This peppermint mocha cookies recipe has quickly become a favorite Christmas cookie with my friends and family. The chocolate mocha cookie is super soft and fudgy, almost like a brownie that’s been flavored with peppermint. The peppermint cookies are then partially dipped in melted white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes for a festive look that makes them stand out in a cookie crowd.
Like eggnog and gingerbread, peppermint is part of the Christmas flavor triangle. Peppermint and chocolate also go hand in hand and these easy peppermint mocha cookies stand out for their pop of flavor and soft and chewy texture. For another easy peppermint cookies recipe that isn’t dipped in melted chocolate, try my chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies.
What makes this recipe one of the best peppermint mocha cookies I’ve had is not only are they easy to make, but even 4-5 days later, the cookies are still soft and chewy. They are also endlessly versatile and have so many ways to switch things up to your own liking. Look below under variations for ways to vary the chocolate peppermint cookies base and topping.
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🥘 Ingredients for Peppermint Mocha Cookies
The base recipe for these chewy peppermint mocha cookies only requires a few ingredients you may not usually keep on hand, and there’s a ton of options for changing things up. I’ll mention a few in the ingredients section here, but also read the variations for other ways to switch up the ingredients.
Flour – For the base of the cookie structure, use all-purpose flour. Like brownies, the flour used will be less than usual for the number of cookies this recipe makes.
Leaveners – Use a bit of both baking soda and baking powder here. Because this recipe uses Dutch-processed cocoa powder, you’ll need a bit of baking powder to make up for the difference in acidity found in regular cocoa powder.
Espresso – Espresso powder is what changes the cookies from chocolate to mocha. While optional if you don’t want to add this, espresso powder helps make chocolate flavor even more chocolaty and rich.
Cocoa Powder – For this recipe I use a heaping amount of Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Using the Dutch-processed cocoa gives the cookies a bit darker color and fudgier flavor, but also means you’ll need to use a bit of baking powder as well.
Butter – Use a ½ cup of unsalted butter here at room temperature. If you use salted, omit the added salt in the recipe.
Sugar – Use a bit of both white and brown sugar here. I like dark brown sugar, but light brown is fine as well. The brown sugar helps to keep the cookies moist and chewy.
Extracts – A combination of vanilla and peppermint extracts help flavor the cookies. This gives the cookies a nice and subtle peppermint flavor. If you want a bigger punch, flip the amount of vanilla and peppermint extracts called for in the recipe card.
Eggs – Use one whole egg and one egg yolk, both at room temperature, for these cookies. The extra yolk contributes to the moist and chewy texture of the cookies.
Candy Canes – Use 3-4 standard sized peppermint candy canes here. I like to crush one and add it to the dry ingredients in the cookie dough. Smash the rest to coat the chocolate dipped half of the cookies.
Chocolate Chips – Optional, but I like to fold in about ¾ cup of regular or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough. This adds a bit of texture and more chocolate flavor. You can also switch this up with dark chocolate, white chocolate, or peppermint chips as well.
White Chocolate – Use white chocolate baking bars here for dipping. I don’t suggest white chocolate chips as they contain more preservatives and additives that help them keep their shape. This makes dipping more difficult. You’ll need about 8oz of white chocolate, which is two 4-ounce baking bars. If you don’t want to dip the cookies, you can skip this, or switch it up for dark or milk chocolate as well, or even drizzle the cookies instead of dipping.
🔪 How to Make Peppermint Mocha Cookies
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and 1-2 crushed candy canes (optional). Whisk together thoroughly and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars. Start on a low speed until combined, then turn the speed up to medium and cream together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Now add the extracts, egg, and egg yolk, and mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2-3 increments, mixing until just combined. Once mixed, fold in the chocolate chips if using. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight.
Once chilled, set the dough out at room temperature while the oven preheats. If refrigerated overnight, you may need to leave it out for a good 20 minutes to soften enough to be scoopable.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop, or roughly into 1 ½ tablespoon portions. Roll into balls with your hands and place on the cookie sheet an inch or two apart. I fit about 12 cookies on a baking sheet at a time.
Bake for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will still be quite soft when you take them out of the oven. If they poof up a decent amount, I tapped them down just slightly with my fingers as they came out of the oven. This isn’t necessary, but I find they’re easier to dip if they’re a little flatter and even as opposed to dome shaped.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes to finish setting up, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Continue baking and cooling before dipping.
Once all the cookies have cooled completely, you can melt the chocolate. Chop the chocolate bars into pieces and use a double boiler on the stove or a microwave to melt the chocolate bars. If using the microwave, heat in 15-20 second increments, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Don’t overheat in the microwave or the chocolate can scorch.
Dip the cookies half-way into the melted chocolate and set onto the same cookie sheet you used for baking. Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces over the dipped half of the cookies before the chocolate sets. Continue dipping and sprinkling until all the cookies are done. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to let the chocolate fully set, at least an hour.
Remove from the refrigerator and enjoy! Can be stored at room temperature for up to a week in an airtight container.
📖 Variations
While the base of this white chocolate peppermint mocha recipe is great on as it is, here’s where you can really play around with it. These holiday peppermint cookies are really versatile, and you can make your own family version and decorate with your kids.
Cookie Flavors
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies – Don’t want to add espresso? Simply omit it and make chocolate cookies instead of mocha cookies. Can also replace it with extra cocoa powder or a pack of hot chocolate mix.
