Peppermint Mocha Cookies
These soft & chewy cookies balance the rich, deep flavors of chocolate and coffee with a cool hit of icy peppermint!
Omg, you guys. You. GUYS!
I seriously need to get out more.
I am waaaay too wrapped up in my own little world here. It’s a character flaw. I see it. I get it. I need to work on it.
Kids, kids, kids… husband… house… and in between all that, it’s nothing but bake, photograph, write, repeat. Sometimes, every once in awhile, there’s time for a leeeeeetle bit of sleep.
Hanging out with friends? Not so much. Shopping? Rarely. Lingering over a cozy café beverage, made by someone other than moi? What is that, again?
Whoa. Wow. I finally just tried, for the very first time, something that the rest of the world has been crowing about for months now.
Peppermint mocha.
Good lord! I know you probably already know this, but seriously. Peppermint mocha lattes are so stinkin’ good! I’ve always known that chocolate + coffee = happy, but throw in some peppermint and a whole new kinda delicious is born. The cool, bright mint cuts through the richness of the coffee and chocolate like whoa. It’s all such a perfect balance and so wintry, cozy, and Christmas-y…
I’ve seriously had a peppermint mocha epiphany and I think my life will be forever changed.
I’m sure I am not the first person to translate the awesomeness that is peppermint mocha into cookie form. I’m not even gonna bother googling it, it’s a foregone conclusion, and I don’t want to be influenced by anyone else’s ideas about what they should or shouldn’t be.
In my little world, peppermint mocha cookies should be soft, warm, and indulgent, with a little chewiness around the edges, and a rich and intensely dark choco-coffee flavor, punctuated with icy wisps of bright peppermint coolness. That is what these cookies are, and that is what I hoped these photos would convey…
If you’ve never had a peppermint mocha latte, you’ve gotta try one asap! There’s only one thing that could possibly be better, and that’s a peppermint mocha cookie! Make these!!!
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Peppermint Mocha Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick)
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar,, loosely packed
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg, (large)
- 1 egg yolk, (large)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso granules,, dissolved in 3 tablespoons warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) peppermint crunch baking chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the butter in a medium pot and melt it over low heat.
- Remove from heat and stir in the sugars.
- Crack in the eggs, stirring vigorously.
- Add the vanilla, then the flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking soda, and salt. Stir until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the chips, and scoop 2-tablespoon sized balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be set, but the middle of the cookies should still be soft.
These cookies will become a holiday staple! SO good and my kids all loved them!!
Hi these look delicious! Do you think I could use pieces of broken up candy canes instead of the peppermint baking bits ? Thx and Happy Holidays!
I think that would be scrumptious!
I’ve totally missed it to, mabe I need to follow your leed and wisit a café or two. They sure look amazing
Thank you Cecilia! Definitely give one a try- they’re sooooo good! Thanks for reading 🙂
Hello! These look delicious! Question..is there any other substitution for the espresso grounds? I’m a coffee drinker but I never have any kind of instant on hand. THANKS!
Hey Julie! I suppose you could probably try using a few tablespoons of brewed coffee, but the flavor probably won’t be as pronounced. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
I ran into the same issue as Wendy :/
I stick had half a batch left to bake so I doubled the butter and added Kahlua as suggested, and that batch turned out WAYYYYYY better (read: was edible).
Sorry for your trouble MK!
If I can not find the Peppermint Crunch Baking chips, will crushed up candy canes do the trick?
I think that sounds like a great sub-out! Or maybe even chopped up peppermint patties or Andes mints? Depends on the texture you’re after I suppose. The baking chips were similar to white chocolate sort of. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
Your pictures looks delicious, unfortunately, this recipe didn’t work for me as written. The dough was way too dry and crumbly even without refrigerating. I looked at the the recipe on the peppermint chips and saw that it was very similar, but called for 1 cup of butter. Also checked the Mudslide recipe and saw that it called for 1/4 cup of coffee liqueur. I added an extra quarter cup of butter to your recipe. This worked much better. Wondering if anyone else has tried this recipe and how it worked for them.
Really? Wow that’s interesting. I wonder if it has to do with the brand of cocoa? I typically use Ghirardelli brand and I’ve noticed it has a higher fat content. Maybe that has something to do with it? Anyhow I’m so sorry you had trouble!
I don’t bake much but I wonder if difference in altitude might make the difference. Hmm.?
Also, as a non-frequent baker who is not a fan of coffee in any form, if I omit the espresso, should I modify or substitute another ingredient to maintain proper consistency? Yours look so yummy!
Thank you Sandie! I think you can probably omit the espresso and maybe just add another teaspoon of vanilla in it’s place. As for the question about altitude I really don’t know… but I hear about how tricky that can be all the time so I wouldn’t be surprised if the recipe would need to be tweaked. Good luck and thanks so much for reading!
Hi Allie,
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! It sounds divine!
But, one question. When you say espresso, is that the instant espresso powder?
Thanks! jen
Hey Jen! Yes, that’s exactly the stuff I was referring to. I think it really gives a great flavor. I hope you enjoy the cookies! Thanks for reading 🙂
Your instinct to put everyone else first is incredibly admirable, but for heaven’s sake, remember that you need a peppermint mocha, or better yet, the cookie version, every once in awhile! Seriously, though, I know you have so little time to relax and refresh, but your family is so lucky to have you … and so are your readers. Once again, the care you seem to have taken with this recipe is palpable in the pictures. These cookies look extraordinarily soft and rich and minty fresh, and I wish I had a plate of them in front of me right now 🙂
Nora, you are too sweet and kind! I hope I didn’t come off like a victim, because I certainly do not feel that I am! Truth is I didn’t even know what I was missing, lol! I thought my life was pretty complete until I took that first sip…
Thanks for the kind words about the post and the recipe- I had a lot of fun making, shooting, and EATING those cookies!