These peppermint mocha cookies are soft-baked with a generous dunk in white chocolate and sprinkle of candy cane crunch. They taste like brownies and are always the first to disappear at a cookie exchange!
Like chocolate crinkle cookies and mocha cheesecake brownies combined, these soft-baked cookies have been dubbed “the best thing to happen to Christmas cookies.” And that’s a direct quote from a taste tester!
Peppermint mocha cookies are soul-warming and pepperminty and I guarantee you’ll love them even more than your peppermint mocha beverage. 🙂
These Peppermint Mocha Cookies Taste Like Brownies
If you closed your eyes and took a bite of these peppermint mocha cookies, you’d be surprised to find a cookie instead of a brownie in your hand. These cookies taste just like fudgy brownies! We can thank my basic chocolate cookie dough for that, a go-to base I use when making double chocolate chip cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies too. There’s a reason my team and I turn to this cookie dough often (and why so many readers love it as well)… it WORKS! The magical dough creates rich, thick, and chewy chocolate cookies that stay soft for days. We’re talking soft cookies even on day 7.
(If in the very strange event that your chocolate cookies last that long. Who are you?)
How to Make Peppermint Mocha Cookies
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the recipe so you understand each step before you get started.
- Cream the wet ingredients together. As detailed in the recipe below, cream the butter and sugars together before adding the egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract.
- Mix the dry ingredients together. This includes the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- Combine both and add the chocolate chips. The dough will be very thick and sticky.
- Chill the cookie dough. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Roll cookie dough into balls. Use about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per ball. A medium cookie scoop is helpful for this!
- Bake. Let the cookies cool completely.
- Melt the white chocolate.
- Dip each cookie halfway into the white chocolate. Place each cookie onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate. Repeat this process with the rest of the cookies.
- Refrigerate the cookies to set the chocolate.
Secret Ingredient: Espresso Powder
Espresso powder gives the cookies their unbelievable mocha flavor. I use just two teaspoons and the flavor is unreal. If you can’t find espresso powder in stores, you can use instant coffee instead. You’d need a little more instant coffee since it isn’t as strong or rich as espresso powder. I find espresso powder at my regular grocery store, but you can also find it online. I don’t recommend using ground coffee because it’s not as flavorful as espresso powder or instant coffee, both of which have super concentrated flavor.
Peppermint extract is another power player here. Always be careful when using peppermint extract! It’s very potent—a little goes a very long way. And just like when you make peppermint snowball cookies, make sure you are using peppermint extract, not mint extract. The latter tastes like spearmint toothpaste. It’s not good.
Everything You’ll Love About Peppermint Mocha Cookies
As if you need more reasons to bake these cookies:
- They’re super chocolatey and taste like brownies. Sometimes I add mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough for extreme chocolate flavor.
- You’ll love the combination of white chocolate + regular chocolate.
- They’re totally festive and stand out on holiday cookie trays.
- The bites with the white chocolate and candy cane crush are the best. The candy canes add a soft crunch—perfect if you love texture like me!
- Peppermint + mocha = perfection. (It’s a winning combo in these peppermint mocha cupcakes, too!)
Whenever I go to a cookie exchange I always make these cookies; they’re really unique and everyone goes wild for them! They add beautiful variety on a platter next to sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and spritz cookies. Or if you prefer frosting on top of your cookies, you’ll love these peppermint frosted chocolate cookies.
And if you need even more holiday baking inspiration, here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips.
PrintPeppermint Mocha Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes (includes setting)
- Yield: 20-22 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These peppermint mocha cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie tray and cookie exchanges! The candy cane crunch and white chocolate put them over the top!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (51g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder or 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) mini or regular size semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3 large candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined and then beat in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be thick and very sticky. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Scoop and roll dough, 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. A medium cookie scoop is helpful for this step. To ensure a thicker cookie, make the balls taller than they are wide (almost like a cylinder or column). Arrange 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. The cookie dough is certainly sticky, so wipe your hands clean after every few balls of dough you shape.
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Melt the chopped white chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave. For the microwave, place the white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each completely cooled cookie halfway into the white chocolate and place onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate. Repeat with the rest of the cooled cookies. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set, about 1 hour.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Baked cookies (without white chocolate and candy cane) freeze well for up to three months. Decorate after they thaw. Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to three months. Bake from frozen, no need to thaw—just add an extra minute or two to the bake time. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional for melting chocolate)
- Chill Cookie Dough: Make sure you chill the cookie dough for at least 3 hours. Chilling helps the flavors develop, prevent spreading, and makes the otherwise sticky cookie dough easy to handle.
