Description
Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies are a chewy double-chocolate cookie, half-coated in white chocolate and topped with crunchy peppermint — like peppermint bark, but cookie-shaped. They’re fudgy inside, glossy and festive on the outside, and perfect for holiday trays.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour — (use 1:1 gluten-free if needed)
- 2/3 cup (55 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (120 g / 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk
- 1 (3.5 oz) semi-sweet chocolate bar, roughly chopped (plus extra for sprinkling, optional)
For the white chocolate finish
- 9–11 oz premium white chocolate baking bar, chopped (or white chocolate chips)
- 2 teaspoons (≈9 g) refined coconut oil or vegetable shortening — start with less
- 6–8 candy canes, crushed into shards
Instructions
1. Chill time is non-negotiable. This dough needs at least 2 hours in the fridge, preferably overnight. Longer chilling yields thicker cookies (up to 3 days chill time works).
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until uniform.
3. Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl or mixer, beat the softened butter with granulated and brown sugar on medium-high for 2–3 minutes until lighter in color and fluffy.
4. Add the wet flavors. Beat in the egg, vanilla, peppermint extract, and milk until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
5. Combine wet + dry. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
6. Fold in chocolate. Stir the chopped semisweet chocolate into the dough with a spatula.
7. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (3+ hours preferred). Chilling prevents spreading.
8. Preheat & prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.
9. Scoop & bake. If dough has chilled more than a day, let it sit 15–30 minutes to ease scooping. Use a large scoop (3–4 Tbsp) to form tall mounds. Place dough 2–3 inches apart and bake 10–12 minutes, until edges look set but centers remain soft.
10. Cool before dipping. Let cookies rest 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a rack. Wait until the chocolate inside is set and no longer molten before dunking in white chocolate.
11. Melt the white chocolate. In a tall, narrow container (measuring cup works), microwave the chopped white chocolate with 1–2 tsp coconut oil in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Start with the smaller oil amount — you can add more if needed. Too much oil = a runny coating.
12. Half-dip & decorate. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the melted white chocolate. Place on parchment and sprinkle immediately with crushed candy canes. Allow the coating to harden completely.
13. Store or freeze. Baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days, in the fridge up to 1 week, or in the freezer for 3 months.
Notes
- Notes & tips
- Measure flour correctly. Spoon into the cup and level or weigh for accuracy.
- Use a white chocolate bar for the glossiest finish. Bars tend to melt smoother than chips.
- Start with less coconut oil. Add a little only if the white chocolate is too stiff; too much will make the coating slide off.
- Don’t dip warm cookies. If you dip while the interior chocolate is still soft, the colors can bleed and the coating won’t set properly.
- To bake from frozen dough: Freeze scooped dough on a tray until solid, then transfer to a sealed bag. Bake from frozen — add 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
- Substitutions & extras
- Swap the semi-sweet for milk or dark chocolate chunks depending on how sweet or bitter you like the cookie.
- Use a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend if you need a GF option — I tested with popular blends and they worked well.
- For smaller cookies, use a smaller scoop and reduce bake time by a minute or two.
- Freezing the dough (quick how-to)
- Shape scoops and flash-freeze on a baking sheet until solid.
- Transfer to airtight freezer bags.
- Bake straight from frozen; add 60–120 seconds to baking time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1cookie
- Calories: 184kcal
- Sugar: 17.7g
- Sodium: 114mg
- Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 28.7g
- Fiber: 2.1g
- Protein: 2.4g
- Cholesterol: 23.9mg