Combine two of my favorite Christmas loves (peppermint and cookies) and you’ve got these chewy Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies that are soft in the centers with buttery edges. Every single bite of these peppermint chocolate cookies are filled with minty goodness, and I have it on good authority that these might be Santa’s favorite cookies.

Peppermint Bark Christmas Cookies

Cookie season is in full swing, and I couldn’t let another year pass without sharing these Chocolate Chip Peppermint Bark Cookies.

I’m always a sucker for classic Christmas cookies, like sugar cookies or molasses cookies. And during the season, you can expect I’ll be baking up a batch or two of snickerdoodles or cutout Christmas cookies as well. But lately, I find myself coming back to these Peppermint Bark Cookies over and over again.

Chocolate and peppermint is a really classic flavor, and I love how the peppermint bark elevates my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Peppermint bark can be really rich on its own, as it’s layers of chocolate, white chocolate, and peppermint without anything to tone down the flavor. Despite how much I love peppermint and chocolate, I often skip the peppermint bark during this season because I find it to be overwhelming when it’s on its own.

However, if it’s paired with something else–like chocolate chip cookie dough–I can’t get enough of it. The buttery and soft cookies dilute the overall richness of the bark, and instead integrates the mint, white chocolate, and chocolate into a lovely chocolate peppermint cookie that isn’t overwhelmingly rich.

Let’s Talk Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Easy: The base dough is my chocolate chip cookie dough, which requires no chilling. I repeat, this is a no chill cookie dough.
Peppermint Bark Candy: You can make homemade peppermint bark to use in the dough, or you can be like me and purchase peppermint bark candy and use that instead.
Peppermint Extract: There is a little bit of peppermint bark extract in the dough itself, and it really adds a depth of peppermint flavor. Plus, I think peppermint and vanilla are two flavors that complement each other so well, and my chocolate chip cookies use a lot of vanilla. Basically, the result was as perfect as I wanted.

If you love all things peppermint, might I suggest you trying these Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes, this Peppermint Bark Cracker Toffee, or these White Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Cookies.

Ingredients For These Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Unsalted Butter: We add sea salt at the end so unsalted butter is key to keeping these chocolate peppermint cookies from being too salty.
Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar keeps these cookies nice and soft while granulated sugar keeps these chewy.
Peppermint Extract
Vanilla Extract
Espresso Powder: This is an optional ingredient, but the espresso enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
Egg
Baking Soda
Salt & Sea Salt
All Purpose Flour & Cornstarch
Crushed Candy Canes
Peppermint Bark: You can use any peppermint bark candies you want to.
Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are my favorite for classic chocolate chip cookies, but for this recipe, I used both semi-sweet and dark chocolate.

Let’s Talk About How To Make These From Scratch:

With a standing mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and then beat until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and mix until combined.
Add in the peppermint extract and vanilla extract.
Add in salt, baking soda, and espresso powder.
Next, add in the flour and cornstarch and mix until combined.
Lastly, add in the crushed peppermints, peppermint bark and chocolate chips, mixing until combined.
Scoop the dough with a large cookie scoop (about the equivalent of 2 Tbsp of dough) and place them evenly apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for about 14-15 minutes, or until they are lightly golden on top.
When they’re done, add a few more pieces of peppermint bark on top and a sprinkling of sea salt on top, if desired.

Pro Tip: When the cookies are done baking, I like to use a round cookie cutter or glass that’s slightly bigger than the cookies and gently swirl it around the cookies to reshape them into perfect circles (and it makes them thicker too).

Storage Tips:

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
If you want to freeze the cookies, freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, you can let the cookie thaw a bit or cook them frozen. If they’re frozen, you will likely need to add a bit more time to them.

Variations:

Chocolate Chips: You can use milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips.
Peppermint Bark: You can use homemade peppermint bark or store-bought peppermint bark. You can use any peppermint bark candy you want to—specifically I used Hershey’s Peppermint Bark Bells and Andes Peppermint Crunch Chocolates.
Candy Canes: If you don’t have candy canes, you can use regular peppermints. Basically, you just want some kind of crunchy peppermint candy.

Final Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookie Tips:

Crushed Candy Canes: I find using a food processor to crush the candy canes is the easiest way, but you can also put them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You do want them pretty finely crushed.
Cookie Scoop: I like to use a large cookie scoop for cookies, which is the equivalent of about 2 Tbsp of dough. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls. If you use a large cookie scoop, this recipe yields 12 cookies. If you use a medium cookie scoop, you get about 18-20 cookies.
Sea Salt: While it’s optional, a sprinkling of sea salt on top of the cookies really enhances the overall flavor. The salt cuts through the sweetness so you can taste each individual flavor in the cookies.
Cornstarch: It adds an extra richness and soft texture to the cookies.
Peppermint Extract: Peppermint extract is different than mint extract. Peppermint is like a candy cane while mint is like a spearmint flavor. Also, be sure to use a measuring spoon because a little bit goes a very long way.