- Larger Batch: The recipe is easy to double in 1 mixing bowl without overwhelming your mixer. Simply double all of the ingredients. Dough chill time remains the same.
Another perfect cookie recipe that is above all expectations. It is a great combination of mocha, chocolate and peppermint all rolled into one. You can’t stop with just one cookie. This recipe is a treasure and I can’t thank Sally enough for sharing it.
These are SO good! I normally wouldn’t grab a chocolate cookie off a platter because they tend to be too rich and overwhelming, but these are the bomb. I’ll definitely be making them again. Thank you for sharing!
Wow! Litterally tastes like a Peppermint Mocha! Husband said, Best Cookies I’ve ever.”
Absolutely delicious! Sally does it again. My first batch did not respond well to being smacked on the counter to flatten, so instead I lightly flattened the tops at minute 7 with a spatula-beautiful! Plus, it was some of the best cookie dough I’ve ever eaten. I made double and froze half so I could serve some at Christmas. I know they’ll be a hit!
Hi Sally, would it be impossible to make this recipe without a mixer? Could I do it by hand or using a food processor? Thank you!
Hi Ellen, you can cream butter and sugars together by hand using a rubber spatula, but it takes a lot of arm muscle. A food processor can work in a pinch.
i don’t have white chocolate, but i worry the candy cane won’t stick to the cookies without it. should i just mix them into the cookie dough instead, or do you think they’ll stick anyway?
thank you 😀 planning to make these for friends for the holidays
Hi Rosemary, You can leave off the white chocolate and candy canes altogether. These cookies are great without the toppings. Or replace the white chocolate with melted semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate if you’d like!
Question: I read somewhere that adding 2t of oil (ie canola) to the chocolate while it’s melting gives the melted chocolate a glossy sheen; it also thins it for easy dipping. Is this something I could try or do you recommend leaving the white chocolate pure with no oil?
Hi Renee! Oil can help thin out chocolate, but if you’re using pure white baking chocolate, you shouldn’t have to.
I followed the recipe to the letter, even chilled the dough over night, and they spread out way too much. Not sure what went wrong…bummer because the dough is really tasty.
Hi Mary, thank you for giving this recipe a try. Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading.
After reading all the rave reviews, I decided to make these for my holiday food gifting this year. They are indeed delicious, satisfying even my husband, a/k/a Mr. Fussy. The dough was easy to make and I had no problems making the balls. I got 31 cookies. I did have problems with the white chocolate, however. Even though I used quality bars from Lindt and Ghirardelli, they wouldn’t liquify. I was about to do a glaze instead when I saw that the chocolate, upon standing and stirring, had melted enough to drizzle rather than dip. I sprinkled wit the crushed candy cane bits. No idea why the chocolate gave me such trouble. I even added a little oil to help it along.
Just made these a couple of hours ago. My husband was the Guinea pig (I don’t eat sugar or grains). He said they were fabulous. Glad I found your site because I’ve already made a few of your recipes and they come out great.
Diana
I would like more coffee flavor. Any recommendations on how much more espresso powder to add.
Hi Amer, you could try increasing the espresso by another 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon, depending on how prominent you’d like the flavor.
I used a flax egg and pressed them into a pan for bars and they turned out amazingly!
These cookies were delicious! I usually stick to the same cookies for my Christmas cookies (sugar cookies, gingerbread, thumbprint, a bar of some sort) and then like to try something new each year. These were by far my favorite that I made this year. The peppermint is just right, not too minty but “cool” tasting. I had the dough sit for a day, so the coffee flavor wasn’t too pronounced, but just made it taste awesome. Loved the white chocolate with the crunchy peppermint. Definitely make these if you want something different, pretty and yummy!
I made with cacao powder instead of cocoa – perhaps it is the same – and they came out great. I wanted to make more without running to the store – can I substitute dark unsweetened baking chocolate for the cocoa powder?
Hi Valeria! That would take some testing to get right, let us know if you try it!
