What are peppermint bark cookies? Coated in peppermint white chocolate, these soft chocolate sugar cookies are a beautifully festive and equally irresistible Christmas cookie. Like traditional peppermint bark but in delicious cookie form!
Welcome to my annual Sally’s Cookie Palooza! It’s time to tuck away the pie crust and Thanksgiving pie recipes and turn to all things cookies.
What is Sally’s Cookie Palooza?
A tradition since 2013, every December we countdown to Christmas with 10 new cookie recipes in a row. This is the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new recipe. 🙂
We’re kicking off this year with Peppermint Bark Cookies.
Peppermint bark cookies will be the most festive cookies on your Christmas cookie trays. Need an impressive cookie recipe for a work party, bake sale, holiday event, or Christmas cookie exchange? Bake these. Every single taste tester (there were 10 of us!!!!) went absolutely BANANAS for these.
How to Make Peppermint Bark Cookies
There are 3 parts to today’s cookie.
- Super soft chocolate sugar cookies
- White chocolate flavored with peppermint extract
- Crushed candy canes
My chocolate sugar cookies are just like my vanilla sugar cookies. This is a roll-out chocolate cookie flavored with cocoa powder. The chocolate sugar cookie dough is very easy to work with and requires at least 1 hour of chilling in the refrigerator—2 hours is even better. It’s the same dough we use when making these Halloween cookies, too. If you really want to get ahead, you can chill the cookie dough for up to 2 days. You’ll notice in my sugar cookie recipes that I roll the cookie dough out before chilling. Over the past several years, I learned that this method is much easier than chilling the cookie dough in a ball and then trying to roll out a cold chunk of dough. Dividing the dough in half before rolling makes the process easier because smaller sections are more manageable to roll out.
Helpful tip: Flour is helpful when rolling out cookie dough. It helps prevent the dough from sticking to the surface and rolling pin. But since we are making chocolate sugar cookies, use cocoa powder instead of flour for extra chocolate flavor.
Roll Out on a Non-Stick Surface
Roll the dough out right on your silicone baking mats or parchment paper! Why? Think about it. You have to chill the rolled out dough in the fridge… and you can’t really pick up a mass of dough you rolled out on the counter, right? Nor can you cut into shapes when the dough is this warm. Roll the dough out on a nonstick surface that you can literally pick up, put on a baking sheet, and place in the fridge.
I shape peppermint bark cookies into circles, but you can use any cookie cutter shape. To ensure the cookies don’t break apart, I recommend a cookie cutter that is 3 inches or smaller. I use my 2.5 inch circle cookie cutter from this handy set.
The pictured cookies are about the size of Oreo cookies.
Let’s decorate!
Peppermint White Chocolate
Once the chocolate sugar cookies are cool, dunk them in pure white chocolate. Flavor the white chocolate with some peppermint extract and thin it out with a little oil. The thinner the chocolate, the easier coating the cookies will be.
Use white chocolate baking bars, such as Bakers or Ghirardelli brands, found in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. They’re usually on sale this time of year! Don’t use white chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and are processed so that they DO NOT melt in the oven. Dunking cookies in melted white chocolate chips is impossible. Save them for a batch of peppermint white chocolate cookies instead!
Dipping
Use Candy Dipping Tools to make the job easier—the 2 or 3 pronged tool are best for dipping cookies. The spiral dipping tool is what I use for neatly dipping chocolate truffles and most candy recipes. A fork works too, but the inexpensive dipping tools make the white chocolate coating very clean and neat.
Sprinkle the wet white chocolate with crushed candy canes, then let the chocolate set before stacking, gifting, or eating. These cookies are so SOFT and so THICK!!
