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.