Nothing says the holiday season is upon us quite like the humble candy cane. When I see them at the store I know winter and all the festivities that come along with it will be here soon! Packed full of those minty morsels, these Chocolate Chip Peppermint Sugar Cookies are just the thing to start your season off right.
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These cookies are made with simple baking staples-flour, sugar, and butter. Then we add in some crushed candy canes and chocolate chips and you basically have little presents ready to be baked in the oven.
Sugar Cookie 101:
Now, first things first. The classic sugar cookie always begins with the creaming together of your butter and sugar. I love this step because I know the fun is about to begin. Beat them together until light and fluffy.
Next, add in your egg and vanilla, and then the dry ingredients. The dough will come together and form a ball.
Lastly, fold in the peppermints and chocolate chips. I put my candy canes in a plastic bag and crush them with the back of a measuring cup. A rolling pin would also do the trick. Then shape your dough into little balls, pressing one side into your reserved candy cane pieces.
Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the cookies puff up and look like they are almost done. Cool them on a wire rack if you have one. They will flatten a bit and stiffen up. My favorite sugar cookies are the ones that get a little wrinkly around the edges, a tell-tale sign they are that perfect chewy texture.
Serve these guys with some hot chocolate with whipped cream and you’ve got yourself the perfect holiday treat! After my girls and I make these cookies, we usually put a few in the freezer to save for Santa:)
“Mom” tip:
To get that chewy, sugar cookie texture, take your cookies out of the oven when they still look like they have a minute or two to bake. You want them to look almost underdone. If you wait until you see the edges browning, your cookie will be too crispy by the time it cools.
Baking cookies is such a wonderful tradition during the holidays. My girls look forward to making these Chocolate Chip Peppermint Sugar Cookies every year, I hope you all do too! If you make these cookies tag @happily.athome on Instagram and share the sugar!
Chocolate Chip Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 6 large candy canes, crushed reserve two of the crushed candy canes in a small bowl, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer for about one minute, until light and fluffy.
- Add in egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium sized separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing as you go. The dough will shape into a ball when everything is combined.
- Next, add in 4 of your crushed candy canes and chocolate chips. Mix into the dough with a spatula or by hand until well combined.
- Scoop heaping tablespoon sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. You should get roughly 15 balls all together.
- Press the tops of each ball into the reserved candy cane pieces. Place the balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Make sure there is about 2 inches in between each cookie as they spread significantly. I used 2 baking sheets for the 15 cookies, 7 on one sheet and 8 on the other, so there was enough space to allow for cookie spreading.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the cookies puff up and spread out. You want your cookies to look like they still have a minute or two to bake. Do not wait until the edges brown, your cookies will be overdone.
- Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and enjoy!