Tastes like the best hot chocolate: Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies
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These peppermint bark brownie cookies combine a fudgy brownie batter with chopped up peppermint bark and more roughly broken bark on top for a gorgeous minty brownie cookie that tastes like your favorite holiday hot chocolate.
For not being 100% on the mint fan train, I sincerely love white chocolate and peppermint. I always always make white chocolate peppermint pretzels at Christmas. They’re one of the non-negotiable must be on my Christmas cookie list cookies.
As such, I knew eventually I’d put white chocolate and peppermint in a brownie, and I thought my favorite peanut butter brownie cookies could do with this wonderful flavor combo.
So grab a tin of peppermint bark, and let’s put it to good use.
Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies
Why peppermint bark brownies will make you want to Deck the Halls even if it’s July
- Flavor!: What’s better than white chocolate and mint? Adding in rich fudgy dark chocolate from chocolate chips and good Dutch process cocoa. These taste like the very best peppermint hot chocolate in cookie form.
- Soft and crackly: my sugar melting technique I use for all of my brownies and blondies makes for shiny crackly tops that are so so pretty.
- Contrast: I love bold color contrasts in cookies. The mostly white peppermint bark against the deep chocolate cookie base sprinkled with pinky red peppermint bits is striking. This is no shy violet of a cookie. I’m pretty sure you’ll get all the best presents if you leave these out for Santa.
What you’ll need to make white chocolate peppermint brownie cookies
- Butter
- Chocolate chips: semi-sweet or dark
- Powdered sugar
- Granulated sugar (66 g)
- Eggs
- Vanilla paste or extract: to boost the chocolate and mint flavors.
- Peppermint extract: just a little to boost the mint flavor.
- Cocoa powder: good quality Dutch process like Droste or Hershey’s Special Dark
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- White chocolate peppermint bark: Homemade peppermint bark or a good brand like Ghiradelli
- Handful of crushed mini candy canes (optional)
Tips for getting the best peppermint brownies
- Adjust your mint: Mint is a powerful flavor, but you can easily adjust how much you like. Add more peppermint extract and the extra candy canes if you love the extra bit of mint, or take out both if mint is sometimes too strong for you.
- Use a scoop: These cookies are essentially a drop cookie. I like a cookie scoop for a huge variety of things in my baking, but here, a Vollrath black (1 oz) scoop is my favorite weapon of choice. It makes beautiful even round cookies that are the perfect size. And I know I just threw a brand in your face there, but I’ve used many many scoops over the thousands upon thousands of cookies I’ve made in my life, and my Vollraths are the only ones that have never broken and rarely get gummed up while using them, plus they’re easier for kids to use.
- Let them cool: These cookies will cool faster than the peanut butter brownie cookies, but they still need to cool for 3-4 minutes on the hot sheets for the best texture.
- Store separately: Peppermint has a habit of wafting its flavor into everything. As such, if you put these cookies into your Christmas cookie rotation, package them separately in cellophane bags if you make a cookie assortment. If you make a variety of cookies as I do around Christmas to make assortments as gifts, store these cookies separately as well. Nobody wants their gingerbread to end up tasting like peppermint. I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and don’t want to go there again!
Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies
Description
Rich fudgy brownie cookies laced with white chocolate peppermint bark for a chocolate mint lovers delight.
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter (113 g)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (112 g)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar (40 g)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (66 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp or vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract (optional, see note)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (98 g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 oz white chocolate peppermint bark, chopped
- 3 Crushed mini candy canes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Line 3 sheet trays with parchment paper. You can also use two, though you’ll need to cool down the pans completely to make the last batch.
- Melt the butter over low heat in a small pan.
- Pour the chocolate chips into the butter, making sure they’re submerged in the warm butter. Stir it occasionally as the chocolate melts.
- Once the chocolate is melted, add the cocoa to this mixture and stir thoroughly into a smooth paste, working out all of the lumps in the cocoa.
- Fill the bottom of a double boiler with about 1″ of water, then bring it to a boil.
- Use a whisk to mix the powdered sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and eggs in the top of a double boiler.
- Lower the water to simmer, then set the top pot over the water, stirring constantly for about 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, the sugar will be completely dissolved and the mixture will be very light in color.
- Scrape out the egg/sugar mixture into the mixing bowl as well as the chocolate mixture, peppermint extract, and vanilla paste. Whisk to mix into the butter. Set this aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Measure the flour and ½ cup of the peppermint bark into the mixing bowl. Fold everything together with a spatula just until combined.
- Drop scoops of batter onto one of the prepared sheets, 6 cookies to a sheet.
- Press down on each cookie to flatten it slightly, then scatter the rest of the bark over the top of the cookies. If you’d like, you can sprinkle crushed candy canes over the tops of the cookies as well for a little more peppermint flavor and for looks.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the sheet trays 180 degrees and switching them from top to bottom halfway through baking for even baking.
- Cool the cookies for 3-4 minutes on the hot sheet tray before attempting to move them.
- Store the cookies at room temp in an airtight container for up to 3 days. These cookies can also be frozen in Ziplocs for up to 3 months.
Notes
Less minty?: Feel free to omit the peppermint extract if it’s too strong of a flavor for you. If you LOVE peppermint extract, you can also increase the amount to 1/2 teaspoon.
