Peppermint Chip Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are fudgy, soft chocolate cookies rolled in powdered sugar that cracks to make a crinkle top as the cookies spread in the oven. They have a snowy white appearance and they might just be the most iconic Christmas cookie. This is one of my favorite versions because they are just so moist, fudgy and chocolaty. I find so many recipes can be dry, but these are far from it. My Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies recipe is extra special because there are homemade white chocolate peppermint chips inside! It makes just 1 dozen so you can easily double or triple the recipe to make a larger batch.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Small batch - this recipe makes 12 cookies from just 1 egg so you can easily double or triple it to share or for gifting.
• Fudgy and moist texture - these are super fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies that have a brownie-like texture. I have had dry awful chocolate crinkles - don't be the person to do that. Get rid of all your past crinkle cookie recipes and get with this one! They're like biting through a fudgy chocolate truffle if you bake them for 8 minutes and then like a tender soft cookie if you bake them the full 10 or even up to 12 minutes.
• Simple ingredients - all you need are staple ingredients including butter, sugar, egg, flour, cocoa.
• Easy to make - you don't need a mixer for this recipe. You can make these crinkle cookies with just a bowl and a whisk.
• Peppermint chips - what's so special about these particular crinkles aside from their ultimate fudge factor? They're hiding pools of peppermint white chocolate! Make this recipe extra festive with homemade white chocolate chips infused with peppermint.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CRINKLE COOKIES

• Unsalted butter - for this recipe you can use unsalted or salted butter. If you use salted butter, then you can reduce the added salt by a pinch.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is optional in this recipe since there's so much flavor from the spices and molasses. If you choose to use up to 1 teaspoon, I recommend this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar makes these cookies fudgy and sweet to let the chocolate flavor shine. You will also roll the cookie dough in sugar before baking.
• Eggs - 1 whole egg will give the right amount of moisture and structure to these cookies. Large size eggs are 57g each.
• All purpose flour - AP flour is ideal for chewy cookies. I always use unbleached flour.
• Cocoa powder - you should get your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It's the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. You can use natural or Dutch cocoa. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe for the darker color it gives to these cookies and it has a nice rich chocolate taste. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
• Baking powder - a bit of baking powder helps these cookies puff up to create the signature cracked appearance.
• White chocolate - you'll need white chocolate to make homemade peppermint chips! I highly recommend this couverture pure white chocolate. It has a high cocoa butter content so it will melt nicely and set quickly.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT CRINKLE COOKIES

• Chill the dough thoroughly. The longer you chill the dough the cracklier the cookies will be because this gives time for the flour to hydrate and there will be less surface moisture on the dough. A dry surface means more cracks.
• Roll first in granulated sugar then in icing sugar. Granulated sugar will help to bind moisture at the surface of the dough to keep it dry and help with cracking. Icing sugar alone will readily dissolve with the moisture of the cookie dough so that it just melts away during baking, but the initial coating of granulated sugar will help it to adhere better without dissolving instantly.
• Preheat the oven thoroughly. If the oven isn't hot enough, the powdered sugar will melt into the dough before it has time to set which will make the crinkle effect look less dramatic.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PEPPERMINT CHIPS

The nice part about making your own chocolate bits instead of using store-bought "chips" is that they will melt better, especially if you use couverture chocolate. Couverture is the special high quality chocolate that confectioners and chocolatiers use for coating, enrobing and dipping when making candy. It has a high cocoa butter content which makes it very fluid when melted for smooth, thin coatings. Its wonderful melting quality means that it leaves these luscious pools of melted chocolate in the cookies instead of chalky sugary studs.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Make the peppermint chips. Place chopped white chocolate and peppermint chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and melt gently in the microwave or over a double boiler until just melted. Try not to over heat it - I pull it off the heat when there are still a few unmelted pieces left and let the residual heat melt them down with stirring. Stir in peppermint extract and pour the chocolate over a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray or a dish. Refrigerate until set and then chop into little pieces.
• STEP 2). Make the cookie dough. Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a medium bowl. Whisk to blend evenly and set aside.
• STEP 3). Combine wet ingredients. In another medium bowl, combine egg, sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk vigorously until pale and thick. Whisk in melted butter. Stir in flour mixture gently until mostly combined and then fold in chopped white chocolate. The dough will be very soft and sticky.
• STEP 4). Chill. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
• STEP 5). Preheat. When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• STEP 6). Roll in sugar. Use a 1 oz cookie scoop to portion dough and roll into balls. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar then roll generously in powdered sugar to coat evenly.
• STEP 7). Bake. Place them onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until cracked on the surface. Let cool on the trays and then enjoy!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Roll in two types of sugar. First roll in granulated sugar before rolling in powdered sugar. The granulated sugar makes a bit of a barrier between the cookie dough and the powdered sugar and dries out the surface to prevent it from completely dissolving into the dough. If you were to roll these only in powdered sugar, it would dissolve and melt during baking from the moisture in the dough.
• Transfer the pan gently after baking. Try not to bang the pan on the counter, stovetop, wire rack or whatever surface you transfer it to once you take the cookies out of the oven. The force will cause the powdered sugar to fall off before the cookies have a chance to set.
• Don't over-bake. This is so important. These cookies are ready when they are puffed and beautifully cracked. Don't over bake or they won't be as nice and fudgy in the middle. They will continue to set as they cool from the residual heat of the baking sheet.
• Chill the dough. This will create fudgier cookies as the flour and cocoa hydrate. It will also control spreading and help to create the best crinkles as the moisture becomes more tightly bound in the dough instead of quickly evaporating during baking.

If you love cookies, check out these recipes!

Chewy Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Cookies Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Ferrero Rocher Cookies Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks Coffee Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies Hazelnut Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies THE BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Bakery Style!

Craving more cookies?

If you love cookies as much as I do, check out the latest recipes:

Baking with peppermint

Here are some more festive minty recipes: