My Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are soft brownie cookies studded with chocolate chips, then dipped in white chocolate, and sprinkled with crushed candy canes for the perfect cookie swap or office party treat! Get the recipe, plus my best cookie sharing tips for the holiday season…
This post is sponsored by Ello.
This season it’s all about the COOKIES!
Even if you’re a bit of a grinch during Christmas, most of us have at least once function we need to attend, whether it’s the annual office party, the holiday book club meeting, or the school cookie swap. These festive cookies are the PERFECT cookies to bring along, and to tote mine in style, I’ll be using my cute Ello silicone sleeved DuraGlass Bakeware, (you can find it at Target and Target.com now.)
I hope you’ll make it a New Year’s resolution to give up plastic and go with clean chemical free glass in your kitchen
Bringing these delicious holiday cookies in an Ello glass container is a good idea on so many levels…it keeps my cookies impeccably fresh and pristine, it shows them off through the crystal clear lid, and it tells everybody that I’m a smart baker who cares about the planet ~ no disposables or plastic for me. Plus, I’m perfectly poised to pack up any leftovers.
A batch of cookies packed in Ello Duraglass is a smart gift
I don’t know about you, but I’m a cookie baking machine this week. I’m churning them out like crazy ~ small batches for the neighbors, big batches for cookie swaps, and tons for the freezer. I’d much rather give cookies than some tchotchke nobody needs. And anyway, I pack my cookies in colorful Ello Duraglass which becomes part of the gift, and that’s something everybody will use and love.
5 TIPS FOR COOKIE SWAPS AND OFFICE PARTIESÂ
#1 Use a tried and true cookie recipe
You’re expected to bring your A game to holiday events, so now’s not the time to experiment with something new, cookie recipes can be so finicky. I use my mom’s recipe for double chocolate peppermint dipped cookies, I know they work, and I know they’re delicious.
#2 Make sure your cookie is cute!
Choose a cookie with a little pizzaz, after all, ’tis the season to let loose and indulge, and a plain old sugar cookie won’t cut it. Choose a cookie with sprinkles, holiday colors, or a sassy half dip like this one.
#3 Choose a recipe that makes smaller cookies, at least 3 dozen
Doubling recipes can sometimes be tricky ~ extracts, spices, and leaveners don’t necessarily double in an obvious way, so choose a recipe that makes a lot, and if you need more, just make another batch.
#4 Pick a cookie that can travel.
No sticky jams or soft frostings that can’t be stacked. You want your cookies to arrive looking as good as when they left your kitchen. I always separate layers with waxed or parchment paper to protect my cookies.
#5 Keep them fresh!
Nobody wants stale cookies, so do everybody a favor and pack them in an airtight container like this Ello silicone sleeved baker. I love how it shows off the contents through that crystal clear lid. You can even stash the whole thing in the freezer if you want to get a head start.
Other ideal cookie swap cookie recipes from the archives
- New Fallen Snow Cookies
- Pfeffernusse (German Spice Cookies)
- Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies
- Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies
The gift of cookies is a gift from the heart, just bow and go!
Homemade cookies are probably my favorite thing to give, but the packaging is definitely half the fun. I like to pack my cookies in a really nice container that becomes part of the gift itself. After I found Ello’s colorful silicone sleeved glassware at Target they’ve become my go-to packaging. I like that those treats I work so hard on show through the crystal clear lid. My friends can use their Ello for meal prep, food storage, and baking, and I get the reputation for being the best cookie giver ever. It’s a win win.
Why I love and recommend Ello products
- I’m transitioning away from plastic to healthier, eco-friendly glass in my life, especially in the kitchen. Glass is made from all natural, renewable sand…plastic is not.
- Ello’s Duraglass is so substantial and weighty ~ they’re solid pieces I’ll have forever.
- I love the way the silicone feels in my hands, and how it makes these dishes silent, no clanging in my cabinets or on the counter. A small thing, but I appreciate it!
- Glass comes out of the dishwasher sparkling clean, plastic doesn’t.
- I love to surround myself with color and Ello’s silicone sleeves are pretty and cheerful.
Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Equipment
- 1" cookie scoop
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 7 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut in small pieces. You can also use good quality chocolate chips.
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips. You can use semi sweet, bittersweet, or mini chips.
dipping chocolate
- 7 ounces white chocolate or white confectionary melts. This will be about a heaping cup.
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp oil based peppermint extract, optional, I use McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract
peppermint garnish
- 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy or candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F Line baking sheets with parchment paper
- Put the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for one minute. Remove and stir to melt the chocolate. Heat a little bit more if needed. When the mixture is smooth, set aside to cool.
- Beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer or with electric beaters until pale and thick. This will take several minutes.
- Add the slightly cooled chocolate to the eggs and sugar, and gently mix together. Blend in the vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder and fold into the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Let the dough sit for about 15 minutes covered with a clean towel.
- Scoop out the dough with a rounded 1 inch scoop and put on a lined baking sheet. Keep the cookies 2 inches apart. If your scoops look wonky, wet your finger and smooth them out a little. Note: the batter will be a little tacky.
- Bake for about 7 minutes, or until dry on top and starting to crackle. They will be puffed at first but will flatten as they cool. Let cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack. Don't over bake these little cookies, you want them to be rich and chewy. I found 7 minutes to work every time. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the pan to firm up, then cool completely on a rack before dipping.
- Put the white chocolate or candy melts in a small microwave safe bowl, along with the coconut oil. icrowave for 60 seconds, then stir slowly to melt the chocolate. Stir in the peppermint extract, if using. If the candy is not completely melted, microwave again for 15 seconds, and continue to stir. If the mixture is very thick, you can add a little more coconut oil.
- Dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate, dust with a little crushed peppermint, and then set on parchment paper to dry.
Hi Sue,
I loved the recipe. I made them for work and everyone loved them!. However, the second time I made them they came out of the oven very flat. What do you suppose I did wrong (I’m a novice baker)? I did double the recipe the second time so I may have gotten a measurement wrong. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
It’s hard to tell without knowing all the details Jason, but it’s totally possible in doubling it you did mis-measure something, happens all the time.