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Copycat Giant Peppermint-Chocolate Cookies Are the Perfect Holiday Treat

Copycat Giant Peppermint-Chocolate Cookies Are the Perfect Holiday Treat
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
5 hrs 10 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
8 cookies

Another Levain favorite, the seasonal dark chocolate-peppermint cookie, inspired this riff. We turned down the chocolate flavor (cocoa and semisweet chips instead of dark chocolate) but intensified the mint by processing Starlight mint candies into a fine peppermint sugar that’s creamed with the butter in the dough.

Tips for Making Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

Keep these helpful Test Kitchen tips in mind when making this copycat cookie recipe.

  • Use a food processor to crush the candies. Add candies and pulse until desired texture. Very finely crushed peppermint candies are the texture of sanding sugar. Finely crushed peppermint candies are 1/8- to 1/4-inch chunks.
  • The peppermint-sugar coating melts into the cookies quickly as they bake. For an extra dose of holiday cheer, sprinkle additional peppermint chips and mint candies on top during the last couple minutes of baking. Our recipe testers loved adding these Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Mix-Ins.

How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies

To achieve consistent bakery-style rounds, try this trick with just-baked cookies. Using a 5- to 6-inch round cookie cutter in a swirling motion, shape the edges of the cookie until perfectly round (you aren't getting rid of any part of the cookie edge, but molding edge into a perfect circle). Because the cookies are still warm they're flexible enough to change shape minimally without breaking.

How to Store Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

To store this peppermint-chocolate cookie recipe, place baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter, softened

  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/4 cup very finely crushed peppermint candies

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  • 1 cup peppermint-flavored chips or 6 oz. chocolate-peppermint squares, chopped

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/4 cup finely crushed peppermint candies

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with a mixer until creamy. Add brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, and the very finely crushed candies. Beat on medium until very light, 3 minutes. Scrape bowl; beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; beat just until combined. Stir in chips. Cover and chill dough 30 minutes.

  2. Line a tray or cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a shallow dish combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and and the finely crushed candies. Portion dough into eight even pieces. Shape the portions into balls. Gently dip half of each dough ball into sugar mixture. Place, sugar side up, on prepared tray. Freeze 4 to 24 hours.

  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange four dough balls 4-inches apart, sugar side up, on a parchment-lined large cookie sheet. Bake 6 minutes (do not open oven). Adjust temperature to 350ºF. Bake until edges are firm and cookies appear set, about 14 minutes more. Remove from cookie sheet; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

702 Calories
33g Fat
98g Carbs
8g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 701.9
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 32.9g 42%
Saturated Fat 19g 95%
Cholesterol 107.5mg 36%
Sodium 524.3mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 98g 36%
Dietary Fiber 3.7g 13%
Total Sugars 55.6g
Protein 8.1g 16%
Vitamin D 0.2mcg 1%
Vitamin C 1.8mg 2%
Calcium 54.8mg 4%
Iron 4.9mg 27%
Potassium 237.6mg 5%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.9g
Vitamin D 10.2IU
Alanine 0.3g
Arginine 0.3g
Ash 2.4g
Aspartic acid 0.5g
Caffeine 13.5mg
Carotene, alpha 0mcg
Choline, total 51.9mg
Copper, Cu 0.3mg
Cystine 0.1g
Energy 2936.4kJ
Fluoride, F 3.1mcg
Folate, total 85.9mcg
Glutamic acid 1.8g
Glycine 0.3g
Histidine 0.2g
Isoleucine 0.3g
Leucine 0.5g
Lysine 0.3g
Methionine 0.1g
Magnesium, Mg 43mg
Manganese, Mn 0.5mg
Niacin 2.7mg
Phosphorus, P 111.6mg
Pantothenic acid 0.5mg
Phenylalanine 0.4g
Phytosterols 6.8mg
Proline 0.6g
Retinol 210.4mcg
Selenium, Se 18.8mcg
Serine 0.4g
Theobromine 105.9mg
Threonine 0.2g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.2mg
Tryptophan 0.1g
Tyrosine 0.2g
Valine 0.4g
Vitamin A, IU 912.5IU
Vitamin A, RAE 220.9mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 4.1mcg
Water 22.3g
Zinc, Zn 0.9mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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