Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

These peppermint chocolate chip cookies put a festive spin on a timeless favorite. Starting with a classic chocolate chip cookie dough, peppermint chips bring a cool, sweet flavor along with a little extra texture in every bite. The result is a cookie with a soft, gooey center and lightly crisp edges. This recipe makes 16 cookies and can easily be doubled when you’re baking for a crowd.

As soon as the holiday season arrives, I find myself reaching for anything made with chocolate and peppermint. It’s one of those classic flavor combinations I look forward to every year, and these cookies are one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. They’ve become one of the most popular holiday cookie recipes on the site, and after one bite, it’s easy to see why.

Loaded with crushed candy cane pieces and plenty of chocolate, these chewy Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies have become a holiday tradition in my kitchen over the years. They’re the kind of treat I look forward to baking each Christmas season, and the holidays just wouldn’t feel quite the same without them.

If you love peppermint desserts and festive Christmas treats as much as I do, be sure to give these recipes a try, too: peppermint bark cookies, candy cane fudge, Christmas light cupcakes,
Christmas sugar cookies, Santa hat brownies.

Why You’ll Love These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Classic meets festive: These peppermint chocolate chip cookies blend rich chocolate chips with crushed candy canes for the perfect holiday cookie twist.
• Soft & chewy texture: A quick dough chill keeps them thick and tender with crisp edges — just like bakery-style chocolate chip cookies.
• Easy ingredients: No fancy tools, just pantry staples you already have — butter, sugars, flour, eggs, and vanilla.
• Cookie swap winner: Pretty, peppermint-sparkled cookies that pack and gift beautifully — a must for any cookie exchange.

Ingredients You’ll Need

(Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!)

• Unsalted Butter – Use softened butter, not melted. Properly softened butter creams more easily with the sugars and helps create soft, chewy cookies.
• Granulated Sugar – Adds sweetness and helps create lightly crisp edges.
• Light Brown Sugar – Gives these cookies their soft, chewy texture while adding a subtle caramel flavor that pairs perfectly with peppermint and chocolate.
• Large Eggs – Help bind the dough together and provide structure. Room-temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly into the batter.
• Vanilla Extract – Adds warmth and enhances both the chocolate and peppermint flavors.
• All-Purpose Flour – Provides the structure for the cookies. For best results, spoon and level the flour rather than scooping directly from the bag.
• Salt – Balances the sweetness and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
• Baking Soda – Helps the cookies rise properly and creates a soft, tender texture.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – The perfect chocolate choice for balancing the sweetness of the candy canes. Dark chocolate chips can also be used for a richer flavor.
• Candy Canes, Crushed – Add festive peppermint flavor and holiday crunch. Crush into small pieces for even distribution throughout the dough, and save a few pieces for topping the cookies before baking.

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1: Preheat and Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper so the cookies bake evenly and lift off easily once they’re done.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. This helps evenly distribute the leavening and salt before they’re added to the cookie dough.
Step 3: Cream the Butter and Sugars. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This step adds air to the dough, which helps create soft, tender peppermint chocolate chip cookies.
Step 4: Add the Eggs and Vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until the dough looks smooth and glossy.
Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stop as soon as the flour disappears to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
Step 6: Stir in Chocolate Chips and Candy Canes. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. For a bakery-style look, save a handful of chocolate chips to press into the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking.
Step 7: Scoop and Chill. Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart, then chill the dough for 30 minutes to help prevent spreading.
Step 8: Bake. Bake for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
Step 9: Cool and Enjoy. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Once cooled, they’ll have chewy centers, melty chocolate chips, and festive peppermint crunch.

Storage & Freezer Tips

• Room Temperature: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.
• Fridge Option: For longer freshness, store in the fridge up to 7 days — bring to room temp before serving.
• Freezing Baked Cookies: Layer with parchment in a freezer-safe container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 15–20 minutes.
• Freezing Dough: Scoop dough balls, place on a sheet, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a zip-top bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes to the bake time.
• Bake From Frozen: Bake straight from frozen — just add 2 extra minutes to the bake time.

Did you make these peppermint chocolate chip cookies? Leave a rating and a comment below, I love hearing how they turned out!

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