Name: Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 57 min
Ingredients: .5 cup Unsalted Butter ((1 Stick)); .25 cup Brown Suagr; .25 cup White Granulated Sugar; 1 cup All-Purpose Flour; .5 tsp. Baking Soda; .25 tsp. Salt; 1 lg. Egg; .5 tsp. Vanilla Extract; 1 tsp. Pure Peppermint Extract; .5 cup Chocolate Chips; .25 cup Crushed Candy Cane

Happy National Cookie Day! In honor of this enticing day, I made peppermint chocolate chip cookies. These cookies are classic chocolate chip cookies elevated with crushed candy canes and peppermint extract. The crushed candy canes and delicious minty taste make these wonderful holiday cookies. I plan on remaking these in a few weeks for Christmas.

This is a wonderful make-ahead holiday dessert recipe as you can make the cookie dough in advance, form them into balls and freeze in an airtight baggie for up to 3 months! When you are ready to bake them, just bake the frozen dough balls for an extra 2 minutes. In this recipe, you will need crushed candy canes which I just crushed myself by rolling them with a rolling pin in an airtight zipped baggie. You don’t want to put them in a spice grinder anything because you want them in chunks rather than fine pieces. I used about 10 mini candy canes to get ¼ cup or 4 normal sized candy canes.

STEP 1

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together the softened butter with the brown and white sugars for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.

STEP 2

Mix in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract.

Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until fully combined.

STEP 3

In a large baggie, add the candy canes and close tight.
Using a rolling pin, roll over the candy canes crushing them.

STEP 4

Add ¼ cup of the crushed candy cane and chocolate chips and mix for a few seconds until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

STEP 5

Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and using a small ice cream scooper or a large spoon, scoop about 2 tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the parchment paper.

This recipe yields about 18 medium sized cookies.

STEP 6

Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden but still soft.
Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool.

*Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Raw cookie dough can be frozen for later use.