My chocolate peppermint bark cookies are a festive treat that’s perfect for the holidays! Loaded with chocolatey goodness from cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and chocolate bark — not to mention the subtle minty flavor from peppermint extract and candy canes — these cookies are as delicious as they are pretty!
The cookie dough also keeps for a few days and freezes well for 3 months, making this a great make-ahead recipe to have on hand for the often chaotic Christmas season. Plus, they keep well for a few days, so you can add them to your holiday cookie tins to gift your loved ones! For more Christmas cookie recipes, try my peanut butter blossoms, fruitcake cookies, and Andes mint cookies.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Cocoa powder — I prefer using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a dark and indulgent chocolate flavor, but natural unsweetened cocoa will work great, too.
Baking soda — baking soda makes the cookies spread perfectly.
Butter and Salt — use unsalted butter and add a measured amount of salt for the best-flavored cookies.
Sugar — light brown sugar and granulated sugar add sweetness and work together for just the right balance of a crispy edge and chewy center.
Egg — an egg gives the cookie dough structure and a bit of puffiness for cookies that are tender and not too dense.
Extracts — vanilla extract and peppermint extract give the cookies plenty of flavor and a decadent aroma.
Peppermint bark — you need 16 ounces of peppermint bark.
Chocolate chips — dark chocolate chips add morsels of melty chocolate goodness to each bite.
Candy canes — crush a few candy canes for extra minty flavor.
How To Make Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies
1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer), cream the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, and mix just until combined.
3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture a few tablespoonfuls at a time.
4. Chop one-quarter of the peppermint bark into small pieces (around the same size as the chocolate chips). Break the remaining bark into about 1-inch pieces, so you end up with around 24 pieces. Set the larger pieces of peppermint bark aside. Add the chocolate chips and smaller peppermint bark pieces to the cookie dough and mix on low speed just until combined.
5. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop to scoop cookies to be about 2 tablespoons in size.
6. Place the scoops onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie to give them room to spread. Bake the trays one at a time at 375°F for 9 to 10 minutes until the edges are set and the top is dry.
7. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and immediately press one of the larger pieces of peppermint bark into the center of each cookie.
8. While the chocolate peppermint bark cookies are still hot, sprinkle them with crushed candy canes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes to give the peppermint bark time to melt slightly. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Choosing The Best Peppermint Bark
I prefer a bark that is no thicker than ¼ inch so it can melt a little on top of the hot cookie. Williams Sonoma peppermint bark is a great choice! You can also use Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares or bars broken and chopped into smaller pieces.
Alternatively, make your own peppermint bark by following my simple recipe! I suggest spreading it out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet (18×13”), so it is thin enough for the cookies.
Use Candy Canes Not Starmints
Round, hard peppermint candies are much denser than candy canes. I do not recommend using them in this cookie recipe because they are tough to eat. Candy canes work well because they are easy to crush into small pieces and more airy in texture, making them easier to chew.
Can I Make The Cookie Dough Ahead Of Time?
Absolutely! The cookie dough holds very well when made in advance.
Refrigerating: Scoop the dough onto a parchment or wax paper-lined tray, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill for up to 72 hours. When you’re ready to bake, arrange the chilled dough balls on large baking sheets and follow the recipe as written.
Freezing: To store the unbaked cookie dough for longer, you can scoop the dough into balls, flash-freeze them until solid, and transfer them to a freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 3 months. Bake them from frozen at 350°F, and add a few minutes to the bake time. Baking the frozen cookie dough at a lower temperature gives the cookies time to properly spread so they bake evenly. Otherwise, you may end up with cookies that are very crisp on the outside but underbaked in the middle, or that bake up into mounds rather than nicely spread.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Weigh the flour: Use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour so you don’t accidentally use too much (which will yield dry chocolate peppermint bark cookies). If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level off the top.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the butter and egg out about an hour before you start baking to give them time to warm up a bit. This makes them easier to incorporate into a cohesive cookie dough. If you forget to set the butter out in advance, follow my easy tutorial for how to soften butter quickly.
- To crush the candy canes, place the unwrapped candy in a zip-top plastic bag. Tap with a rolling pin to crush them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store chocolate peppermint bark cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
If you can’t find peppermint bark or don’t want to make your own, you can swap the small pieces of peppermint bark in the cookie dough for chopped white chocolate bars or mint-flavored baking chips.
After baking, press larger, broken pieces of white chocolate bars into the top of the hot cookies or dollop or drizzle the cooled cookies with melted white chocolate; immediately sprinkle the cookies with crushed candy canes either way. You’ll get a slightly different flavor profile, but the cookies will still taste absolutely fantastic.
Yes! Since they keep their wonderful chewy texture for about 5 days, chocolate peppermint bark cookies make a wonderful gift for the holidays.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this chocolate peppermint bark cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (210g)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (33g)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (168g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (110g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 16 ounces peppermint bark divided (450g)
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (80g)
- 3 to 4 candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer), cream the butter, light brown, and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, just until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture a few tablespoonfuls at a time, mixing just until combined between each addition.
- Chop one-quarter of the peppermint bark (4 ounces, 113g) into small pieces like the size of the dark chocolate chips (1 cup, chopped). Break the remaining peppermint bark (12 ounces, 340g) into about 1-inch pieces (you will need about 24 pieces). Set aside.
- Add the chocolate chips and smaller peppermint bark pieces to the cookie dough and mix on low speed just until combined.
- Scoop cookies to be about 2 tablespoons in size (about 40g each) with a triggered cookie scoop or two spoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake the trays one at a time for 9 to 10 minutes until the edges are set and the top appears dry. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately press one of the larger pieces of peppermint bark into the center of each cookie.
- Sprinkle the cookies with chopped candy canes while they are hot. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes to melt the bark slightly. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Weigh the flour: Use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour so you don’t accidentally use too much (which will yield dry chocolate peppermint bark cookies). If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level off the top.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the butter and egg out about an hour before you start baking to give them time to warm up a bit. This makes them easier to incorporate into a cohesive cookie dough. If you forget to set the butter out in advance, follow my easy tutorial for how to soften butter quickly.
- To crush the candy canes, place the unwrapped candy in a zip-top plastic bag. Tap with a rolling pin to crush them.
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