Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies

Welcome to week #2 in our cookie palooza celebration!! We have 5 recipes under our (widening) belts so far:

• Soft red velvet whoopie pies


• The best rugelach I’ve tried


• Holiday style magic 5 cookies (the slow bends!)


• Snappy crisp molasses cookies


• Salted chocolate pistachio shortbread

Did you bake any of them over the weekend? Or any other holiday baking? I worked on a new brownie recipe, made these colorful babies again, and I’m ready to rock my stand mixer all week long too.

Today we have recipe #6. These may be the most festive of them all with crushed candy canes, plenty of vanilla and white chocolate, and a fresh dose of Christmas’ favorite flavor: peppermint! Every December, I go through more bottles of McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract than I care to admit and have mild (ok major) freak outs when my stash is too low. Up until the creation of today’s cookies, peppermint extract typically met its fate in these chocolate mint chocolate brownies with peppermint bark in a close second.

There is no flavor duo quite like chocolate and peppermint. Well, until you taste today’s cookie. Move over chocolate, white chocolate has the throne today.

These peppermint white chocolate cookies are a chocolate chip/sugar cookie hybrid. It has that light and sweet flavor of a sugar cookie with a buttery brown sugar chew of a chocolate chip cookie. Two cookie worlds colliding in one delicious circle.

Like I mentioned above, the cookie dough gets most of its flavor from McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract. Peppermint extract is quite potent, so we’ll only use 3/4 teaspoon of it. But it will go a long way in this cookie dough.

Also inside: crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips. I find the best way to crush candy canes is to use (1) a zipped top bag and (2) a rolling pin. Roll over the candy canes, crushing them up real good, and toss them into the soft cookie dough with the white chocolate chips. You’ll feel like a weirdo, but it works.

While we’re being weird, is it also crazy to put candy canes inside of cookies? I swear it’s ok! The candy canes loose their crunch and actually impart an intensely chewy “chunk” inside of the baked cookies. The cookies have this entirely unique texture, which makes it nearly impossible to eat just one.

As always, make sure you chill the cookie dough. It only needs about 2 hours in the refrigerator before you can begin rolling and baking. You can actually leave this dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, so get a head-start on your weekend baking soon!

Oh! One last thing. These cookies were screaming for white chocolate on top and I wasn’t about to fight them on it. OR maybe I just had leftover from another recipe and wanted to use it up. Either way, a drizzle of white chocolate puts the finishing crown on top of these peppermint beauties. And confession: even though we’re focusing on white chocolate today, these cookies taste miraculous with dark chocolate drizzled on top too.

Bottom line:

1. stock your pantry with McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract


2. make 16 batches of these


3. candy canes are not weird inside cookies

Happy Monday!

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Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies

• 
  Author: Sally


• 
  Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes


• 
  Cook Time: 12 minutes


• 
  Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes


• 
  Yield: 24 cookies


• 
  Category: Cookies


• 
  Method: Baking


• 
  Cuisine: American

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Description

Soft and chewy peppermint cookies with white chocolate and candy canes are festive, delicious, and easy!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)


• 1 teaspoon cornstarch


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature


• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar


• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar


• 1 large egg, at room temperature


• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract


• 3/4 cup (135g) white chocolate chips


• 1/2 cup crushed candy cane pieces (5 candy canes)


• 4 ounces (113g) white chocolate, coarsely chopped

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Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.


2. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.


3. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add the white chocolate chips and crushed candy cane, then mix for about 5 seconds until combined. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.


4. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.


5. Once chilled, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together if you work the dough with your hands as you roll into individual balls. Roll balls of dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls.


6. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.


7. If using, melt the chopped white chocolate in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each until completely melted. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Click here for my tips and tricks on freezing cookie dough.

Keywords: peppermint white chocolate cookies, peppermint cookies

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Obviously you have to enjoy today’s cookies with slow cooker hot chocolate.

See all cookie palooza recipes.

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