It’s officially Christmas cookie season, and today it’s all about these Peppermint Mocha Cookies! Soft and chewy espresso chocolate cookies, dipped in white chocolate and topped with peppermint candy cane bits.
Thanksgiving is officially over, and I’m excited about all things Christmas, starting with holiday cookies! These peppermint mocha cookies are so festive and easy to make. You’ll love them!
I made these peppermint mocha cookies for a holiday party last year, and they were gone within seconds. That’s how I knew that I had to re-make them this year and share the recipe with you all!
Why I love this recipe? Well, they are made with soft and chewy chocolate espresso cookies. Then, they are dipped in smooth and velvety white chocolate, and topped with peppermint candy cane bits. Honestly…is there anything better than this?! Nope.
The Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Okay, so let me tell you all about the chocolate espresso cookies.
They are soft, chewy, extra chocolatey with a subtle aromatic espresso taste. I promise, the espresso is not overpowering. It’s more of a soft chocolate cookie with a hint of espresso, and it’s so awesome! After all, these are called “mocha cookies.”
The cookie dough is very easy to make. In addition to cocoa powder, this peppermint mocha cookie recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chips are folded into the dough, so these are extra chocolatey. I think this may be my favorite part!
Quick note: the dough has to sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight, so it’s a great make-ahead cookie recipe. I usually make the dough the night before.
Peppermint Mocha Cookies Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter: It needs to be softened so we can cream it with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar: For sweetness.
- Brown sugar: For sweetness and a more molasses-y flavor.
- Egg: For structure.
- Vanilla extract: A must!
- Flour: All-purpose flour works here.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Baking soda: The main leavener.
- Espresso powder: I love using DeLallo or King Arthur Flour brands.
- Salt: Brings out all the flavors.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips: Folding in chocolate chips adds even more intense chocolate flavors. I love it!
- White chocolate chips: We’ll melt the white chocolate and dip the cookies in it, so make sure you get good quality white chocolate.
- Peppermint candy canes, crushed: I usually buy peppermint candy canes and crush them using a rolling pin (in a sealed bag). Or you can buy crushed peppermint candy.
How to Make Peppermint Mocha Cookies
You can find the ingredient details and full instructions in the recipe card, but to give you an idea on how easy it is to make these peppermint mocha cookies…
- Cream the butter and sugars: Use a mixer to do this. The butter needs to be fully softened.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Roll out the dough into balls and bake: You can also use a cookie scoop tool. Let the cookies cool completely.
- Dip them in melted white chocolate and sprinkle with peppermint candy cane bits. Let the chocolate harden either at room temperature or in the fridge.
The peppermint cookies are very easy to make. I usually prepare the dough the night before and let it refrigerate overnight. This gets the dough nicely firm, which is essential for the cookies to maintain their shape in the oven.
Make ahead: There are two way to make these peppermint mocha cookies ahead of time. The first option is to prepare and refrigerate the dough the night before and bake the cookies the next day. The second option is to bake the cookies the day before, so that they cooled and ready to decorate the next day.
Decorating the Cookies
I dipped the cookies in melted white chocolate and then sprinkled peppermint candy bits, but you can decorate them however you want! Here are some ideas:
- Drizzle: Place some of the melted white chocolate in a small resealable bag and seal it. Then snip off the corner of the bag to create a small hole and gently squeeze out the chocolate to drizzle over the cookies. Sprinkle the peppermint candy bits before the chocolate hardens.
- Dunk the entire cookie in chocolate and sprinkle with peppermint candy bits. Note: you’ll need to double up the amount of white chocolate.
- If you’re not a fan of white chocolate, you can use regular semisweet milk chocolate or even dark chocolate instead.
Basically, you can decorate these cookies any way you want! After all, it’s all about having fun. It’s even more fun when you do it with family and friends.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun I had making these peppermint mocha cookies, especially when there is Christmas music playing in the background.
Here’s an idea: pack them in a nice paper box with a ribbon as a gift to friends and family. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing this year!
Oh, and check out more cookie recipes!
- Nutella Sandwich Cookies
- Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Pistachio Chocolate Bark (I know, I know…these are not cookies, but they are so festive and yummy!)
- Lime Linzer Cookies by my friend Sandra at Pastry Tales
Thank you so much for reading! And if you’re on Pinterest, make sure to pin this recipe for later.
If you try my recipe, use #cookingformysoul on Instagram! Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest fun updates and recipes!
Peppermint Mocha Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 12 oz white chocolate chips
- 4 peppermint candy canes, crushed - (see note)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on high speed for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Dry ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. On low speed, beat until smooth and evenly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly combined. This is a thick batter.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic wrap is touching the dough), and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Let the dough sit on the counter for about 20 minutes to make it easier to scoop. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, line it up on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake 8-10 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Don’t worry if they look soft and jiggly, they will harden while they cool down. Once they have cooled down a bit, transfer them to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
- Once cooled completely, place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt them in the microwave oven, checking every 10-15 seconds and stirring each time. Dip each cookie halfway through the melted chocolate, or drizzle over the cookies, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top with crushed peppermint candy. Let them cool at room temperature or in the fridge until the white chocolate has hardened. Enjoy!
Notes
- Special equipment: stand mixer or handheld mixer, parchment paper, sheet pans, cooling rack.
- Peppermint candy canes: to easily crush the candy canes, place them in a resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin or something similar.
- Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
Denise says
These cookies are outstanding! White chip were sold out so I added crushed candy canes to batter, delicious!!!
Tania says
Thank you, Denise!