You might also like: Peppermint Mocha Cookies, Peppermint Snowball Cookies, Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Cookies, and Peppermint Bark Fudge
Print
Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 3 dozen cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Simple and soft chocolate sugar cookies are coated in peppermint white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes to make a beautifully festive Christmas cookie!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (62g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (or dutch process), plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Coating
- 4 4-ounce (450g or 16 ounces total) white chocolate baking bars, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, solid coconut oil, or canola oil
- 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup crushed candy canes (about 5 candy canes)
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Dust your rolling pin, cookie dough, and work surface with cocoa powder. Roll each portion out to about 1/4″ thickness on a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Stack the pieces (with parchment paper between) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chilling is mandatory so the cookies hold their shape. If chilling for more than a couple hours, cover the top dough piece with a single piece of parchment paper. You can chill up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and using a 2.5-inch circle cookie cutter, cut in shapes. Transfer the cut cookie dough to the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
- Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies will still appear soft in the centers. Cool cookies on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before coating.
- For the coating: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Melt the chopped white chocolate and oil together in a double boiler or in the microwave in 15-second increments, stopping and stirring after each until completely smooth. Add another drop of oil to thin out if needed. After melting, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Taste. Add 1/4 teaspoon more if desired. (I suggest using 3/4 teaspoon because when the white chocolate sets, the peppermint flavor won’t be as strong.) Drop 1 cookie into white chocolate. Using a 2- or 3-pronged candy dipping tool, flip the cookie over to coat all sides. Lift the cookie up out of the chocolate and gently tap the dipping tool against the side of the bowl so excess white chocolate drips off. Slide coated cookie off the dipping tool onto prepared lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- Allow chocolate to set completely in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or at room temperature for 90 minutes.
- Coated cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Dipped or un-dipped cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. You can chill the rolled-out cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (step 3). You can also freeze the cookie dough (before dividing and rolling out in step 3) for up to 3 months. Then allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before rolling out. Chill for only 30 minutes in step 3 as opposed to 1 full hour.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Rolling Pin | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | 2.5-inch Circle Cookie Cutter | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler or 2-cup Liquid Measuring Cup | Candy Dipping Tool
- Cocoa Powder: You can actually use either unsweetened dutch-process or natural cocoa powder in this cookie recipe. Read the difference between dutch-process and natural cocoa powder.
- White Chocolate: Use 4-ounce white chocolate baking bars, such as Bakers or Ghirardelli brands, found in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. Don’t use white chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and are processed so that they DO NOT melt in the oven. Dunking cookies in melted white chocolate chips is impossible. Why oil? The oil helps thin out the chocolate.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: peppermint bark cookies
Love these! I’m the “cookie lady” of my friend group and family (I am 24), and these are always so nice to add to an assortment of more traditional cookies like peanut butter blossoms & sugar cookies. I usually cut these out with a snowflake-shaped cutter (which adds more crispy edge!) and just dunk half in the white chocolate. They look beautiful, and as a dark chocolate enjoyer, I think it balances the sweet very well!
★★★★★
These are so delicious and beautiful! I’m not sure what I did wrong with the chocolate dipping. I bought 4 Ghirardelli’s bars 4 oz each and ran out. I ended up buying 2 more and barely made it. I did get 36 cookies and heated the chocolate until it was quite thin ( to the point it didn’t cover well). I used a regular fork and let it drip off but maybe not long enough? Great recipe and I’ll be making these again. Thanks!
★★★★★
I have no tips, but I made the exact same comment! I also had to run out and buy two more bars of chocolate.
Hi there. I forgot the cookies chilling in the fridge after rolling and cutting them. They were covered with patchment paper and in a container that is not vaccum sealed. Is it safe to bake now. It’s been more than 5 days in the fridge 🙁
Hi Cristina, they should be okay if they’ve been in the refrigerator. But use your best judgement and whatever you are comfortable with!
Would melted almond bark work for dipping? If it needs to be thinned what do I ues?
Hi Joyce, for best results, we recommend sticking with pure baking chocolate if possible. If you do use almond bark, try a bit of oil to help thin it out.
I made a variation on these: cookies as prescribed, but instead of full coverage with white chocolate, I dipped one side in the white chocolate and turned them over to dry. No crushed cane, no coverage on the other side.
And, to my surprise, I discovered that I had a cookie with exactly the flavor and feel of the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies (only sort of inside out).
