Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Quick, simple, and full of peppermint goodness, these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are the perfect holiday treat!
Servings: 28 cookies
Cost: $6.23
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15" x 10") with silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese full-fat, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract optional
- 1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
- 1 (17.8-ounce) package fudge brownie mix see note 1
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped peppermint bark
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large sheet pan with a silicone baking mat and set aside. To bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature, you can leave them out for 1 hour or microwave the unwrapped cream cheese in 5–10 second increments until soft. For the butter, microwave it for 5 seconds, flip it, then microwave for another 5 seconds. Be careful not to melt or overly soften either ingredient.
- In a large bowl fitted to a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and optional peppermint extract. Beat until mostly smooth.
- Add in the dry pudding mix and brownie mix. Beat to combine. The dough is thick; just keep mixing and it will all come together.
- Stir in coarsely chopped peppermint bark, chocolate chips, and optional white chocolate chips. Cover dough tightly and chill for 1 hour.
- Measure each cookie dough ball to be a full, packed 2 tablespoons of dough. Knead the dough ball to get the chocolate chips to stick in and roll it into a ball. Slightly flatten balls to about 1/2-inch thick. You should get about 26–28 cookies from this batter. Place 6–8 cookies on the prepared cookie sheet, giving cookies ample room to spread.
- Bake each batch for 10–14 minutes. Remove from the oven. Sometimes the edges have a tendency to leak out; right out of the oven, simply use the back of a metal spatula to press the edges in toward the center of the cookie. If desired, add some additional chocolate chips or chopped peppermint bark on top of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough until all the cookies are baked.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Betty Crocker Delights Triple Chunk Supreme Brownie Mix is my favorite for this recipe!
Storage: These cookies are best fresh and warm but can be stored:
- Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They soften over time.
- Freezing Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding 1–3 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg