Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
As I’ve mentioned multiple times, chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite flavor combinations. In fact, I love it year round. It seems that it’s only acceptable to show this love of chocolate and peppermint during the winter months when it’s chilly outside. So I take full advantage and try to make as many chocolate/peppermint things as I can in the months of December and January.
I’ve seen a variety of similar cookies popping up in blogs and cookie swaps all around me. I decided to take a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I know produces a thick and chewy cookie since the addition of the candy cane crunch (or crushed up candy canes) would likely thin out a cookie as they baked.
I remember this chocolate chip cookie recipe specifically because it was the first time my eyes were awaken to the amazing flavor of bittersweet chocolate. Now I use it almost exclusively in my baking when chocolate chips are called for. I just love the flavor.
I used the leftover peppermint crunch that I got from KAF in the recipe and they came out amazingly. The peppermint and chocolate both shine and don’t overpower one another at all. This might just be my new favorite holiday cookie.
One Year Ago: Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Two Years Ago: Butter Ball Cookies
Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 4.5 dozen
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint crunch
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or more semi-sweet if you don't have bittersweet)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them, and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until just combined. Fold in the peppermint pieces and chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop cookie dough onto prepared pans. Bake 12-15 for smaller cookies, 14-17 for larger ones or until the tops are a light golden brown (mine came out after 12 minutes).
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from In The Sweet Kitchen
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Aren’t they the best? They’re so addicting. I’ve actually starting using the same ingredients, but mixing them like a more traditional chocolate chip cookie (i.e., softened butter instead of melted), because I like the dough better with softened butter. The baked cookies were just as good. Best of both worlds!
These look gorgeous. Don’t you just love AB??? 🙂
The cookies look great. I love AB too..he’s such a dork (in a good way).
I love the ATK/CI Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I will have to try these to see what I think. I remember seeing that the recipes looked similar so I am sure I will love them.
Another AB lover here. My husband gives me a hard time about my DVR list with him but loves it when I give him a fun tidbit or cook him something from AB.
I completely agree CoCo. Hubby does the same thing. I sometimes even watch episodes I’ve seen before! Hubby doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves AB too. Sometimes he’ll be the one saying “AB says to do this…”
They look SO good!! I am a sucker for a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Although, I must side with your hubby – I prefer mine with just a bit of chocolate.
How much is a stick of butter? I’m not in the US and have never come across this measurement before.
Sorry about that Naomi – 1 stick of butter = 8 Tbsp. Does that help?
this is very similar to the ccc recipe i use, but anything that makes it chewier is good in my books! i will have to keep this one in mind 🙂
Yes Jen, thank you!
Yum! I will definitely be trying these. I always chill my cookie dough too usually because I’m too busy with 3 little ones but I also read that article in the NY times awhile ago and I felt like I deserved a nice big pat on the back for always doing the 24hour chill 🙂 Great post and beautiful cookies!
I love Alton Brown because of his scientific approach to cooking and baking. I’ve been baking “The Chewy” for years. One thing I do differently: Before chilling the dough, I scoop it into balls. This makes the process much easier. Sometimes I freeze the balls for baking later. After I place the balls on parchment, I carefully place a few extra chocolate morsels on top, pointy side up. This extra step produces picture-perfect cookies every time.
The Chewy is my go to recipe for cookies. I make a few alterations, occasionally, such as substituting 1/4 of the brown sugar with dark brown sugar. I bake small portions in mini muffin tins; one batch makes 48 cookie bites that are super chewy and the perfect size bite. I’ve made them every year for Christmas gifts for a few years now.