Embrace the holiday magic with these white chocolate peppermint cookies – sweet, minty, and utterly irresistible.
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Holiday baking became much more exciting when peppermint white chocolate cookies came into play. This peppermint cookies recipe is a testament to simplicity and joy, perfect for many occasions.
What’s the secret to their deliciousness? It’s the sweet combination of peppermint and white chocolate, a duo that melts in your mouth.
I love the flavor white chocolate chips bring to desserts, just like my white chocolate raspberry cookies, orange cookies, and raspberry and white chocolate loaf cake.
With the holiday season approaching, what could be more enticing than a batch of these easy-to-make white chocolate peppermint cookies? This festive cookie recipe is perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday meals, or even a simple treat at the end of the day.
Ingredients and Substitutions
While I love changing recipe ingredients, substituting ingredients in cookies can get tricky. I recommend only the peppermint flavors and white chocolate chips.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking to control the salt content in the recipe. If you use salted butter, decrease the salt in the recipe.
- Peppermint extract: Peppermint extract brings an extra minty flavor to the cookies, like I do in my Peppermint Oreo Marshmallow Treats! You can omit this, but I love the extra minty flavor it brings!
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe. Use a spoon to add the flour to the measuring cup to avoid packing the flour.
- White chocolate chips: I love the subtle taste the white chocolate chips bring to this holiday cookie, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or any other sort of chocolate chunks.
- Crushed candy canes: The candy canes are this cookie’s extra crunch and texture. You can omit these, but I love the extra peppermint flavor they bring to the cookie. I recommend only using a mint or peppermint-flavored candy cane instead of fruity candy canes that can be found around Christmas time.
How to Make White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the peppermint extract, vanilla, and egg and mix until combined.
STEP TWO: In a separate medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, ensuring they are well combined. Gradually combine the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides as needed to create a thoroughly mixed dough.
STEP THREE: Gently fold in ¾ of the crushed peppermint candies and ¾ of the white chocolate chips. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
STEP FOUR: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP FIVE: Scoop out two tablespoon-sized portions of your chilled dough, roll the cookie dough into balls, and place them on your prepared baking sheet.
STEP SIX: Bake the cookies for 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven, sprinkle the remaining crushed candy cane and white chocolate on top, then return them to the oven for 2 minutes.
STEP SEVEN: Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for at least 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips to Make the Best Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring eggs and butter to room temperature first for smoother mixing.
- Crush Peppermint Candy: Place whole candy canes in a Ziploc bag and crush them into small pieces by rolling a rolling pin over them. Or, blitz them in a food processor!
- Avoid overmixing when adding the peppermint flavor, vanilla, and egg. Doing so can make the cookies stiff, so it’s best to aim for 15-20 seconds.
- Sifting Dry Ingredients: If you have the time, sifting the dry ingredients helps create a smoother, more consistent texture.
- Chill the Dough: Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for easier handling and less spread in the oven.
- Line Baking Sheets: For easy cleanup and to prevent spreading, line your baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If you’re making multiple batches on the same cookie sheet, allow it to cool between batches.
Variations to Peppermint Cookies
- Crunchy Delight: Add a delightful crunch by including almonds, walnuts, or your favorite nuts in the dough, just like my chocolate chip cookies with walnuts recipe.
- Chocolate Twist: Experiment with milk or dark chocolate chips for a different flavor profile.
- Minty Choice: Adjust the peppermint flavor to your taste preference, whether you prefer a subtle or intense minty flavor.
- Rich and Chocolatey: If you want more chocolate flavor in your peppermint cookies, try incorporating cocoa into the dough.
- Gluten-Free Option: Substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour for regular flour and enjoy the same delicious cookies without gluten.
- Double Peppermint: Substitute the traditional white chocolate chips for peppermint baking chips — they’re so delicious, like the peppermint kisses in my kiss cookies here.
How Can I Store White Chocolate Mint Cookies?
You can keep your leftover cookies fresh in an airtight container. Store them on the countertop for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for a week.
If you have extra dough, it can be refrigerated for three days or frozen for up to three months. Before baking, allow the chilled dough to sit out for 15 minutes.
What to Serve with Peppermint Cookies
If you plan on having a holiday dessert table, try other Christmas cookie recipes like my favorite Brownie Crinkle Cookies, Christmas Candy, Peppermint Kiss Cookies, Hershey Kiss Cookies, and Slice and Bake Cookies!
More Christmas Cookie Recipes to Try!
White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint oil
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a large bowl.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and peppermint oil into the large bowl. Mix until fully incorporated for 15-20 seconds. Any longer and your cookies will be stiff.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and mix until fully incorporated.Â
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing again until fully incorporated and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Fold in ¾ of the white chocolate chips and ¾ of the crushed candy canes.Â
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.Â
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line and baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a measuring spoon to scoop two tablespoons of dough. Use clean hands to roll the dough into a ball and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 5 minutes.Â
- Remove the cookies from the oven and place the remainder of the white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes on top of each cookie.Â
- Bake for an additional 2 minutes.Â
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then place onto a wire rack.
