A chocolate crinkle cookie has long been a staple of Christmas, holiday cookie swaps, and cookie exchanges. Here’s a way to make the original recipe even better by turning them into chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies. Loaded with flavor, and extra chocolate on top, this recipe is sure to become your new holiday favorite.
About Crinkle Cookies
If you haven’t made chocolate crinkle cookies before, I’m sure you’ve seen them at plenty of parties. They are the pretty chocolate cookies that are coated with powdered sugar. When they bake the powdered sugar forms a pretty design on top as the cookie spreads. It’s a really simple recipe, but the addition of a confectionary sugar coating turns them into something special.
These peppermint crinkle cookies are easy to make. It’s a straightforward and easy recipe. The key to this recipe is the addition of a peppermint Hershey’s kiss on top.
Overview of Ingredients
Butter: For best results, use unsalted butter for this recipe. You want the butter to be room temperature so that it creams together nicely with the sugars. If you prefer not to use butter, shortening can be substituted. However, it does change the texture of the cookie. I do not recommend using vegetable oil as that really changes the texture and consistency of the cookie.
Sugar: This recipe uses both brown sugar and white granulated sugar. I prefer the flavor of light brown sugar so that’s what I use, but you can use dark brown sugar if you prefer.
Dry Ingredients: The flour mixture for this recipe include all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking soda. I like to combine these ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside while I work on creaming together the wet ingredients.
The recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder. You can use a dutch-process cocoa powder if you prefer. The color of the cookie will be darker, and the texture may change slightly.
Peppermint: The peppermint flavor for this cookie is provided by the Hershey kiss on top. I am not a big peppermint fan so to me the hint of peppermint is just the right amount for these peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies. But if you want the chocolate cookie to have a peppermint flavor as well, you can add a 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Extracts are very strong, so it only takes a tiny bit to get the flavor.
How to Make Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
The recipe below gives you the step-by-step instructions, but here’s a quick look at the key steps and tips for how to make these chocolate peppermint cookies.
- You can mix the wet ingredients by hand, but a hand mixer or electric stand mixer really helps with this recipe. You’ll start by creaming together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed. When you add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue to mix, you’ll notice that the batter becomes lighter as you mix. This is your key that it is ready to combine with the dry ingredients.
- When it comes to adding the flour mixture, I like to mix the dry ingredients by hand. If you do use the mixer, make sure that you mix just until combined. You don’t want to overmix the batter.
- Stir in mini chocolate chips. You can use regular chocolate chips, but the mini chips are good because they will add chocolate flavor without adding the texture of a big chip.
- The dough needs to chill. This is important because the chilled cookie dough will maintain its shape better as it bakes. If you don’t chill the dough the cookies will be too flat and the crinkle design won’t be as pretty. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but you can also chill overnight.
- Use parchment paper on a baking sheet to prevent the cookies from sticking. The parchment paper also helps them bake and to spread properly.
- This recipe uses a combination of white sugar and powdered sugar for the coating. You can mix these two sugars together in a small bowl, or just use confectioner’s sugar and skip the granulated sugar if you prefer. Use a cookie scoop to make cookie dough balls. If you don’t have a scoop, use a tablespoon and then roll the dough in your hands to form a ball.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes. When you take the cookies out of the oven, immediately top each cookie with a Hershey’s kiss.
Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- 1 inch Cookie Scoop
- Measuring Cup
- Measuring spoon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- Holiday chocolate kisses
To Roll In:
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add the butter, salt, brown sugar and white sugar. Use a mixer to cream together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix together for about 2 minutes. The mixture will become paler as you mix it together.
- Add in cocoa powder, flour, and baking soda. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold into the batter. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix together 1/4 granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
- Use a 1 inch cookie scoop to make dough balls and dip into the bowl of powdered sugar. Then place onto the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies slightly spread and crinkles form in the powdered sugar.
- While the cookies are baking, prep the peppermint kisses by unwrapping them.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place a peppermint kiss into each cookie. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes and then enjoy!
How to Modify Recipe
Chocolate crinkle cookies show up during the holiday season, especially if you participate in a cookie exchange party. I think it’s one of those tried and true recipes that has been passed along for generations. And while these peppermint crinkle cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie, I think they’re great for any time of year.
You can modify this recipe to make it your own, and to incorporate flavors that you love. An easy way to do this is by substituting the type of Hershey’s kiss you put on top. I don’t recommend using the almond kisses, but any of the other flavors would be great. The milk chocolate kisses or dark chocolate kisses would both be great options.
What if you don’t have chocolate kisses on hand, but you still want to make these chocolate peppermint crinkle blossom cookies? Well, you could use melted chocolate instead of a kiss. I know that a blossom cookie means that it has the kiss on top, but that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t drizzle chocolate on top instead.
Another way to add the peppermint flavor to these peppermint crinkle cookies is by adding crushed peppermint candy or crushed candy canes on top. This gives the cookies a nice crunch to complement the chewy chocolate cookie. Or how about adding chopped peppermint bark on top. It’s the perfect combination of chocolate and peppermint. Williams Sonoma is known for their holiday bark, and this would be a great addition to these cookies. Or, use chopped Dove Promises dark chocolate peppermint bark on top.
Chocolate blossom cookies are the perfect holiday cookie, but don’t limit yourself to just the Christmas season. These cookies store well in an airtight container, which makes them a great gift idea for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, or the Easter holiday.
This easy cookie recipe can be made ahead, and the dough will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Heat oven while you make the cookie balls, and while they bake you can unwrap the kisses and get ready to add them to these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies. I am sure they will become your new favorite holiday cookie.
More holiday cookie ideas:
Spiced Cookies with Powdered Sugar
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