Chocolate and mint are a well loved combination, and these Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies take the flavours to a festive place by adding crushed candy canes. I've made the cookies extra chocolatey with chocolate chips in the cookie dough, and then I've dipped half of the cookie in dark chocolate. I went for dark chocolate because I love the way it contrasts against the white, red and green of the candy canes, but you can use milk chocolate instead if you prefer. They're also a really easy cookie recipe to make and don't take much effort, even the decoration is simple too. These Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies would make great gifts for family and friends at Christmas time!
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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.
- You can use either baking spread or unsalted butter to make the cookies, but either way it should be used softened.
- I used dark chocolate chips and dipped the cookies in dark chocolate, but you could use milk or white chocolate instead.
- 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 Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Mix the butter and caster sugar together, then add the egg and peppermint extract. Next mix in cocoa powder, plain flour and baking powder. Then add the chocolate chips and mix them in.
Use a spoon to scoop little blobs of the mixture onto lined baking trays, you can roll them between your palms to make them neater. Bake for 12-14 minutes, leave them to cool completely. To decorate, melt the dark chocolate and dip half of each of the cookies into it, then sprinkled crushed candy cane onto the wet chocolate so it sticks.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
What is the best way to crush the candy canes?
Pop them into a large mixing bowl and very gently bash them with the end of a rolling pin. Or you can put them in a ziploc bag, seal it up, then gently bash with a rolling pin. You need to use the bash up fragments as soon as possible, if you leave them in the bowl for a while they will stick together.
How long do the cookies last and can they be frozen?
The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Can these cookies be made gluten free or dairy free?
For gluten free cookies, swap the plain flour for a gluten free plain flour blend, you may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. For dairy free cookies, swap the butter for a dairy free spread and use dairy free chocolate. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
More tips for making the Mint Chocolate Candy Cane 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
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
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More mint chocolate recipes...
Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 125 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
- 200 g Caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar)
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Peppermint extract
- 160 g Plain flour (also known as all purpose flour)
- 40 g Cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 60 g Chocolate chips dark, milk or white
For decoration
- 175 g Dark chocolate melted
- 3 Candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and line a few baking trays (or however many you own) with baking paper
- Mix the butter and caster sugar together with a spoon in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy, or use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment
- Add the egg and peppermint extract, and mix them in
- Mix in the plain flour, cocoa powder and baking powder
- Fold in the chocolate chips
- Spoon blobs of the mixture onto your lined baking trays, you can roll them between your palms for a neater appearance. Make sure to leave space between the cookies as they will spread
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, leave them on the tray for 10 minutes before carefully removing and placing on racks to cool fully
- Once the cookies are fully cool, lay out a piece of baking paper on the worktop. Dip half of each cookie into the melted dark chocolate and place on the baking paper
- Sprinkle some crushed candy cane on the chocolate while it is still wet so it sticks, then leave the chocolate to set
- Store in an airtight container and eat within 3 days. They can also be frozen
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and egg) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- You can use either baking spread or unsalted butter to make the cookies, but either way it should be used softened.
- I used dark chocolate chips and dipped the cookies in dark chocolate, but you could use milk or white chocolate instead.
- 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.
zeba
These look divine...I can almost taste the crunch of the candy canes...thanks for the share on Fiesta Friday!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks so much Zeba!
TurksWhoEat
So cute and festive!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you so much!
Rita
Really good. Thanks for this Fiesta Friday treat.
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Rita!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Yum - these look delicious... and so very Christmassy. I love the flavours 😀 Thanks for sharing them with #CookBlogShare. Eb x
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Eb!
Anna | Once Upon A Food Blog
These look sooo pretty, a really clever idea and really Christmassy!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks so much Anna!
Angie | Fiesta Friday
Yes to chocolate and mint combo! They look so Christmassy ?
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Angie! Choc and mint are so perfect together!
Jenny Paulin
These sound delicious Kat and I love adding some candy canes to my Christmas bakes. very festive and thank you for sharing with #Bakeoftheweek x
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Jenny, I'm glad you're a candy cane fan too!
A
I made these today but the cookies did not spread out at all. The ratio of wet to dry ingrediets is way off. Is there really meant to be 140g cocoa powder or was that a typo?
Thanks A
thebakingexplorer
Hi, I just saw your comment on instagram, so sorry about this! It's a typo and should be 40g, I've fixed it now!