Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

2020 has been a year for sure; a year of struggle and heartache, but also a year of growth and excitement.

I dropped out of college to pursue my dream of running my own business and discovered a career I didn't know was possible. I've learned more about myself in such a short amount of time that I feel like a new person.

I've also had all day everyday to really practice my photography and recipe development skills and it's paid off. I feel like my food styling and photography is especially good when I've created a recipe for a specific holiday or celebration!

National Cookie Day is one of the those holidays I wanted to develop a recipe for and I think I outdid myself with these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies!

Every bite is incredibly indulgent but also secretly healthier that you'd expect. It's a win-win for everyone!

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Ingredients you'll need

• Vegan butter: I love using Country Crock's plant-based butter made with olive oil because olive oil is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, whereas regular butter is mostly saturated fat. The calories are the same, but the nutrition is better!
• Brown sugar: I love using brown sugar because it gives that signature chewy texture we all know and love. If you happen to have coconut sugar on hand, you can replace the brown sugar with your coconut sugar to minimize the refined sugars.‍
• Stevia in the Raw: this is where the "healthier" part comes in. I love using Stevia in place of regular white granulated sugar because it measures cup for cup like white sugar but with zero calories! You can grab yours here.‍
• Large egg: helps bind the fats and flours together to make a chewy, cohesive cookie.‍
• Vanilla: we're using an entire tablespoon in this recipe! I've found that increase the amount of vanilla helps enrich the deep chocolate flavor. Vanilla and chocolate is like salting something sweet - it just works!‍
• Peppermint extract: to infuse the cookie dough with the slightest hint of peppermint. If you'd like more than a "hint," add an additional 1/4 teaspoon! I found some for a really good price per ounce here on Amazon.‍
• Gluten free all purpose flour: the key to fudgy chocolate cookies without gluten. I always use Bob's Red Mill.‍
• Unsweetened cacao powder: what makes these cookies "chocolate." Opt for cacao instead of cocoa because cacao has a richer taste, no added sugar, and retains all the vitamins and minerals.‍
• Baking powder AND baking soda: this is my secret to chewy cookies! The baking powder helps the cookies rise, while the baking soda helps them spread. Using a combination of both creates the most perfect texture - slightly crisp on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside.‍
• Sea salt: totally optional, but recommended. Sea salt and chocolate are just the perfect duo! If you don't have sea salt, regular salt will work just fine.‍
• Stevia-sweetened white chocolate: again, optional but highly recommended. I love using Lily's Peppermint White Chocolate bar for this recipe because we fold it into the dough and drizzle it on top. It's a seasonal flavor, so stock up while you can!‍
• Mini candy canes: I discovered that mini candy canes were easier to crush and if you need more, it's much simpler to add a little bit at a time. Any candy cane will work!

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How to make chocolate peppermint cookies

If you've made my chewy chocolate chip cookies before, these cookies are very similar!

In fact, I just made a few changes to end up with this recipe. The process is just like a regular batch of cookie dough with a few tweaks.

I like to have all my ingredients ready to mix prior to starting, so the recipe asks to sift the dry ingredients together first.

You're also going to prepare the chocolate and candy canes here too. Save about 0.7 oz (10 squares of a Lily's chocolate bar) of chocolate for later and roughly chop the rest. Crush eight of the candy canes and save the remaining four for later.

Now, cream together your butter and sugars. It's important that your butter is at room temperature so it mixes well. Otherwise, you'll have clumps of buttery sugar in your baked cookie and trust me, it's not as good as it sounds!

Next, mix in your egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract.

I made an important note with this recipe: in addition to bringing the egg to room temperature, you should beat the egg prior to adding it to the cookie dough. I've found the egg is less likely to coagulate and mixes into the dough better if it's beaten beforehand. Because this dough is extra soft, this step is important!

Mix in the dry ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain. The dough will be very soft, so don't worry!

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Fold in the chopped chocolate and crushed candy canes you prepared earlier. It might take a second for everything to disperse evenly, so be patient! The last thing we want is a few of the cookies to be sparse of the peppermint-y goodness.

Ok, now bear with me. Notice how I haven't mentioned the oven yet? That's because the dough needs just a few minutes of chill time. Just a few!

To help tame the urgent need to either consume all the cookie dough or put all of it straight in the oven, here is where we preheat the oven. The oven warming up is our "timer" for chilling the dough in the freezer.

Once the oven has reached 350°F, remove the dough from the freezer and shape into cookie dough balls with a tablespoon cookie scoop like this one.

Bake for 9 minutes, then let cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Cooling is just as important as baking, so please don't skip cooling on the pan!

Now comes the fun part: melt the remaining white chocolate with some coconut oil in the microwave until smooth and drippy.

Crush the remaining candy canes. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled cookies, then sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.

Et voila! Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Cookies!

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Why you'll love this recipe

• Chocolate + peppermint = a match made in heaven! Seriously one of the best combos out there (besides peanut butter banana or peanut butter chocolate, of course).
• Two types of chocolate: actually, if you count cocoa powder, there's three! These Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies have both dark chocolate and white chocolate in each bite, and it doesn't get much better honestly.
• They're healthier than regular cookies! My chocolate peppermint Christmas cookies have HALF the amount of sugar that regular cookies do, all thanks to Stevia and Lily's baking chocolate, without sacrificing any rich and delicious flavor. You'd never know one cookie was only 115 calories just looking at it!
• They're seasonal! What better way to welcome the holiday season than with Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies?
• They're a great baking project! Imagine how much fun you'll have with your spouse, kids, or roommates making and decorating these delicious chocolate peppermint Christmas cookies!

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Other cookie recipes to try

Healthy Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Healthy Chewy Snowman Molasses Cookies

Healthy Gooey S'mores Cookie Bars

Mini Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

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Well my friends, the time has come for you to enjoy a fresh batch of Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. I'm drooling at the thought!

If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a comment and star rating below so other readers know how you liked the recipe.