Ok, ok! I know. Everyone is totally done with baking cookies, making candy, and building sweet treats of every sort for the year! I get that. Believe me, I get that! My kitchen counter is still piled with Christmas tins containing all sorts of edible delicacies. But I just had to share this recipe with you for next Christmas.

I know, by then you will have forgotten about this recipe and will be sunning yourself somewhere in the Caribbean rather than baking 500 cookies to send and give to friends and family. And I plan to be right there with you. Using plenty of sunscreen of course. (Had to write that so my dermatologist wouldn’t get on my case.) But I have myself to think about too. I need to get this recipe off my desk because every time I look at it, I’m reminded of the tin, just a few steps away, wherein the last few of these cookies reside. So, like I said, I need to file this recipe away. Kind of a “get thee behind me Satan” reflex on my part.  

Of course, part of me simply wants to share this recipe with you because it turned out pretty darn good. And the cookies are stinkin’ easy to build. The flavor is fabulous, the shortbread is crunchy, and who can resist soft peppermint candy? No one I know. In fact, our good friend Jim would never forgive me if I didn’t build him some kind of chocolate peppermint cookie every year for Christmas. We all have our sacred seasonal treats, and for Jim its chocolate cookies decorated with peppermint. Of course, Mr. C. is also a great fan of peppermint. So, on all counts, baking chocolate peppermint cookies at Christmas time is a no brainer.

So, I hope you give this recipe a try. And for the sake of variety, I also have 3 other chocolate and soft peppermint cookie recipes on this site. Chocolate Chip Peppermint Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, and Peppermint Candy and Chocolate Chip Biscotti. All are delicious and sure to make someone’s Christmas even brighter.

So as always, here’s to happy times in your kitchen. Stay safe. We still have a long way to go in our fight against covid-19. Please don’t let your guard down. I know how hard it is not to hug your grandchild or have your nearest and dearest over for dinner. Or go visit your grown kids. Or travel to foreign lands. Or go to a play or concert. Believe me, I know. But we simply can’t put ourselves or our loved ones at risk. The consequences are just too great.   

There’s an old saying that I have lived by my entire adult life. “This too shall pass.” Apparently, it’s an old Persian adage. And where I first heard it, I have no idea. Probably from my dad. I know it’s the kind of phrase he would have flung my way when I was being my usual obstreperous teenage self all those many years ago. (How he survived those years I will never understand.) Anyway, regardless of where and when I first heard the saying, it has helped me through several life altering incidents. And it still applies today. So dear friends, what we are living through right now shall eventually pass. So, stay strong. Peace and love to all.     

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. good peppermint extract

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

½ c. good quality cocoa powder

2/3 c. milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips, or more as needed

soft peppermint candy*, crushed  

Beat the butter until pale and creamy in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and peppermint extract; beat until well combined. Whisk the flour and cocoa powder together in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough is formed.  

Place the dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Using your hands, wrap the dough into the plastic wrap gently shaping it into a round log 1-1½-inches wide. (Your choice.) Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  

Un-wrap logs and using a serrated or thin knife, slice dough between ¼-⅓-inch thick. (If dough feels too hard, leave at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing).

Arrange slices, about 1-inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until set, 15-18 minutes. (Do not under-bake.) Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Spread the top of each cookie with the melted chocolate.  Sprinkle the warm chocolate with crushed soft peppermint candy.  Allow the chocolate to set completely before storing in an airtight container.

*I use King Leo Soft Peppermint Sticks or See’s Peppermint Twists. I don’t use regular candy canes because they are not of the same quality. Soft peppermint is the way to go.