Peppermint Mocha Cookies

These treats taste just like the classic wintertime coffee drink, but in cookie form!Do you like grabbing a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks?  If you said “yes”, then you’ll love these cookies.

These cookies are better than they have any right to be.  They’re fudgy and full of mini chocolate chips, and are flavored with cooling peppermint extract and bold dark roast instant coffee.  A little white chocolate and crushed candy canes are the cherry on top of the sundae, so to speak.I can’t stop eating them, and frankly it’s getting to be a little problematic.  It’s a good thing that I can bring them to work and pawn them off on the folks in the lab.

Add them to your holiday cookie tray, bake them for a cookie swap, or just bake up a batch for some friends.  You will not be disappointed.

This recipe comes from Sally’s Baking Addiction.  I doubled the recipe listed on her blog.  Because, more cookies.

You’ll need (makes 36-40 cookies):

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (I used half regular and half dark, but use whatever you have)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp espresso powder (or 2 tbs dark roast instant coffee granules)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 16 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 6 candy canes, crushed

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder/instant coffee, and salt.  Set the bowl aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together for a few minutes, until they are light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, allowing for each egg to incorporate completely, and add the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

Little by little, add the dry ingredients to the wet, on low speed.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the mini chocolate chips.  Turning the speed up a bit higher helps to incorporate them throughout the thick, sticky dough.

Next, you’re going to want to chill the dough.  This is important.   If you don’t chill the dough, the cookies will spread waaay too much.  Trust.  Anyway, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap (you can chill it right in the bowl of the stand mixer, or transfer to another bowl if you want.  Chill the dough for at least 3 hours, and up to overnight.  I opted for overnight.

Once you’re ready to bake the cookies, after appropriately chilling the dough, let the dough sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.  While the dough warms up a little, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop and roll cookie dough into 1.5 tbs-sized balls balls.  Place them on the baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches between cookies.

Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes.  The cookies will look pretty soft in the middle, and that’s okay.  Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes or so before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Once the cookies have cooled, melt the white chocolate.  Dip the cookies into the chocolate, or drizzle chocolate over the cookies, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.