And no, I’m not going into competition with the Girl Scouts–but I’m here all year, and they are not!
Made these for Christmas this year. They are absolutely delicious. Just like a Girl Scout thin mints but better! I dipped half the cookies in white chocolate and half in semi-sweet chocolate with the peppermint extract. They were both great. Cookies turned out just like your picture! So festive and good. Thanks for another great recipe.
★★★★★
These are so yummy! Messy to make but so worth the mess!
★★★★★
Would these come out crunchy?
I prefer crunchy biscuits not things that melt in the mouth etc.
If these aren’t crunchy is there anything I can do to make them crunchy?
Hi Khari, These are softer cookies but you can try rolling out the dough thinner and also add an extra minute or two of bake time and they will be crispier. Let us know if you try them!
Yummy
★★★★★
Hi! Do you have any recommended substitutes for peppermint extract? Can you do anything with peppermint tea maybe?
Hi Gemma, we’ve never tried that but please let us know if you come up with something!
These are a delicious and beautiful cookie. I had my first cookie break in the warm chocolate that I dipped. I found it easier to hold the cookie in my hand and use a spoon to spread the chocolate on the top. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
These are delicious! I got 28 cookies today but I just eyeballed the 1/4″ height of dough. Like a more delicious fresher white choc covered Oreo (seasonal item I always got special growing up).
Used the full amount of pepp extract and had just enough white chocolate (only had 3.5 bars) for them- some I didn’t dip both sides only did the front. I don’t have a cookie dipper and used wire tongs, my hand, a chop stick to wipe off the excess chocolate.
Yum. Worth the investment (white chocolate bars are $2.50 or more each where I am. Aldi does sell white chocolate bars in their chocolate candy section, I used Ghirardelli for these, Aldi one is $2 flat maybe).
Thanks for the recipe. I had a relaxing time making them- did the dough yesterday, rolled and fridge overnight, baked and dipped tonight. I so appreciate this form of restoration.
★★★★★
Any suggestions on how to dip if we don’t own the cookie dipping tool? Just get excess off with a knife and use a fork to fish it out?
Hi Katie, You can just use a fork and let the excess drip off. Enjoy!
Hi! My family prefers dark or milk chocolate (to white). How should I adjust the recipe if I dip in dark chocolate instead?
Hi Rae! You can sub in regular chocolate or dark chocolate instead. Enjoy!
Amazing! These remind me of mint girl guide cookies (Canada) – such a treat at the holidays!
★★★★★
Will it still work if I have white chocolate melting wafers instead of white chocolate bars for the coating?
That shouldn’t be a problem!
Hi,
I’m looking for a peppermint bark with a Choc Graham cracker bottom bar cookie recipe. Then melt the white chocolate to pour on top then sprinkle the peppermint pieces and break into triangle type shapes. Do you know of a recipe like this?
Hi Mary, Do you mean similar to this peppermint bark? Instead of doing 3 layers of chocolate you could start with chocolate graham crackers and then melt the chocolate on top of them.
Big fan of your work. I’ve made several things from your blog and every one was great. I used my star cookie cutter for these cookies and I must have chosen the right mold because these cookies were out of this world! Thank you for sharing your recipes, your skills, your tips for best practices. I read them and heed them! Stay safe and thrive in the new year. We need your sweetness!
★★★★★
This is a great recipe! I am a novice baker, and these came out flawlessly. I’d say all in all I was in the kitchen from 6pm – 9pm including cooling and baking time and moving at a very relaxed pace. I only had peppermint oil, so I used that but much less as one of your comments recommend. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Your website is a wonderful baking resource.
★★★★★
it is hard to read four 4 oz white chocolate bars, I read it multiple times and read it as one 4 oz white chocolate bar. maybe 4-4oz would be clearer. It wasn’t until studying the recipe multiple times after only being able to coat 9 cookies and running our of coating that I finally caught the error. I also saw in other comments where another person had problems reading the recipe there as well.
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah!
