipes
Looking for more Christmas Cookies? Try one of these recipes next!
- Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
- Honey Cookies
- Black Bottom Cupcakes (Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes!)
- Poppyseed Kiss Cookies
- Chewy Ginger Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Curry Shortbread Cookies
- Pecan Finger Cookies … my all-time favorites!
- Stamped Cookies
- Classic Gingerbread Cookies
- Sour Cream Cut Out Cookies
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (12 tablespoons)
- ¾ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 large egg
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Equipment
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add peppermint extract and egg, then mix well.
- Add flour to butter mixture in two batches, mixing just until combined. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray.
- Form 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball (using hands), then roll in powdered sugar until completely coated. Repeat with remaining dough. Place balls on baking sheet at least 1-inch apart.
- Bake cookies until they spread and the tops crinkle, about 10 minutes.
- Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container until ready to eat. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
added crushed candy canes into the batter before refrigerating since I didn't have peppermint extract (I used vanilla instead), the confectioners sugar kind of melted so they didn't come out so beautiful but still taste pretty good.
Hi, Capri! Thanks for the tip for using the candy canes. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