Peppermint Bark Cookies
These peppermint bark cookies combine buttery cookie dough with white chocolate and crushed peppermint for an irresistible holiday treat. Perfect for festive baking!
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- oven
- baking sheets
- stand mixer
- paddle attachment
- hand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- cookie cutter
- wire rack
- resealable plastic bag
- microwave-safe bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.25 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 0.75 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 10 oz white chocolate good quality, finely chopped or white chocolate chips
- 0.5 cup crushed peppermint candies about 8 to 10 standard candy canes or 20-25 round peppermints
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a large bowl and a hand mixer, cream together the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough; stop as soon as no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be soft.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and a rolling pin. Roll out portions of the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or your desired shape) to cut out cookies. Carefully transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Do not let them brown too much. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, prepare the peppermint topping. Place the peppermint candies in a resealable plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin or meat mallet until they are in small, coarse pieces. Set aside.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, melt the white chocolate. Place the chopped white chocolate or chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring well after each interval, until the chocolate is smooth and fully melted. Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the melted white chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off. Immediately sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies over the wet chocolate. Place the decorated cookies on parchment paper to set, about 20-30 minutes, or refrigerate for 10 minutes to speed up setting.
Notes
Do not let cookies brown too much. For faster setting, refrigerate decorated cookies for 10 minutes.