White chocolate peppermint cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie for holiday baking. These easy to make buttery shortbread cookies are dipped in rich white chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint candies.
This post was originally published in December 2019 and has been updated for content.
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the holiday baking. The kids love to bake and these white chocolate peppermint cookies are perfect for them to help with. The dough is put together in no time and they love to help cut them out, dip them and sprinkle on the candy.
These cookies are great for cookie exchanges, gifts for neighbors or teachers and Santa is guaranteed to love these!
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🍪 Ingredient notes
- Butter - Make sure your butter is both unsalted and room temperature to make the best flavor and texture for this cookie.
- Peppermint Extract - The peppermint extract in these cookies give them an extra flavor in addition to the candy on top. For a less powerful peppermint flavor, replace the peppermint extract for 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- White Chocolate - The front half of the cookies are dipped in the melted white chocolate and helps the peppermint candy to stick to them. It provides a rich flavor that offsets that sharpness of the peppermint. To cover the entire front of the cookies in white chocolate, use 12 ounces of chocolate.
- Peppermint Candy - Mints, candy canes or other peppermint candies can be placed in a zip top bag and crushed up using a rolling pin. Pre-crushed peppermint candy can also be used to make things easier.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Chocolate - Milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate can be used in place of the white chocolate for a different variety.
- Mint - Replace the peppermint extract with mint extract and replace the peppermint candies with chopped up andes mint candies.
🥣 Step by step instructions
Mix together the butter, sugar and peppermint extract using a stand mixer or hand mixer until the sugar is just combined with the butter. Sift together the flour and sugar and then add it to the butter and sugar mixture while the mixer is on low speed.
When the dough just comes together, shape it into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. After chilling, roll the dough out and cut it out into circles using a glass or cookie cutter.
Place the cut out cookie dough on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until they just start to turn golden brown around the edges. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 50% power in 30 second intervals. Stir after each 30 seconds and only cook until the chocolate is 75% melted and then stir until the chocolate is done melting.
Dip the front half of the cookies in the white chocolate, scraping off the edge to remove any excess chocolate. Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies over the melted chocolate portion of the cookies and place them on parchment or wax paper to dry.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that is mentioned, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature or softened before mixing it with the sugar to make sure it incorporates with the sugar completely.
- Sift the flour and salt to ensure there are no lumps or dry pockets in the cookies.
- Don't skip the chilling time for the dough as this helps to keep it cold and prevent the cookies from spreading during baking.
- If the dough starts to get soft and sticky during rolling and cutting, place it back in the refrigerator to chill.
- Bake the cookies on the middle racks in the oven and rotate them during baking time to make sure they bake evenly.
- Only bake the cookies until they are just golden brown around the edges to prevent burning and over baking.
- Make sure to cool the cookies completely before dipping them in the chocolate so it sticks properly.
- Dipped cookies can be placed in the refrigerator to speed up the drying time of the chocolate.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
Dough - The shortbread dough for these cookies can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic. Let the dough sit on the counter top for 15-30 minutes to soften before rolling it out.
Cookie dough can also be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Frozen cookie dough should be thawed completely in the refrigerator and then softened on the counter for 15-30 minutes before rolling and cutting.
Undipped Cookies - Baked cookies can be cooked, cooled and stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days ahead of time. Cookies can then be dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with peppermint.
Baked and cooled cookies can also be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Dipped Cookies - Full baked and dipped cookies can be stored once the chocolate is fully dried. Store them in an airtight container in layers separated by parchment or wax paper for up to 1 week. Cookies can also be stored like this in the freezer for up to 2 months.
🎄 More holiday dessert recipes
If you loved this recipe for white chocolate peppermint cookies, check out these other holiday dessert recipes that I know you will love too!
- Tiramisu Brownies
- Chocolate Dipped Biscotti
- Dark Chocolate Covered Homemade Marshmallows
- Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ pound unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped finely
- ⅓ cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar and peppermint extract in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix on medium speed until the butter and sugar are just combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a large disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350° and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and take it out of the plastic wrap. Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out to approximately ¼ - ½ inch thickness.
- Using a glass or round cookie cutter that is approximately 2 ½" diameter, cut circles out of the dough and place them on the prepared sheet pans.
- When no more room is left to cut circles, combine the scraps back into a ball of dough and roll it out to cut more circles. If the dough gets too soft and sticky, place it back in the fridge to chill.
- Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges just barely start to turn golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cooled, place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it in 30 seconds intervals at 50% power, stirring in between. Only cook it until the chocolate is 75% melted and then stir it until it finishes melting. Be careful not to microwave too long or the chocolate will burn.
- Dip the front half of the cooled cookies in the white chocolate and place them on a clean piece of parchment or waxed paper. Once all of the cookies are all dipped, sprinkled the crushed peppermint candies on the chocolate portion of the cookies and let them dry completely.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature or softened before mixing it with the sugar so incorporates easily.
- Sift the flour and salt to ensure there are no lumps or dry pockets in the cookie dough.
- Don't skip the chilling time for the dough. It helps keep it cold and prevents the cookies from spreading during baking.
- If the dough starts to get soft and sticky during rolling and cutting, place it back in the refrigerator to chill.
- Bake the cookies on the middle racks in the oven and rotate them during baking time to make sure they all bake evenly.
- Only bake the cookies until they are just golden brown around the edges to prevent burning and over baking.
- Make sure to cool the cookies completely before dipping them in the chocolate so it sticks properly.
- Dipped cookies can be placed in the refrigerator to speed up drying time of the chocolate.
Substitutions and Variations
- Peppermint Extract - For a less powerful peppermint flavor, replace the peppermint extract for 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- White Chocolate - The white chocolate is enough to coat the front half of the cookies. To cover the entire front of the cookies in white chocolate, use 12 ounces of chocolate instead.
- Peppermint Candy - Mints, candy canes or other peppermint candies can be placed in a zip top bag and crushed up using a rolling pin. Pre-crushed peppermint candy can also be used to make things easier.
- Chocolate - Milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate can be used in place of the white chocolate.
- Mint - Replace the peppermint extract with mint extract and replace the peppermint candies with chopped up andes mint candies.
Daylea Hanzel
Melt in your mouth delish! I did half the cookies inwhite chocolate and the other half in milk chocolate. Both were fabulous.
Amanda
Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed them 🙂