Everything we love about chocolate peppermint bark—creamy white chocolate contrasting a delicate candy crunch—is nestled into the center of these fudgy, soft-baked holiday cookies. The trick to a cookie that’s chewy all the way through is to think of cooling as part of the baking process. Straight out of the oven, these cookies should be just set at the edges but still soft in the center. When cooled on the warm baking sheet, versus transferring to a wire rack, they’ll continue to firm up to a brownie-like texture. Use that temporary softness as a window to press shards of white chocolate into the cookies’ centers and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.
We prefer crushed candy canes, not the round old-fashioned hard candies, for the most striking presentation and crispest texture. And be sure to use Dutch-process, not natural, cocoa powder in this chocolate-peppermint cookie recipe. Our go-to is Guittard Cocoa Rouge for its intense, dark chocolate flavor and high-fat content, but Hershey’s Cocoa Special Dark also works.
It’s also important to gently spoon flour into your measuring cup and lightly level the surface with a knife or spatula. Scooping directly into a flour container and packing the measuring cup will result in too much flour per cup and drier cookie dough. Better yet, just weigh your dry ingredients.
Read more: 5 Stunningly Simple Cookies, No Mixer Needed. And head this way for more of our favorite Christmas cookies.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
Makes about 14
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°. Place 3 full-size or 6 mini candy canes in a resealable plastic bag; seal bag and coarsely crush candy with a rolling pin or a skillet. Set candy canes aside.
Step 2
Heat ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium, stirring constantly, until it foams, then browns, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and add ½ cup (packed; 100 g) dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, and 1 Tbsp. water; whisk vigorously until sugarsare dissolved and mixture is smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. Add 1 large egg, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. peppermint extract and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (45 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. baking powder, and ½ tsp. baking soda and mix with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms and no pockets of dry flour remain. Let dough sit, uncovered, at room temperature 15 minutes. (This will allow it to stiffen up slightly, making rolling it into balls easier.)
Step 3
Using a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp.) and working one at a time, scoop out portions of dough and roll into smooth balls. Divide between 2 parchment-paper-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 2" apart (about 7 per sheet).
Step 4
Bake cookies, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until puffed slightly and cracks have formed, 8–10 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. (They should be very warm but not piping hot.)
Step 5
While cookies are baking, cut or break one 4-oz. white chocolate bar into irregular angular shards that will fit nicely in the centers of cookies (about 1x1").
Step 6
Gently press chocolate pieces into centers of cookies (they should sit almost flush with tops of cookies; you can use 2 pieces in a cookie if shards are small), then return to oven and bake just until tops of chocolate pieces are barely melted, about 30 seconds. Immediately sprinkle reserved candy canes on top. Let cookies sit on baking sheets at room temperature 4 hours to allow chocolate to harden. (Or, chill 30 minutes to speed up the process.)
Do Ahead: Cookies can be baked 4 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Recipe notes
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