White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Festive, fun and delicious, these white chocolate peppermint cookies are a treat you’ll love this holiday season! The chewy texture is complemented by the peppermint crunch. This white chocolate version of my double chocolate peppermint cookies will be another Christmas favorite!
I love when a dessert combines textures and flavors. These white chocolate chip peppermint cookies achieve that with a festive twist! The buttery and chewy cookie has peppermint crunch and rich white chocolate bits. It’s the perfect Christmas cookie! You may also like these white chocolate cranberry cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Festive flavor. The combination of peppermint extract and crushed peppermint promises a good flavor.
- Perfectly chewy. The dough is chilled to guarantee a chewy texture and that the cookies don’t spread.
- Reliable recipe. I used my basic cookie dough as the base, which yields a soft, tender and chewy cookie. Then I added in the flavors and mix-ins.
- Good use of leftover candy canes. It adds a satisfying crunch (just like my chocolate peppermint cake!)
- Make ahead options. The dough can be made up to 3 months in advance for easy holiday prep!
- Double or halve the recipe depending on how many servings you’d like.
Ingredient Notes
- Cornstarch: This secret ingredient makes cookies soft! If you don’t have any, you can omit it from the recipe.
- Eggs: One egg plus a yolk helps bind the ingredients and make chewy cookies.
- Unsalted butter: Use room temperature unsalted butter. Salt is added separately to activate the baking soda.
- White chocolate chips: These are sweet and flavorful while complementing the peppermint flavor.
- Peppermint extract: A little extract enhances the peppermint flavor.
- Crushed peppermint candies: Be sure to sift the candy and discard the powder (otherwise the cookies are more likely to spread).
Recipe Variations
Chocolate dip or drizzle: These cookies taste amazing with a drizzle of melted chocolate or dipped in white chocolate! Melt your chocolate, and dip half the cookie into it (make sure the cookies have cooled). Let the excess chocolate drip off and place cookie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can also use a spoon and do a drizzle of chocolate on the cooled cookies.
Garnish: After adding melted chocolate, I suggest garnishing with more crushed peppermint or holiday sprinkles. You can also put garnishes on as soon as the cookies come out of the oven.
Switch up the chocolate chips: If you don’t like white chocolate, you can use semisweet or dark chocolate chips in the dough instead (or even peppermint baking chips). You can also do a mix!
Add nuts: If you like nuts in your cookies, mix in 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts, walnuts or pecans.
How to Make White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients: Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk and extracts, then mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- Add white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies. Stir until incorporated.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
- Roll the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° F for 12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
Weigh your flour with a kitchen scale for accurate measuring. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon your flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife (don’t pack the flour down).
Use room temperature ingredients for easy mixing and a consistent dough.
Sift the peppermint candy. It helps to get rid of the “dust.” The extra sugar can cause the cookies to spread too much. If you want more peppermint, press some larger pieces on top of the cookies before baking.
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours and ideally overnight. This guarantees chewy cookies with delicious texture and flavor! It also limits spreading.
Make Ahead Tips and Tricks
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Wrap the cookies in plastic wrap and then place in an airtight container or freezer bag for ultimate freshness. The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before rolling into balls and baking.
Make ahead the cookie dough and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Let the dough sit on the counter until soft enough to scoop, but still cold. You can also roll into balls and freeze the balls in an airtight container. Bake from frozen for 2 extra minutes.
Recipe FAQ
The dough was too warm or the baking sheet was hot. Another culprit is that there was too much crushed peppermint. It super helpful to sift the peppermint and discard the dust, which can cause cookies to spread.
Yes, this recipe doubles easily! Make sure you have a large enough bowl and mixer.
Yes, if peppermint isn’t your favorite flavor, you can halve the peppermint extract or omit it completely. The cookies will still taste delicious and have that nice peppermint crunch with less strong of a flavor.
Related Recipes
‘Tis the season for peppermint. Here are some more recipes you will love!
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Get the Recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 3 candy canes, crushed and sifted (see notes) (equivalent to 12 mini candy canes)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract. Beat until combined, 20 to 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the dough. Careful not to over beat. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the white chocolate chips and candy cane bits by hand.
- Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough, roll into a ball. Slightly flatten the ball and place on prepared cookie sheet. If you want, add a few candy cane bits on top for visual appeal. Repeat with remaining dough and place on prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
