These Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are soft, rich, and wildly festive — a fudgy chocolate dough loaded with peppermint chips that melt into little pockets of holiday joy. Basically: hot cocoa and a candy cane had a cookie baby.
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Pull up a chair, cookie fam — these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are here to steal the entire holiday dessert table. We’re talking deep, fudgy chocolate flavor, soft centers, crisp edges, and tiny bursts of peppermint magic folded right into the dough. Chewy, cozy, winter-in-a-cookie perfection.
Before you preheat that oven, here’s why these cookies will be your new fav (Santa's, too!).
- Double chocolate situation — cocoa + chocolate chips = rich, fudgy bliss.
- Peppermint chips inside the dough — no messy crushed candy canes, just melty hits of minty goodness.
- Soft, chewy centers + crisp edges — bakery vibes without the bakery effort.
- Holiday showstopper — looks fancy, takes zero fancy skills.
- Make-ahead friendly — the dough chills beautifully and bakes up even better.
- Freezer-friendly — scoop, freeze, bake later for fresh cookies all season long.
What You'll Need and Why
A rich, fudgy lineup that turns into the ultimate holiday cookie.
- Butter — the base of all soft, chewy cookie magic.
- White sugar — gives lift and crisp edges.
- Brown sugar — adds moisture and that deep caramel chew.
- Peppermint extract — just a kiss of cool mint throughout the dough.
- Vanilla extract — rounds out all the chocolatey goodness.
- Eggs — bring everything together and keep the cookies tender.
- All-purpose flour — classic structure for the perfect cookie bite.
- Cocoa powder — the fudgy foundation of your double chocolate moment.
- Baking soda — helps the cookies spread just right.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips — melty pockets of chocolate in every bite.
- Peppermint chips — the star: sweet, minty bursts folded right into the dough.
- Peppermint candy canes or candies (optional) — crush and sprinkle for extra sparkle.
- White chocolate or vanilla almond bark (optional) — for drizzling, dunking, or making them look bakery-level festive.
Swaps and Flavor-Boosting Substitutions
Because one festive cookie flavor is cute… but let's talk options.
- Triple Chocolate Peppermint — Add dark chocolate chunks and white chocolate chips for a full “Now, this is a cookie” experience.
- Mint Hot Cocoa Cookies — Add mini marshmallows to the dough or sprinkle on top right after baking. Cozy level: illegal.
- Peppermint Mocha Cookies — Add a teaspoon of espresso powder for a richer, deeper, “Starbucks-but-better” chocolate vibe.
- White Chocolate Peppermint Bliss — Swap semi-sweet chips for white chocolate chips and fold in peppermint chips for a frosty, candy-cane dream situation.
- Thin Mint Energy — Add crushed chocolate-mint cookies (YES, like those Girl Scout legends) to the dough. Texture? Unmatched. Flavor? A menace.
- Chocolate Crinkle Peppermint — Roll dough balls in powdered sugar before baking for a sparkly, crackled finish the holiday table will gossip about.
- No-Chip Minis — Skip the peppermint chips and fold in only crushed candy canes for that pure, crunchy peppermint bark vibe.
- Bakery-Style Swirl Top — Drizzle with white chocolate and drag a toothpick through crushed candy cane dust. Looks like you have a degree in Cookie Artistry.
- Minty Lava Centers — Stuff each dough ball with a square of dark chocolate. Bite in… and your cookie literally sighs chocolate.
Tips and Tricks For Cookie Success
Because we’re not here to make meh cookies — we’re here to make “WHO BROUGHT THESE?!” cookies.
- Use good cocoa powder. This is a double chocolate situation — the cocoa powder is doing heavy lifting. Treat her with respect.
- Beat the butter + sugars longer than you think. Creaming until LIGHT and FLUFFY gives you that perfect cookie texture people think comes from a bakery (it’s just air + science).
- Peppermint extract is powerful. Like, “one drop too many and you’re brushing your teeth” powerful. Start small — you can always add, but you can’t un-toothpaste.
- Fold in the chips gently. Overmixing = tough cookies. We want chewy, not CrossFit.
- Size matters. Big scoops = thick, bakery-style cookies with soft centers. Small scoops = crispy edges for the crunchy cookie lovers. Everyone wins.
- Don’t overbake. Pull them when the centers still look slightly soft — they finish cooking on the tray. Overbaked chocolate cookies are just brownies in witness protection.
- Decorate while warm. Candy cane dust, chocolate drizzle, crushed peppermint — it all sticks better when the cookie is still whispering warmth.
- Let them rest. The flavors deepen as they cool. If you eat the first one warm, it’s research. The second? That’s gratitude.