These are so festive!! I made the dipping process much easier by using my Instant Pot as a double boiler to keep the almond bark warm (the store was out of white chocolate) I also did not use the peppermint oil. Thanks again Sally! You never fail me! Merry Christmas! Bring on 2021!
★★★★★
Thank you for the positive feedback, Kate — we’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Just made these yesterday and they are great! I forewent adding the peppermint extract to the white chocolate because I was making a larger amount of melted chocolate to use for some other cookies too. However, I think they still had just the right balance of sweetness from the white chocolate, bite from the cocoa cookie, and mint from the crushed candy canes! It takes a little while to coat each cookie but definitely worth it in the end. 🙂
★★★★★
I made them vegan and gluten-free and they were AMAZING! And beautiful! I could t find vegan white chocolate so I used vegan semi-sweet chocolate for the glaze and they were stunning. Like a big Girl Scout thin mint! Wish I could post a photo. They were so pretty and delicious.
★★★★★
Could you roll this dough into a log and then slice rounds instead of doing it as a cutout cookie?
Hi Jeralyn, You can definitely make these chocolate cookies as slice-and-bake icebox cookies. Simply divide the prepared cookie dough in half. Roll into 8 inch logs like I instruct with my slice and bake cookies, wrap in plastic wrap, chill, then slice and bake according to the slice and bake cookie instructions. Bake time for these chocolate cookies may be 1 minute shorter.
These sound delicious! Just wondering if you think it would be possible to make these as a chill-and-slice cookie? Like roll the dough into a cylinder or two, chill, and slice with a sharp knife into cookies, then bake? (By the way, I LOVE your site and recipes!! Your pizza dough is our favorite, and we just made a double batch of your gingerbread cutouts and they got gobbled up in less than a week! )
Hi Rachel, thank you so much! I love those gingerbread cookies too. Making another batch this weekend! You can definitely make these chocolate cookies as slice-and-bake icebox cookies. Simply divide the prepared cookie dough in half. Roll into 8 inch logs like I instruct with my slice and bake cookies, wrap in plastic wrap, chill, then slice and bake according to the slice and bake cookie instructions. Bake time for these chocolate cookies may be 1 minute shorter.
Hello,
I forgot to put a top layer of parchment paper on my dough and I am refrigerating for long than 2 hours…will my dough be ruined?
Hi Alison, You will just want to cover the dough to keep it fresh. For next time if chilling the dough longer than a couple of hours just cover it when you remember 🙂
I melted the white chocolate with the oil and once that melted and I added the peppermint extract, the chocolate seized! Any tips to prevent this?
Hi Christina, what type of chocolate and extract are you using? Adding the extra fat (oil) should help prevent any type of seizing. I recommend using pure baking chocolate such as Ghirardelli or Bakers brands.
Hi Sally! I redid it again, and I realized I read the recipe wrong the first time! I did not melt enough chocolate! The second time worked great thanks!
Hi Sally,
My chocolate seized on this too after adding the extract. I used Baker’s white chocolate, coconut oil, and Club House pure peppermint & mint extract. I continued to add more oil but it didn’t get thin enough to submerge the cookies so I dipped the top of the cookie and the thick chocolate made a neat swirl effect. Do you think I may have overcooked the chocolate?
Sally, I hope to bake these for our school staff appreciation event next week. Can I use peppermint oil instead of extract? The oil is very concentrated so I wouldn’t need much, reducing the thinning property.
Hi Sheila, That would be fine, but be very careful with the amount. Peppermint essential oil is extremely potent!
Hi Sally,
I baked these cookies last week and they were big time HIT… loved the taste and would definitely bake them again and again…thank you sooo much for the recipe..
Hi Sally- this is my second time making this recipe and I so want to love them but I’m finding the dough to be dry. Any suggestions or thoughts on what I’m doing wrong? Thanks so much!
Hi Caitlyn, Be sure that you are measuring your flour and cocoa powder correctly. Spoon and level them instead of scooping to be sure you are not adding too much (or weigh your ingredients). You can also try to bake them for a minute less next time.