No Peppermint – Not a fan of peppermint flavor? Just leave out the candy canes and replace the peppermint extract with more vanilla extract instead.
Super Peppermint-y Cookies – On the flip side, if you really want the peppermint flavor to stand out, add a few tweaks. Flip the amount of vanilla and peppermint extract called for in the recipe. Add more crushed candy cane into the cookie dough. And if you really want more flavor, swap the chocolate chips for peppermint chips.
Cocoa Powder – If you’d prefer to use regular, unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed cocoa powder, you can. Simply swap the amount called for 1:1, omit the baking powder, and change the baking soda from ½ teaspoon to a full 1 teaspoon. The flavor and texture will be slightly different, but both ways taste good.
Mix-Ins – Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you could swap them for dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peppermint chips, or even some chopped up pretzel pieces. If you mix and match, try to keep the total addition to about 1 cup and fold them into the finished cookie dough.
Cookie Toppings
Different Chocolate – Instead of dipping the peppermint mocha cookies into melted white chocolate, try melted dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or milk chocolate.
Color Contrast – Personally I like the contrast of the black and white cookies coated with red candy cane pieces. While you don’t have to keep it that way, you could swap things up to keep that contrast as well. Use white chocolate chips in the cookie and dip in dark chocolate instead. Or use peppermint chips in the dough and dip in dark or milk chocolate and skip the candy cane pieces. Use your imagination and experiment.
Drizzled Cookies – You can also skip dipping the cookies and drizzle them instead. Pour melted chocolate into a small squirt bottle or simply drizzle with a spoon over the tops of the cookies. This will make adding crushed candy canes difficult and you’ll probably have to skip that, however.
No Topping – If you prefer, you can simply skip topping the cookies altogether as well. This can save you time and money and the mocha cookies will still be tasty on their own.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
The espresso powder is what changes a chocolate cookie into a mocha cookie, but feel free to omit it if you don’t like the flavor or have a caffeine sensitivity.
Dutch processed cocoa powder is processed with an alkali solution that lowers the acidity of the cocoa powder. This process tends to make it darker and richer in recipes. For the most part, you can use them interchangeably without a huge difference, but it’s best to follow the directions in recipes as written.
When you finish making the cookie dough, you’ll see that it’s quite sticky and loose. Chilling the dough for at least an hour or two makes it much easier to work with and reduces the amount of spreading in the oven.
🍽 Equipment
Other than the usual kitchen items like mixing bowls and baking sheets, there’s nothing special required for these white chocolate mocha cookies. Here’s just a handful of items I do recommend if you don’t already have them.
Baking Mat – Parchment paper is fine, but if you do a lot of baking, I recommend using a silicone baking mat. They work incredibly well, they’re nonstick, and easy to clean. It also works perfect for setting the chocolate as the cookies peeled away easily once the chocolate set.
Cookie Scoop – While you could eyeball the amount of dough for each cookie, or even weigh them, using a medium cookie scoop that’s already measured for 1 ½ tablespoons is much easier and helps making cookies of a consistent size.
❄️ Storing and Freezing
You can store these Christmas cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week and they’ll stay surprisingly soft. If your house tends to be on the warmer side, and you find the chocolate coating tacky or melts easily when you eat them, you can also store them in the refrigerator instead.
The cookies also freeze well in a sealed container or bag for 2-3 months.
If you wish to make these ahead of time, you can also freeze the unbaked cookies. Proceed with the recipe up to the point you portion and roll the cookie dough. Freeze the cookie balls for an hour or two on a sheet pan, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Bake as directed straight from frozen and add 1-3 minutes to the baking time.
📋 Recipe
Peppermint Mocha Cookies
Ingredients
Peppermint Mocha Cookies:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- ⅔ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 candy cane, crushed, optional
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed, or light brown
- 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
Chocolate Coating:
- 8 ounces white chocolate baking bars, roughly chopped
- 2-3 candy canes, crushed
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, add 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, ⅔ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and 1-2 crushed candy canes (optional). Whisk together thoroughly and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup dark brown sugar. Start on a low speed until combined, then turn the speed up to medium and cream together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Now add 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract, egg, and egg yolk, and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2-3 increments, mixing until just combined. Once mixed, fold in the ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips if using. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight.
- Once chilled, set the dough out at room temperature while the oven preheats. If refrigerated overnight, you may need to leave it out for a good 20 minutes to soften enough to be scoopable.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop, or roughly into 1 ½ tablespoon portions. Roll into balls with your hands and place on the cookie sheet an inch or two apart. I fit about 12 cookies on a baking sheet at a time.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will still be quite soft when you take them out of the oven. If they poof up a decent amount, I tapped them down just slightly with my fingers as they came out of the oven. This isn’t necessary, but I find they’re easier to dip if they’re a little flatter and even as opposed to dome shaped.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes to finish setting up, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Continue baking and cooling before dipping.
- Once all the cookies have cooled completely, you can melt the chocolate. Roughly chop the 8-ounces of chocolate bars into pieces and use a double boiler on the stove or a microwave to melt the chocolate bars. If using the microwave, heat in 15-20 second increments, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Don’t overheat in the microwave or the chocolate can scorch.
- Dip the cookies half-way into the melted chocolate and set onto the same cookie sheet you used for baking. Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces over the dipped half of the cookies before the chocolate sets. Continue dipping and sprinkling until all the cookies are done. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to let the chocolate fully set, at least an hour.
- Remove from the refrigerator and enjoy! Can be stored at room temperature for up to a week in an airtight container.
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