- Freeze the dough balls. You can have fresh-baked cookies ANY TIME by baking frozen scoops straight from the freezer. Holiday magic on demand.
Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1½ cups peppermint chips
- crushed peppermint candy cane optional
- white chocolate or vanilla almond bark, melted optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add in the peppermint and vanilla extracts.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing in until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together until combined. Slowly fold this mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and peppermint chips.
- Use a scoop to measure out cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. The cookies will be super soft when you remove them from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
- Optional, drizzle with melted white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy cane pieces.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving
These double chocolate peppermint cookies are basically holiday cheer in edible form, so here are a few fun ways to show them off.
- Holiday cookie trays — these are the cookies people reach for first and pretend they didn’t.
- Hot cocoa moment — dunk one into a mug of cocoa and tell me you didn’t ascend straight into the North Pole.
- Dessert boards — pair with strawberries, pretzels, and chocolate bark so your snack board looks like it belongs in a Hallmark movie.
- After-dinner showstopper — serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a shower of peppermint dust. Ridiculous.
- Coffee pairing — these cookies + a hot coffee = winter romance energy.
- Gift boxes — tie them up with ribbon and boom… you just became everyone’s favorite person.
- Bring-to-work hero moment — set a plate in the break room and watch adults sprint.
Storage… If You Somehow Have Leftovers
Keep these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies fresh, soft, and ready for any holiday emergency.
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 4–5 days. They stay soft, fudgy, and minty perfection.
- Fridge: Not necessary, but won’t hurt them — especially if your house runs warm.
- Freezer (baked cookies): Freeze in a single layer, then bag them up. They keep beautifully for 2–3 months.
- Freezer (cookie dough balls): YES. PLEASE. Scoop and freeze the dough, then bake straight from frozen. Add 1–2 minutes to the bake time and enjoy fresh cookies whenever the craving hits.
- Peppermint topping tip: If you sprinkled crushed candy canes on top of these double chocolate peppermint cookies, keep them away from heat — peppermint melts faster than your willpower.
You’ll Also Love
If these cookies stole your heart, here are a few more chocolate-loaded treats to keep the party going:
- Espresso Brownies — fudgy, bold, and built for coffee lovers.
- Hot Chocolate Cookies — soft, gooey, marshmallow-topped coziness in cookie form.
- Chocolate Tart — rich, silky, and dangerously elegant.
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies — nutty, gooey, and universally adored.
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Cluster — zero effort, rich, and perfect for gifting
You Asked, I Answered
What are peppermint chips?
Peppermint chips are tiny, melty bits of chocolate-mint magic — think Andes mints in chip form. They melt beautifully into the dough and give you those cool, minty pockets without the mess of smashed candy canes. I grab mine at Walmart, but they're easy to find online too.
Is the crushed candy cane topping worth it?
YES. A thousand times yes. The cookies are already incredible, but that crunchy, sparkly peppermint topping adds texture, brightness, and a little holiday drama. It’s the accessory that makes the outfit.
Translation: sprinkle that candy — your cookies will thank you.
What if I don't like mint cookies?
Bless your heart, you can absolutely still make these. Just skip the peppermint extract and swap the peppermint chips for extra chocolate chips (or any baking chip you love).
The base cookie is a superstar on its own — rich, fudgy, deeply chocolatey — so you can customize the flavor and it is still amazing.
Can I make these without the candy cane topping?
Totally. They'll be soft, rich double-chocolate cookies without the peppermint crunch. Still incredible, still festive, still totally giftable.
Do these cookies freeze well?
They freeze like a DREAM. Freeze baked double chocolate peppermint cookies or freeze the dough balls for fresh-baked holiday perfection anytime. Just add 1–2 minutes to the bake time from frozen.
How strong is the peppermint flavor?
Peppermint extract is potent, but this recipe gives you a balanced, chocolate-first cookie with a refreshing mint finish. Want more mint? Add a tiny extra splash. Want less? Leave the peppermint chips out and keep the chocolate chips.
Who’s Stirring the Pot?
Hi, I’m Ruth—recipe developer, comfort-food creator, and the voice behind Rufus For Real. I specialize in cozy, doable, flavor-packed meals for real-life kitchens, and I’m a firm believer that breakfast, dinner, and everything in between should be simple, satisfying, and impossible to mess up.
You’ll find me sharing even more comfort-food goodness, kitchen tips, and behind-the-scenes chaos over on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube (@rufusforreal everywhere).
If you love approachable recipes with a whole lot of personality, pull up a chair—there’s always room at this table.
Happy Cooking!
-Ruth aka Rufus
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