Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
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Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies are the perfect festive holiday treat! Not to mention they’re a chocolate lovers dream! Chocolate cookies are layered with a sweet vanilla marshmallow, chocolate icing, and crushed peppermint candies. Who could resist?
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
Are you guys getting sick of all the cookies recipes I’m sharing yet? Well hopefully not because I still have another to share and who knows, maybe even more after that.
It’s what the first few weeks of December were made for right? Cookies cookies cookieeeees!
Perfect for the Holidays!
I love making a variety of cookies during the holidays and there always need to be a chocolate cookie of some kind right?
I’ve had hot chocolate cookies on my to-do list for probably the last 4 years and I’ve finally gotten around to trying them.
But I decided to add a peppermint twist to them because I love the chocolate and peppermint combination.
A Rich Chocolate Flavor
I love that the base for these cookies is packed with chocolate. Not just cocoa but a lot of chopped chocolate.
It gives them a rich flavor and a chewy, fudgy texture. They’re almost like a brownie cookie.
Like Mississippi Mud Cake in Cookie Form
One thing these cookies really remind me of is Mississippi Mud Cake. It’s that chocolate base, marshmallow and chocolate icing combination.
I think I’d also love these cookies drizzled with chocolate in place of the icing.
Don’t get me wrong the icing is delicious but next time I might try chocolate. The more chocolate the better, right?
Try them Melty and Warm!
Just be sure to enjoy a few of these cookies warm. They are of course still good for a couple of days but they are total perfection when you ice them warm from the oven and eat a couple right away – they’re more like hot chocolate that way too.
This is just straight up goodness in cookie form my friends and you don’t want to miss out on these Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies!
Your busy holiday weeks need a break, so take a breather and make a batch of cookies.
More Peppermint Recipes You’ll Love!
- Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
- Frosted Peppermint Brownie Cookies {From Scratch}
- Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 12 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces or chopped
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
- 1 1/2 cups (213g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups (280g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 24 large marshmallows
Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (21g) cocoa powder
- 4 Tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, diced into small pieces
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- For the cookies: Add chocolate and butter to a medium microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between intervals until melted and smooth, set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile add flour to a medium mixing bowl, sift in cocoa powder and add baking powder and salt. Whisk mixture to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment blend together brown sugar, eggs, peppermint extract and vanilla. Mix in chocolate mixture.
- With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Cover bowl and chill 1 hour or until firm enough to handle (I actually divided the dough into two containers and it chills faster). Preheat oven to 325 degrees during last 15 minutes of chilling.
- Scoop dough out about 1 lightly heaping tablespoon at a time. Shape into a ball then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, spacing cookies 2-inches apart (keep remaining dough chilled).
- Bake in preheated oven until slightly under-baked, about 9 minutes. Meanwhile cut marshmallows into halves using kitchen scissors.
- Remove cookies from oven and add 1 marshmallow half to each cookie placing the cut side downward. Return to oven and bake about 2 - 3 minutes longer until marshmallows have begun to melt.
- Remove from oven and gently press down on marshmallows to flatten slightly. Cool on pan several minutes then transfer to cookies to wire racks and set wire racks over a baking sheets.
- For the icing: Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into a medium mixing bowl, set aside.
- Heat butter and cream over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently until butter has melted and mixture reaches a simmer. Remove from heat, pour in powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
- Mix in peppermint extract. If mixture is too thick thin it with a little hot water, if it's too thin thicken with a little more sifted powdered sugar.
- Immediately spoon icing over cookies (or alternately drizzle from a resealable bag with a cut corner) and sprinkle each cookie with crushed peppermint after adding icing because the icing will start to set quickly.
- Recipe source: adapted from Rachel Ray and Glorious Treats