Hi,
if I wanted to make 3 dozen will I just up everything? For example: The half cup salted butter I would use 1 and 1/2 cups, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar would then turn into 1 1/2 and etc, correct? Just want to make sure!!
Hi Jessica, doubling or tripling the recipe should work if you have a mixer that can handle the large amount of dough. But we usually suggest making separate batches to avoid over or under-mixing the dough and to avoid overwhelming your mixer. Let us know what you try!
Thanks! I’ll just do separate batches even tho it might be more work. Would rather not mess it up
Hi there, has anyone tried making this with gluten-free flour? I’m not sure if it would work or not.
Hi Sophie, We do not have much experience using gluten free flour. Although some readers report using an all purpose 1:1 gluten free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results.
I’ve made these for the past few years and every one loves them. I have added Bailey Chico chips but this year I found espresso chips from tollhouse.
I forgot coco powder is the recipe done without it or do I need to add more flour?
I made these for a Christmas cookie bake-off at work this week and won 1st place by a landslide! So so good! Splurge on the white chocolate (I used Lindt – it’s worth it) and don’t overbake.
One of my newest favorites! The only issue I am having is figuring out when to take them out of the oven. I slightly burned some last time… how do you test chocolate cookies to know when they are done baking?
Hi Kari! It’s definitely more difficult with chocolate cookies – we look for set edges with soft centers.
Hi, because it has espresso, can children eat this? Or does them make them caffeinated?
I think the kids will be fine. It’s the amount of coffee/caffeine in a cup spread out over 20 cookies. You could always leave it out if you felt uncomfortable. But they are delicious as is and I think all would be fine.
Great tasting cookies! My white chocolate would not liquify well for the cookies to be dipped. What is your advice?
Hi Connie! Make sure to use high quality white chocolate (not chips, which don’t melt well) for dipping these cookies. You could try adding 1/2 – 1 tsp of oil (coconut oil works well) to the white chocolate to help it thin and melt better. Hope this helps!
Thank you Sally! Is there a substitute for the expresso? I am not a mocha fan but would love to try the recipe or maybe there is another recipe I should try?
Hi Leann, you can simply leave the espresso powder out. No other changes necessary.
Hi Leann, you can simply omit the espresso. Enjoy!
I have used decaf instant coffee and it turns out great obviously there’s still a little caffeine in decaf but much less than regular
Can you use salted butter in place of unsalted?
Hi Gail! Absolutely- you can omit the added 1/8 tsp salt in the recipe if using salted butter.
Are there any changes for high altitude
Hi Kristin, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
As always fantastic instructions. I am practicing for a baking contest and the second attempt at white chocolate with double boiler worked. The first time I overdid it in the microwave and was too thick. These are fantastic with or without white chocolate.
Hi! Have you ever used Dutch process cocoa powder with these instead of regular unsweetened cocoa powder? I have a recipe from another site that calls for it but I know and trust your recipes, so I’d rather use yours but I have already purchased the Dutch process cocoa powder.
Hi April! Because this recipe uses baking soda, it’s best to stick with natural unsweetened cocoa powder here.
Thank you for your speedy reply!
I already made the dough with Dutch process before I read the comment. Should I throw away and start over?
Hi Brenda, how did your cookies turn out? I also just made a batch w dutch process! Whoops
Umm, WOW! These are OUTSTANDING! Make these cookies, people!
I would like to make these but don’t have peppermint extract. I do have culinary safe peppermint essential oil. Would I be able to add that instead and if so, how much do you recommend?
Hi Andrea, We haven’t tested the cookies with peppermint oil. You can try it but just keep in mind that the oil is much stronger than extract so you would only need the tiniest amount!
My grocery store was all out of peppermint extract so I substituted the regular semi sweet chocolate chips for mint chocolate chips and they tasted awesome! It added the perfect amount of peppermint to the cookies without being over done, so don’t be discouraged if your grocery store is also sold out. Mint chocolate chips were a great substitute . Very yummy cookies !!!
These cookies are delicious! I’ve made them every Christmas for the past few years, and they are always a favorite! I’ve omitted the white chocolate and peppermint a few times, and they still turn out perfectly. Definitely recommend!
Can I make these bigger, say 3.7oz
Thank you
D.
We don’t see why not! You may want to bake them at a slightly lower temperature to ensure they bake through evenly, but we haven’t tested that with these cookies. Let us know what you try!