Irresistibly soft, buttery, and sweet, these peppermint meltaway cookies are a festive favorite during the holiday season. Their texture is so unique; it’s a cross between a shortbread cookie and a cakey cookie, and they completely melt in your mouth. The cornstarch and confectioners’ sugar are KEY here, and don’t forget that pretty pink candy cane buttercream!
One reader, Nicole, commented: “Fantastic recipe! Will definitely be making these again. The cookies are a perfect soft and crumbly texture. The peppermint is the perfect amount as well. โ โ โ โ โ “
Another reader, Jane, commented: “Great recipe, easy to make, and the texture was, indeed, melt-in-your-mouth. Intended to give these away, but they didn’t last that long. โ โ โ โ โ “
You know those meltaway after-dinner butter mints you sometimes see at restaurants… individually packaged, piled in a basket by the door, beckoning you to grab one on your way out? They’re buttery smooth, melt in your mouth, and leave behind a sweet but not overpowering taste of peppermint. Imagine those… but in cookie form. Now add frosting.
These cookies are downright delectable!!
Peppermint Meltaway Cookies Recipe Snapshot
- Texture: They’re called meltaways for good reason! These ultra-soft, light and tender cookies practically melt in your mouth. Think: softer than a peppermint snowball cookie, and less cakey than these buttercream-frosted soft cakey sugar cookies, and not at all chewy. A little crushed candy cane crunch on top adds another dimension of texture.
- Flavor: Peppermint extract in both the cookie dough and the buttercream adds the perfect pop of peppermint flavor.
- Ease: This is a simple 1-bowl cookie dough, and the buttercream topping is very basic (but delicious!). Easy enough for beginner bakers and cookie decorators.
- Time: The dough only needs to chill for 30 minutes. Compared to other cookie recipes that include hours-long chill times, this is relatively quick!
Ingredients for the Cookie Dough:
To create the ultimate soft cookie texture, you need some key ingredients:
- Butter: A buttery soft cookie starts with creamed butter. Remember that room-temperature butter is essential for proper creaming, and is still cool to the touch. And here’s more on how to cream butter and sugar, if you need a refresher.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Using powdered instead of granulated sugar contributes to the cookie’s meltaway texture.
- Egg Yolk: While shortbread-style cookies like snowballs don’t include any egg, you need an egg yolk to keep these cookies from being too crumbly. It holds the ingredients together, and adds a bit of richness to the finished cookies.
- Vanilla + Peppermint Extracts: The flavors you’ll taste in these cookies!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base dry ingredient.
- Cornstarch: Just like in my shortbread cookies, cornstarch makes for an extra-soft, thick, silky-smooth-tasting cookie.
- Baking Powder: This helps the cookies puff up during baking.
- Salt: To balance all the flavors; use regular table salt.
You need an electric mixerโeither stand or handโto make these peppermint meltaway cookies. You’ll need to cream the butter for the cookie dough, and for the buttercream frosting, as well.
Good news: you can make this cookie dough all in one bowl!
This cookie dough only needs a minimum of 30 minutes of chill time in the refrigerator, so you won’t have to wait too long to taste that sweet, melty peppermint goodness.
Tips for Shaping Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
Scoop, roll, and flatten. Each cookie is around 1 Tablespoon of cookie dough, so you can use your Tablespoon measuring spoon to portion out each cookie. If you have a kitchen scale, each cookie dough ball should weigh about 20โ22g.
Be sure to slightly flatten the dough balls. You can flatten with the palm of your hand right on the lined baking sheet, or between both your palms before placing on the baking sheet. These cookies puff up but don’t spread much, and we want to encourage them to bake up with a flat surface for frosting.
Bake just until the edges are set. These cookies stay light in color, so you’re not waiting for them to turn golden brown.
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
While the meltaway cookies are cooling, you can go ahead and make the frosting using the electric mixer again. I tint the frosting light pink with a drop of pink gel food coloring. I always use gel food coloring in frostings, because adding more liquid can throw off the consistency. However, with such a small amount of coloring, liquid food dye would be fine here.
And, of course, you don’t have to tint the frosting at all! Feel free to keep it white, like I do with these peppermint frosted chocolate cookies. Spread it onto the cooled meltaway cookies; feel free to pipe it on top, but I just use a knife or small icing spatula.
To garnish the cookies, you can use:
- Crushed candy canes
- Chopped Andes mints
- Sprinkles
Is there anything better than a frosting-covered cookie? That’s a rhetorical question. I’m not taking answers at this time. ๐
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page including:
And here’s my video tutorial & guide for how to freeze cookie dough.
Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 30-32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Irresistibly soft, buttery, and sweet, these peppermint meltaway cookies are a festive favorite during the holiday season. Their texture is so unique; it’s a cross between a shortbread cookie and a cakey cookie, and they melt in your mouth. The cornstarch and confectioners’ sugar are KEY here. Don’t skip chilling the dough for 30 minutes, and be sure to slightly flatten the dough balls before baking as instructed.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Buttercream
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1โ2 Tablespoons milk, at room temperature (dairy or nondairy)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extractย
- optional: 1 drop red or pink food coloring
- 1/4 cup (40g) crushed candy canes (about 2โ3 large candy canes)
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be thick and creamy. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this creamy cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.ย Set aside.
- Scoop and roll dough into balls, about 1 Tablespoon or 20โ22g each. Place dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheets, and then flatten each slightly with the palm of your hand; they should be just under 2 inches in diameter.
- Bake the cookies for 13โ14 minutes or until the edges appear set. The cookies won’t darken/brown, so be careful not to over-bake them.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste. To thicken the buttercream, beat in more confectioners’ sugar. To thin out the buttercream, beat in more milk. To help offset more sweetness, beat in a pinch of salt.
- If youโd like to tint the frosting, beat in 1 tiny drop of food coloring. Add more to deepen the color, if desired. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread frosting onto the cooled cookies. Sprinkle each lightly with crushed candy canes.
- Cover and store frosted cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Frosting “soft-sets” on the cookies after a few hours, meaning it will slightly dry on top.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze the unbaked flattened cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. We do not recommend freezing the baked cookies; the texture is not the same after freezing and thawing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls |ย Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper |ย Cooling Rack |ย Small Icing Spatula
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch (aka cornflour) is a key ingredient in this recipe, and is what helps give the cookies their signature “meltaway” texture. Do not skip or substitute it. (Not to be confused with cornmeal.)
- Food Coloring: I use 1 drop of pink gel food coloring. I always use gel food coloring in frostings, because adding more liquid can throw off the consistency. However, with such a small amount of coloring, liquid food dye would be fine here.
- Be sure to check out my top 5ย cookie baking tipsย AND these are my 10 must-haveย cookie baking tools.
- Recipe inspired by Taste of Home and adapted from Shortbread Cookies
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made these this weekend for my church family. I love peppermint! Great recipe!
My mother-in-law LOVED these cookies over Christmas! I wanted to make them for Easter and was wondering if you think lemon extract would make them more “spring-y” than peppermint?
Hi Amanda! We haven’t tested these with lemon extract but would love to hear how it goes if you do. You could also leave out the peppermint for a plain meltaway cookie.
Oh my god this recipe is so good. I made them without peppermint and made a plain glaze. They were heavenly, melt in your mouth cookies that had the perfect amount of sweetness. Another amazing recipe Sally, thank you!!!
This was amazing! They remind me of those powdery sugar cookies you get at grocery stores around different holidays- made these with my little siblings and we laid them out for Santa on Christmas Eve. LET ME TELL YOU, Santa was a fan