Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies ~These are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. I love the beautiful snowy white layer of powdered sugar crackled against a black chocolatey background. These cookies are as beautiful as they are yummy. Wrapped in a crisp exterior these crinkle cookies have a chewy brownie-like inside and for some added holiday cheer I kicked up this classic holiday cookie recipe with some peppermint flavoring.
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
I don’t know about you, but I love the holidays. I love the Christmas music, the food, the baking, the decorating and the wrapping. What I don’t like is any stress or drama related to it. So a while back I started shopping early. By that I mean July-early so that by Halloween I’m 90% done. The last ten percent is reserved for last minute Cyber Monday deals.
I know, annoyingly anal, right? But hey, it works for me. Life can be stressful enough that I try to minimize the stresses that I can control. That means shopping early and preparing holiday food that can be completed the night before and reheated the day of. Before you go sighing on me, I should mention – I don’t do turkey or ham. I do everything but, like appetizers, side dishes and desserts. So whether I’m hosting or traveling this allows me to enjoy family and friends.
A few notes:
- The original recipe does not call for peppermint. I added that for an extra holiday flavor (after having Panera’s Peppermint Crinkle Cookie). Remember to press the cookie with a spatula after they cool for 1-2 minutes for them to look like Panera’s version.
- For best results let the cookie dough rest overnight.
- The cookie dough can be prepared four days in advance. Once the cookies are baked they can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- To keep your cookies chewy add a plain piece of bread to the container. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread and stay chewy. Replace the bread piece once it starts to resemble a crouton in texture.
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
*****Please note: I have adjusted the butter and corn syrup ratio from the original posting as it was written incorrectly*****
Adapted from Shirley Corriher
Yields 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spooned and leveled bleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 3/4 cups sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm, not hot
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons of peppermint extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, beat together well the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 50 percent power for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for 15 seconds more and stir; set aside.
- In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together 2 1/2 cups of the sugar, the oil, butter and corn syrup to blend. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract. Then on low, beat in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and beat in on low speed. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line bakesheet with parchment. Take out about one-quarter of the dough at a time to shape. Roll the dough into 3 inch balls. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar into one bowl and the confectioners’ sugar in another bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball lightly in granulated sugar first, then very heavily in confectioners’ sugar. (By rolling in plain sugar first, the confectioners’ sugar does not soak in so much and stays on the surface better).
- Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on the foil. For crisp cookies, bake 12 to 14 minutes. For a chewier cookie, bake 10-12 minutes. Bake one sheet at a time. Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes, the press flat with a spatula.
Adapted from Shirley Corridor
Oh no! Oh YES!
All your desserts look SO good that every time I see them I just wanna dive right into my computer screen! And this one’s no different!
Too good!
chocolate and peppermint – yes please! 🙂 I’ve heard the bread slice trick before but never tried it. Do you happen to have a picture of any assembled cookie boxes from a previous year? Would love to see them as I’m always looking for gifting ideas.
I always know the holidays are near when I see chocolate crinkle cookies. 😉 Beautiful job on these. I love the mint addition.
These look and sound so amazing! I need to put this on the xmas cookie list 🙂
Gorgeous cookies! Those would make a great christmas gift 🙂
Totally beautiful!!! Love your creativity girl!!
These are so good! I’ve received them as gifts, but I look forward to making them myself now. Thanks!
I’m SO printing this recipe!! We had them at Panera the other day and LOVED them!!
I’ve been wanting to make chocolate crinkles, but your version is definitely the one for me. I like the added peppermint. So much more Christmas-y!
Crinkles are my favorite holiday cookie! Love these!
Oh my. These are positively festive! I like the sound of your organization. Ha! I have shopping done for exactly 0 people at the moment.
Love the addition of peppermint!
Wow, you sound way more organized than I am! These cookies look delish. Hubby loves anything minty so I think I’ll try these. Great picture too!
Oh man,I was feeling all high & mighty because I got all of my Christmas decorations up this weekend…shopping, not so much. Guess I’ll go drown my sorrows in a cold glass of milk while I indulge in these Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies! I’m feeling better already 🙂
OMG… I have a recipe very similar to these in the oven right now! Too funny! Great minds…
They look delicious!!!
These cookies look delicious! Very similar to a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit this month for chocolate peppermint cookies… which I made the same night the issue came in the mail. I’ll trade you a bag of tangerines for a batch of these cookies?! 😛
[K]
These cookies are beautiful… and I love chocolate and peppermint this time of year!
Wow….those are GORGEOUS!!!
i am so excited to make this! but i noticed that you do not have a measurement for the butter… 🙁
Hi Ande,
Thanks for letting me know. Its 2 tablespoons. I have added it to the recipe.
Happy Baking!
Naomi
sigh . . . there is just no getting around the fact that, as a food blogger, i shall come across way too many delicious goodies this season . . . ok treadmill, it’s you and me!
So funny! I was really tempted to have one of these at Panera just yesterday but was trying to be good. Now I wish I had! They look so yummy.
I gotta tell I chuckled when I read “Replace the bread piece once it starts to resemble a crouton in texture.” I’d be the dummy not sure if I needed to toss it. lol
Oh, and Naomi. I’m not sure I can be friends with Ms. Perfect Planner. Yeah, I’m hatin’. 🙂
~ingrid, aka last minute lizzie
How did you know I love peppermint and chocolate! See Naomi, this is why I love your blog. You make the best baked goodies with beautiful photos!
