These festive Chocolate Peppermint Meltaways are perfectly thick and fudgy cookies topped with melted white chocolate and crushed candy canes. They are rich, chewy, crunchy, and loaded with chocolate and peppermint flavor in every bite.
The buttery melt-in-your-mouth chocolate peppermint cookies are loaded with cocoa powder and brown sugar. Feel free to experiment with different cookie icing flavors and toppings.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Peppermint Meltaways
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Ingredients
- How to Make Peppermint Meltaways
- Recipe Variations for Melt Away Chocolate Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing And Freezing Instructions
- Melt Away Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe
- More Of Our Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Peppermint Meltaways
You can’t go wrong with these uber-delicious Chocolate Peppermint Meltaways - especially during the holidays. They’re thick, fudgy, infused with peppermint flavor, and loaded with chocolate. To finish, I top these little beauties with melted white chocolate and peppermint along with a sprinkle of crunchy crushed peppermint candy.
Want to make double chocolate peppermint cookies? Toss a cup of chocolate chips into the dough. Or, for a non-holiday version, skip the crushed candy cane and top with chocolate chips, crushed Whoppers, or pretzels - the sky’s the limit! If you’re looking for more chocolate mint cookies, give our Andes Mint Cookies or our White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Cookies a try.
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Ingredients
- Butter - I used salted butter, but if you use unsalted butter just increase your salt to a total of 1 teaspoon. The recipe calls for melted butter because we’re going for a fudgy cookie meaning there’s no need to beat the butter and sugar.
- Brown Sugar - the brown sugar adds flavor but also creates a denser and richer cookie. You can use light or dark brown sugar, depending on how much molasses flavor you like in your cookies.
- Eggs - it’s best to pull your eggs out to room temperature at least 30 minutes before making your dough so that they don’t “shock” the butter.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Peppermint Extract - be sure and use peppermint extract and not spearmint or mint extract. The flavor is very different. You’ll need about 1 teaspoon for the cookie dough and ½ teaspoon for the topping.
- Cocoa Powder - to get the best flavor, use the best cocoa powder.
- Salt - sea salt works great.
- Baking Soda - this reacts with the baking powder to help the cookies rise.
- Flour - this recipe uses all-purpose flour.
- White Chocolate Wafers - you can either use white chocolate wafers or white chocolate chips to top the cookies. The easiest way to melt them is in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds at a time, stirring between until completely melted.
- Crushed Candy Canes - either crushed candy cane or crushed peppermint candy will work great for these cookies. I like to put them into a freezer bag and crush using a rolling pin. Avoid crushing too much so that you keep small pieces rather than creating a bunch of peppermint candy powder.
How to Make Peppermint Meltaways
- Make the cookie dough. Add the melted butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined. Slowly add the room temperature eggs, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, scraping down the sides as needed. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough comes together and is well combined.
- Let the dough chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Scoop the dough. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using an ice cream scoop or spoons, scoop into 1.5 tablespoon balls and place about 2" apart on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-11 minutes, or until the center of the cookie is set and the edges of the cookies are slightly firm. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, add the white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until melted and smooth.
- Add the toppings. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract, stir, and then spoon over the cookies. Top with crushed candy canes then place in a cool spot to allow the chocolate to set up completely. (Note: if you want to speed up the process, you can place the cookies in the fridge for about 20 minutes).
- Serve or store. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations for Melt Away Chocolate Cookies
These easy recipe variations for melt away cookies can all be topped with crushed candy canes to keep them extra festive.
- Classic Chocolate Cookies: These are a great base for so many amazing cookies. Top with buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, or enjoy plain.
- Gingerbread Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the cookie dough mixture. Top with a cream cheese frosting.
- Lemon Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Add 2 tablespoon of lemon zest, then top with a lemon glaze.
- Coconut Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Add ½ cup of shredded coconut to the cookie dough mixture and top with icing.
- Orange Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Add 2 tablespoon of orange zest to the cookie dough and top with an orange icing.
- Cinnamon Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and top with cinnamon icing.
- Almond Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Add ½ cup of almond flour to the dough and top with an almond glaze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can either make it up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge. Or, you can make the dough, scoop it, and freeze the dough balls for up to 2 months. To bake, just pull the dough balls out onto a cookie sheet and bake as directed, adding a couple extra minutes to the total baking time.
I highly recommend chilling this dough before baking. Letting the cookie dough rest in the fridge, even for 30 minutes, helps to relax the dough, chill the butter, and creates a super thick and fudgy cookie.
The first way to make sure that your cookies stay soft and fudgy is to be sure you don’t over bake them. As soon as the centers are set and the edges are slightly firm, they are ready to be pulled from the oven. In a 350 degree oven, this should take between 8-11 minutes. This recipe also relies on using melted butter, rather than creaming butter, and brown sugar, rather than granulated sugar, to create that super fudgy texture.
Storing And Freezing Instructions
- Room Temperature: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: you can also store your cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, adding sheets of parchment paper between the layers so they don’t stick.
- Freezer: you can freeze both the baked cookies and the unbaked cookie dough. As long as the cookies are stored in an airtight container or freezer bags, they will last for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing baked cookies prior to frosting them.
- To Bake Cookies from Frozen: you can pull frozen dough balls from the freezer and bake directly in a preheated oven, adding an extra couple of minutes to the baking time.
Melt Away Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup Butter melted
- 1¾ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1½ teaspoon Peppermint Extract divided (1 teaspoon for cookie dough and ½ teaspoon for white chocolate topping)
Cookie Topping
- 1 cup White Chocolate Wafers
- ¼ cup Crushed Candy Canes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the melted butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined. Slowly add the room temperature eggs, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough comes together and is well combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using an ice cream scoop or spoons, scoop into 1.5 tablespoon balls and place about 2" apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 8-11 minutes, or until the center of the cookie is set and the edges of the cookies are slightly firm. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely.
- Meanwhile, add the white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until melted and smooth. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract, stir, and then spoon over the cookies. Top with crushed candy canes then place in a cool spot to allow the chocolate to set up completely. (Note: if you want to speed up the process, you can place the cookies in the fridge for about 20 minutes).
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Of Our Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Grinch Cookies
- Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
- Andes Mint Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Brownie Waffle Cookies
- M&M Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Eggnog Cookies
- Molasses Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- More Cookie Recipes
- More Christmas Recipes
These super thick and fudgy Chocolate Peppermint Meltaway Cookies are a perfect Christmas cookie that everyone loves. They are loaded with chocolate and peppermint flavor, and topped with extra white chocolate and crushed candy canes.
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