xmas 2022 - chocolate peppermint cookies

xmas 2022 - chocolate peppermint cookies

• 21 Dec 2022

Growing up, my favourite biscuits were chocolate biscuits with a baked on white peppermint flavoured topping. With that in mind, I decided I needed to make some chocolate peppermint cookies to place in my cookie box. I adapted an Erin Jean McDowell recipe, which you can find here, and used my own filling recipe. 

The recipe made loads of cookies so I made some small star shaped biscuits and some filled cookies. Best of all, the cookies last for ages in an airtight container.

Here's the recipe for you which makes either 24 2 inch cookies or 40 small star sandwich cookies. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Chocolate Peppermint cookies – makes 24 2 inch cookies or 40 small star cookies

Cookies
113g unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
175g plain flour
⅓ cup (35g) cocoa 
¼ tsp bicarb soda
¼ tsp fine sea salt

Filling
45g unsalted butter, at room temperature
45g cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ cups (150g) icing sugar, sifted
pinch salt
¾ tsp vanilla extract
⅓ tsp natural peppermint extract
2 tsp milk
2 tbs very finely chopped candy cane (if making the 2 inch cookies)

Method
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla; mix to combine.

Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarb soda and salt into a medium bowl. Transfer to the bowl of the mixer and mix until the dough comes together. Form into a 1-inch-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C, conventional. Line a tray with baking paper and set to one side.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper until the dough is ½ cm thick. Use a 2 inch round or a small star shaped cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes and then transfer the cookies to the prepared baking tray. (You can place the cookies close together; they won’t spread much.)

Repeat until all the dough is used, rerolling the dough several times if needed. Press the tips of a fork into the centre of each cookie to keep them from puffing up too much while baking.

Bake the cookies until they appear set, 6 to 9 minutes. Cool a little before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Turn half of the cookies over so the fork marks are facing down.

Icing
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the salt, the vanilla and peppermint extract to taste and the milk; mix until well combined. 

Pipe the icing into a mound in the middle of each turned-over cookie using a ¼ inch piping tip or a teaspoon. If making the circle cookies, sprinkle a little candy cane dust over the top of the icing, then top with another cookie and gently press together. If making the star shaped cookies, skip the candy cane dust. Let the cookies sit for about 1 hour to allow the icing to set before serving.

The cookies were so tasty - delicate intensely chocolate cookies paired with a creamy peppermint filing. Yum!

I'll be back tomorrow with another cookie recipe from the cookie box, so see you all again soon.

Bye for now,

Jillian