Oh yum!!! I love chocolate and peppermint together. A must bake for sure!! ps….I made your Sweet Potato casserole for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! Thanks so much for all the great recipes and posts!!
Christmas is my favorite part of the year, too! I love peppermints and the way you add it to the crinkles…I can’t wait to do this holiday! 🙂
Your photos are simply fantastic. I just want to sit and stare for awhile 🙂 Okay – I have a confession to make too – I like being ready early also. This year, I sent out our holiday cards the day after Thanksgiving. When people give me a hard time, I tell them that Hanukkah is early this year 🙂
I have read the recipe a few times and am not seeing where the butter is in the instructions…. Am I missing something?
Your crinkle cookies are beautiful. I also love the way that bright white sugar plays off the dark chocolate cookie. Beautiful photography! xo
Hi Catherine,
It’s right after the oil, in the first portion of #2 in the instructions. Sorry about that. The butter is my adaptation. I added it for a more cookie texture, since the original recipe yielded a more puffy cake-like texture.
These sound delicious! Can’t wait to try them. The recipe gives the baking time for crispy cookies, but your description seemed to describe them as more of the chewy variety. Do you have a recommended chewy-cookie baking time? :o)
These look delicious! I do have a question – I’m really weird about my corn syrup (unless I’m making candy), could I replace that tablespoon of corn syrup with another “liquid” or perhaps just granulated sugar?
Hi Laurie,
These cookies are crispy on the edges and on the outside but very chewy on the inside even with the crisp baking time. For a chewier cookie reduce the bake time by 2-4 minutes and place them in your container with a piece of bread while they are still slighlty warm.
Hi Lauren,
The corn syrup helps to give the cookie a chewy texture, to replace it, try using dark brown sugar to keep the moisture and the chewy texture.
Those cookies look beautiful! Really. I mean, usually cookies look delicious but those look tasty and gorgeous. And the glass of milk alongside just sweetens the deal.
These look delicious! I’m just wondering if there’s a reason you call specifically for bleached flour?
I JUST had one of Panera’s cookies on the way home from our thanksgiving travels and absolutely LOVED it! I’ll definitely be trying this recipe! Thanks!
Hi Vanderbilt Wife,
I’m not really sure, this is an adaptation, so much of the original recipe is intact and the flour portion is one of them. What were you looking to use instead?
I just always buy unbleached flour. It seemed like a strange specification since it wouldn’t affect the color! I won’t worry about it. 🙂
Stopped over to you site from Ree.
I had these cookies at Panera yesterday with my daughter.
I’m SO excited to now have the recipe! YUM! Thanks so much!
What a stunning holiday recipe! Would you like to submit it to my contest to win a cookbook? Just wanting to share the holiday cheer (and exposure to your blog) Would love for you to win 🙂 http://ow.ly/3j61M
Thanks Naomi! Can’t wait to try these out! I can taste them now!
These look awesome. Great pics!
Saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman blog today and had to bookmark it for my daughter! She works at Panera and comes home from work almost every night with a Peppermint Crinkle Cookie in hand, so she’s thrilled to have this recipe! We’re definitely going to add it to our line-up for later this month! Thanks for sharing!
I noticed your recipe called specifically for bleached flour. I bake with unbleached flour – does it matter?
Hi Eliza,
No, it does not the bleached, is from the original recipe, but I have used unbleached as well.
I made the dough for these last night – using the other measurements for butter and corn syrup. They tasted great! I wonder how different they will be with the amended measurements.
I will definitely be making these for my cocktail party this holiday season — I have a feeling I won’t have any leftovers. They look amazing!
Thanks for making me hungry!
Stephanie
OMW! I know exactly how I am winding down from my crazy work week. Now all I need is a fire, a good book and Bing sing White Christmas. Heaven.
These look delicious – and such a nice photo!
I used the old butter/syrup measurements–only I subbed honey for the corn syrup and coconut oil for the canola. They turned out divine! I did have to microwave my dough a little to get it to be malleable after it had been in the fridge for 24 hours.
Hello ; awesome receipe really wanna try this but can u tell me how to make this without eggs .dnt eat eggs so?
Wow! These were outstanding, chewy and minty, oh so yummy! But I am wondering how you got that nearly black cookie… mine are definitely more of the usual chocolate look. Did you use dark chocolate for the photo cookies? Because I have never seen semi-sweet chocolate turn out that dark, but I LOVE the way it looks that dark and am a HUGE fan of dark chocolate… HELP?
This is so funny that you mention it. I have made the dough and will be making these tomorrow afternoon. As I revisited the photo at the top, I realized that my dough is way more brown and less black. I am sure they will be tasty, because the batter was.
How did they turn out colour-wise? I might try the dark chocolate next time anyway.
Having read through the recipe on Williams Sonoma blog and on yours, I have a question about the size of cookie. Do you really make a 3″ diameter dough ball? That would be the size of a softball? Can you please clarify?
Thanks
Natalie
Any idea if these cookies freeze well?
Made these cookie today. Haven’t tried them yet but they didn’t come out like yours. Definitely not as dark….and don’t have cracked look. What did i do wrong? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!