These luscious peppermint cookies will add a festive flair to your dessert table. Cookies are a must have dessert during this season like these extra puffy Peanut Butter Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies or these super sour Lemon Cookies. The holidays at our house would be incomplete without these Peanut Blossoms Cookies.
Mint Cookies for your Dessert Table
These peppermint swirl cookies are seriously the chocolatiest cookies evaaaa! They are like your favorite homemade brownie but in cookie form.
Topping them with creamy peppermint frosting and little crunchies of soft peppermint candies just brings them to a whole new level! If you love that peppermint and chocolate combination then you are going to love them. And they are so cute for the holidays, cute enough to bring to gatherings or give as special gifts.
Pepperminty Holiday Cookies
These peppermint Christmas cookies aren’t topped with just plain ol’ crushed candy canes! I love to use those extra soft peppermint candies, you know the ones that are like jumbo sized pillow mints. I love that they are softer and easy to bite into which I prefer with the gooey texture of these cookies. Of course, if you like that hard crunch of the candy canes you can top these with crushed candy canes or peppermint sticks.
Ok, I have a confession. I do not own a set of special cake decorating tools. No piping bags and no piping tips. I know, I know, how do I get by without them? I have always just been able to make do with the poor man’s version, which is just a plastic zip bag with a little corner cut off. You can do this, too! No need for special tools.
Brownie Cookies Ingredients
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Granulated Sugar: White granulated sugar.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter, it will be melted.
- Oil: Vegetable oil or canola oil can be used.
- Egg: One large egg is all you need.
- Extract: You will need both vanilla and peppermint extract for these cookies.
- Flour: All-purpose flour will do perfectly here.
- Baking Powder: Make sure it is still active.
- Baking Soda: Make sure it is still active.
- Salt: I like sea salt or kosher salt.
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Peppermint Candies: These are the soft, pillow mint type mints (I use Bob’s). Or use candy canes. You will want to smash them up to be able to sprinkle them over the frosting.
Peppermint Frosting Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: I use full fat cream cheese, softened.
- Butter: Soften your butter at room temperature before making this frosting.
- Peppermint Extract: Make sure to use peppermint extract and not peppermint flavoring.
- Vanilla Extract: Don’t use peppermint flavoring, make sure it’s real vanilla extract.
- Powdered Sugar: If it’s lumpy you can run it through the sifter.
- Food Gel: A little red food gel will add a signature stripe to the frosting. This is not pictured below in ingredient photo.
How to Make Peppermint Cookies
- Prep oven and baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, mix the melted butter, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Add dry to wet. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stopping as soon as it’s combined.
- Extra chocolate. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop dough. Using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, place scooped dough onto prepared baking trays.
- Bake cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will still be soft, but do not over bake since they start to harden as they cool.
- Make mint frosting. Put cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or mix with hand mixer). Beat until creamy and well mixed. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extract, combine until light and fluffy.
- Cool and decorate. Allow to cool completely before frosting and sprinkling on broken up peppermint candies.
Tips and Variations
- Don’t over mix batter. Make sure not to over blend the batter when you are mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Just mix until well incorporated and you don’t see any more flour streaks.
- Don’t over bake cookies. The cookies will still be a little soft when you pull them out of the oven, but they will harden up as they cool. If you over bake them they will end up hard.
- Cool cookies. Cookies need to be completely cooled before adding frosting or it will just melt right off.
- Not a lot of spread. These cookies don’t spread a lot so you will want to flatten them a little before cooking.
Storage Instructions
- How to Refrigerate: Place cookies in an airtight container in a single layer. The cookies should last about days in the fridge.
- How to Freeze: Let the cooked cookies cool off completely before wrapping each individual cookie with plastic wrap (do not add frosting). Put wrapped cookies into an airtight freezer-safe container or zip bag. Make sure to label with the recipe name and date. The cookies should last about 1 month in the freezer.
- How to Freeze Brownie Cookie Dough: Using a tablespoon sized dough scoop, scoop dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly if desired. Freeze completely. Transfer frozen cookies into an airtight freezer safe container or zip bag. Frozen dough will last about 6 weeks in freezer.
- To Cook Frozen Brownie Cookie Dough: Place frozen cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let thaw completely. Bake as directed.
- How to Thaw Frozen Brownie Cookies: Thaw the frozen cookies at room temperature until they are completely thawed. Let the dough come up to room temperature before using. Frost once thawed.
Try these other holiday favorites!
- Snowball Kiss Cookies
- Apple Cinnamon Bread (our most popular recipe!)
- Coconut Macaroons With Condensed Milk
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Skillet Pumpkin Apple Crustless Pie
- Pecan Pie Brownies
If you’ve tried this mint brownie recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes.
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Frosted Peppermint Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
For Brownie Cookies
- 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted, melted
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, miniature or regular
For Peppermint Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- red food gel
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together the melted butter, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
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Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stopping as soon as it's combined.
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Gently fold in chocolate chips.
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Using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, place scooped dough onto prepared baking trays.
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Bake for 8-12 minutes. Cookies will still be soft, but do not over bake since they start to harden as they cool. Make sure cookies are completely cooled before frosting.
To Make Peppermint Frosting
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Put cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or mix with hand mixer). Beat until creamy and well mixed. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extract, combine until light and fluffy.
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Dip a wooden skewer into red food gel. Inside a sandwich size zip bag, draw 3-4 lines out from one corner of the bag. Or draw lines in a piping bag. Fill the piping bag or the corner of the bag with some of the frosting. Cut off a small amount of the corner of the bag where the lines are coming from.
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To frost cookies, start in the center of the cookie and slowly swirl around. Sprinkle on broken up peppermint candies.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure not to over blend the batter when you are mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Just mix until well incorporated and you don’t see any more flour streaks.
- The cookies will still be a little soft when you pull them out of the oven, but they will harden up as they cool. If you over bake them they will end up hard.
- Cookies need to be completely cooled before adding frosting or it will just melt right off.
- Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract to the chocolate cookie batter to make these extra peppermint chocolate cookies or add an extra teaspoon of peppermint extract to the frosting.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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