Best Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies Recipes

HOT CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until tops are cracked. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Drop a teaspoonful of marshmallow creme into the center of each cookie. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Immediately sprinkle with candies. Place on waxed paper and let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT COCOA SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookie dough: Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt onto a piece of parchment or into a medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just incorporated. Remove half of the dough, shape into a rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• For the filling: Add the cocoa powder to the remaining dough and use your hands to knead it in until completely combined. Shape the chocolate dough into a rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate with for 30 minutes.
• Roll each dough piece between 2 pieces of parchment to a roughly 11-by-8-inch rectangle. Refrigerate the rolled dough for an additional 20 minutes.
• Stack the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate, then peel away all of the parchment except the piece on the bottom of the chocolate dough. Use the parchment to help roll the dough into a tight spiral to form a tight log. Cover the log in plastic wrap and freeze until solid, 1 to 2 hours.
• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Cut 1/4 inch off each end of the log with a sharp knife to reveal the swirled pattern. Slice the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices, about 34 total. Divide the slices between the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through the cooking time, until the tops of the cookies are no longer tacky, about 10 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the add-ins: Once the cookies are cooled, microwave the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 15 seconds, until completely melted. Dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate, then sprinkle or dip in the crushed peppermint candies. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Add chocolate and butter to a medium microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between intervals until melted and smooth, set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile add flour to a medium mixing bowl, sift in cocoa powder and add baking powder and salt. Whisk mixture to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment blend together brown sugar, eggs, peppermint extract and vanilla. Mix in chocolate mixture.
• With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined.
• Cover bowl and chill 1 hour or until firm enough to handle (I actually divided the dough into two containers and it chills faster). Preheat oven to 325 degrees during last 15 minutes of chilling.
• Scoop dough out about 1 lightly heaping tablespoon at a time. Shape into a ball then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, spacing cookies 2-inches apart (keep remaining dough chilled).
• Bake in preheated oven until slightly under-baked, about 9 minutes. Meanwhile cut marshmallows into halves using kitchen scissors.
• Remove cookies from oven and add 1 marshmallow half to each cookie placing the cut side downward. Return to oven and bake about 2 - 3 minutes longer until marshmallows have begun to melt.
• Remove from oven and gently press down on marshmallows to flatten slightly. Cool on pan several minutes then transfer to cookies to wire racks and set wire racks over a baking sheets.
• For the icing: Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into a medium mixing bowl, set aside.
• Heat butter and cream over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently until butter has melted and mixture reaches a simmer. Remove from heat, pour in powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
• Mix in peppermint extract. If mixture is too thick thin it with a little hot water, if it's too thin thicken with a little more sifted powdered sugar.
• Immediately spoon icing over cookies (or alternately drizzle from a resealable bag with a cut corner) and sprinkle each cookie with crushed peppermint after adding icing because the icing will start to set quickly.
• Recipe source: adapted from Rachel Ray and Glorious Treats

PEPPERMINT SCHNAPPS HOT COCOA SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs, vanilla and espresso powder. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half., Preheat oven to 350°. Roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Cut with floured 3-in. snowflake cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For icing, in a large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, shortening, schnapps and enough water to reach a spreading consistency. If desired, add 4 drops food coloring to the inside a of pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Decorate cookies as desired. Let stand at room temperature until frosting is dry and firm.