After Eights chocolates always come out around Christmastime (although they are delicious all year round!) These After Eight Cookies are a gooey chocolate and mint treat for anytime of year, but would be great for the festive season. They are a rich chocolate mint cookie, packed with dark chocolate chips, with an After Eight inside and one on top too. They are so delicious and soft, and if you enjoy them warm they have a dreamy melty centre!
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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and egg) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used unsalted butter for this recipe, a baking spread will work, but butter is nicer!
- I recommend using light brown soft sugar for delicious flavour and a more gooey cookie, but you can replace it with caster sugar if you can't get hold of light brown soft sugar.
- I used dark chocolate chips in the cookies, you could use dark or white chocolate, or omit them entirely if your prefer.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make After Eight Cookies
To make the cookie dough, mix together the butter, light brown soft sugar and caster sugar. Then mix in the peppermint extract and egg.
Next, mix in plain flour, cocoa powder, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Finally, mix in the dark chocolate chips. Roll the dough into balls with your hands, then flatten them out and place an After Eight onto each one. Wrap the dough around the After Eight to completely cover it.
Place the After Eight filled dough balls onto a lined baking tray and chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes. When ready to bake, lay them out onto baking trays with space between them. Then bake them for 12-14 minutes, as soon as you take them out of the oven, put another After Eight on top of each cookie. Leave to cool on the trays.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Do you have to chill the cookies before baking them?
I would advise chilling these cookies before baking to help keep their shape, especially with the After Eight inside. However, if you're in a rush, you can bake them straight away too.
How do you get perfectly round cookies?
As soon as they come out of the oven get a round cookie cutter, or a glass held upside down, that is larger than the cookies and put it over each cookie. Move it in a circular motion, pressing against the sides of the cookies gently to adjust any irregularities. This is called "scooting" or "hula hooping" the cookies.
How should the cookies be stored and can they be frozen?
You can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies too, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Put a square of baking paper between each one to stop them from sticking together.
Do you need any electric mixer to make this recipe?
While an electric mixer is helpful in making these cookies and will give the best results, you don't need one to make them. You can absolutely make the cookies by hand with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease. If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Can this recipe be made dairy free?
For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread instead of butter for the cookies. I recommend the block style ones such as Flora Plant or the Stork Baking Block. You will also need to use a dairy free alternative to After Eights. Please do check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
More tips for making the After Eight Cookies:
- Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and will break or stick to the baking paper.
Troubleshooting
My number one tip for getting the best results is to read through this whole page of tips and recommendations before starting, and follow the recipe exactly. If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients
- Mixing bowls
- Baking trays
- Measuring spoons
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Stand mixer
- Round cutters
- Dark chocolate
- Peppermint extract
- After Eights
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After Eight Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 125 g Butter softened, unsalted
- 125 g Light brown soft sugar
- 75 g Caster sugar
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Peppermint extract
- 215 g Plain flour
- 35 g Cocoa powder
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 200 g Dark chocolate chips
- 12 After Eight chocolates
For decoration
- 12 After Eight chocolates
Instructions
- Ideally using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, caster sugar and light brown soft sugar together until fluffy and paler in colour. This will take 3-5 minutes in an electric mixer (I use speed 3)
- Add the egg and peppermint extract and mix in
- Add the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt (you can mix them together in a separate bowl first if you like) and mix them in until just combined
- Then mix in the dark chocolate chips briefly, just to evenly distribute them
- Divide the dough into portions, I weighed the dough out to make each cookie an equal size
- Roll the dough portions into balls using your hands, then flatten them out into a disc. Place an After Eight in the middle and wrap the dough around it to fully enclose the After Eight. Place the cookie dough balls on either a lined baking tray, or into a tupperware container lined with baking paper. Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6
- After the 30 minutes is up and your oven is pre-heated, place the dough balls onto lined baking trays, leaving space (at least 2") between them to spread. If you don't have enough baking trays, keep the dough in the fridge and bake the cookies in batches
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, remove from the oven and immediately put another After Eight on top of each one, then leave to cool on the trays for at least 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and egg) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used unsalted butter for this recipe, a baking spread will work, but butter is nicer!
- I recommend using light brown soft sugar for delicious flavour and a more gooey cookie, but you can replace it with caster sugar if you can't get hold of light brown soft sugar.
- I used dark chocolate chips in the cookies, you could use dark or white chocolate, or omit them entirely if your prefer.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
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