These chewy peppermint chocolate chip cookies a festive and whimsical with a built-on red stripe! Don’t be intimidated by how complicated they look. I have step-by-step instructions on how to form the cookie. They’re not as hard as they look! This cookie dough does need to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight though because the chilled dough is easy to work with, so plan accordingly.
1 1/2cupsunsalted butter, at room temperature340 g or 3 sticks
1 3/4cupswhite sugar350 g
1/2cuppacked brown sugar110 g
1 1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1 1/4teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonkosher salt
1 1/2teaspoonpeppermint extract
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2large eggs
3 1/2cupsall-purpose flour490 g
2teaspoonliquid red food coloring
1 1/2cupswhite chocolate chips or another chocolate chips (see note below, 275 g
1 1/2cupsmint chips or another chocolate chips (see note below), 275 g
To finish
Flaky sea salt like Maldonoptional but recommended
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients together on low speed until the ingredients start to come together. Then increase the speed to medium low and cream until the mixture lightens in color and clings to the side of the bowl, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and then mix in the eggs on slow speed, one at a time, making sure the first egg is incorporated before adding the next one. Again, scrape down the bowl.Add the flour, mixing slowly or turning the mixer on and off so the flour doesn’t fly all over. Once most of the flour is absorbed, increase the speed to medium low and mix until all the flour is incorporated.
Scoop out half of the dough and place it in a separate bowl. If you have a scale, this should be roughly 600 grams of dough.Add the food coloring to the dough remaining in the bowl of the stand mixer then mix to incorporate the food coloring. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times. But mix until you have a uniform color.
Stir the white chocolate chips into the red dough by hand, making sure the chips are evenly distributed. Stir the mint chips into the white dough in the other bowl by hand, making sure the chips are also evenly distributed.
Scoop out the dough and place it on a large piece of plastic wrap. Push the dough into a disk, about 1-inch thick, wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and repeat with the other dough, in a different piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate both doughs for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight preferably.
Once the dough has fully chilled and feels firm, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.Break off a chunk of the white dough and roll into a 1 1/2-inch ball. If you have a scale, that’s about 70 grams each. Press down on the ball to form a disk that is about 2-inches wide and 1-inch thick. Repeat this process with the red dough, rolling the dough into a 1 1/2-inch ball, then pressing it into a disk.
Cut each disks into 5 strips with a sharp chef’s knife.Now assemble the cookie by taking one piece of the white dough and one piece of the red dough and making alternating strips of dough. Try to fit the edge strips to the edge strips, and the middle strips to the middle strips so you have roughly the same form of disk.
Then use your fingers to squish and form a thick disk with the stripes intact.
Place the dough disk on the lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a pinch of the flaky sea salt if using.Repeat this process with the remaining dough, placing 4 disks of cookies per baking sheet. You want the disk about 2 to 3 inches apart from each because these cookies spread! Bake in the oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are wrinkly and golden brown. The center of the cookie will rise dramatically but then fall once they cool. Make sure NOT to overbake them if you want them chewy. If you like them more crisp, you can bake them a minute or two longer. While the first sheet of cookies is baking, form another batch of cookies to bake.Let the cookies sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool further before serving
Video
Notes
I use white chocolate chips and mint chips in this recipe, but you can use whatever chip you prefer, whether it's milk chocolate, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chip. You can also use chopped chocolate or chopped Andes mint candies if you wish.