Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are ultra-fudgy, packed with peppermint bark and chocolate, and so easy to make!
author’s note
How My “Lifesaver” Cookie Became A Christmas MVP!
These brownie cookies have always been one of my go-to lifesaver cookie recipes. They take almost no effort, taste amazing, and are always a hit.
With the holidays coming up, I wanted to give that never-fail cookie base a festive twist, so I added peppermint bark and played around with the chocolate chips. The result was just as simple and just as irresistible.
Now they’re a holiday staple for me, and I make them all season long.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Helpful Tip or Simple Swap |
|---|---|
| Cream Cheese | Use full fat brick style so the dough holds its shape. Avoid whipped tubs. |
| Butter | Room temp gives the best texture. Do not melt. |
| Fudge Brownie Mix | Use any 17 to 18 ounce box. This gives the cookies their brownie like interior. |
| Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix | Adds moisture and softness. Skip sugar free versions. |
| Peppermint Bark | Chop into chocolate chip sized pieces. Use store bought or leftover holiday bark. |
| Chocolate Chips | You can use milk, semisweet, or a mix. White chocolate chips are optional but so good. |
| Peppermint Extract | Optional but great if you like stronger peppermint flavor. Skip mint extract. |
How To Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Prep oven: Preheat to 350℉ and line a sheet pan with a baking mat.
- Soften butter and cream cheese: Let them sit out or pop in the microwave if needed.
- Mix wet ingredients: Beat cream cheese, butter, egg, and extracts.
- Add dry ingredients: Mix in pudding and brownie mix.
- Stir in mix-ins: Gently mix through the add-ins.
- Shape cookies: Roll into balls, flatten, and place on the pan. Bake and enjoy!
Tips For Success
- Use A Mixer: Use a hand or stand mixer since the Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Dough is thick and hard to mix by hand.
- Chilling Dough: If the dough is sticky, chill it for 30 minutes up to an hour to make it easier to handle.
- Shape Dough: Shape into flat discs, not balls, as the cookies don’t spread much.
- Lined Baking Tray: Use a baking mat to keep the bottoms from browning too fast.
Storage
- Store chocolate peppermint cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Microwave for 8–10 seconds to reheat.
- Freeze Dough: Freeze dough balls, then bake from frozen, adding 1–3 minutes to bake time.
More Irresistably Delicious Holiday Treats:
Christmas
Peppermint Bark Recipe
Christmas
Christmas Popcorn
Desserts
Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake
Desserts
Peppermint Fudge Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Quick, simple, and full of peppermint goodness, these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are the perfect holiday treat!
Video
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15" x 10") with silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese full-fat, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract optional
- 1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
- 1 (17.8-ounce) package fudge brownie mix see note 1
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped peppermint bark
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large sheet pan with a silicone baking mat and set aside. To bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature, you can leave them out for 1 hour or microwave the unwrapped cream cheese in 5–10 second increments until soft. For the butter, microwave it for 5 seconds, flip it, then microwave for another 5 seconds. Be careful not to melt or overly soften either ingredient.
- In a large bowl fitted to a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and optional peppermint extract. Beat until mostly smooth.
- Add in the dry pudding mix and brownie mix. Beat to combine. The dough is thick; just keep mixing and it will all come together.
- Stir in coarsely chopped peppermint bark, chocolate chips, and optional white chocolate chips. Cover dough tightly and chill for 1 hour.
- Measure each cookie dough ball to be a full, packed 2 tablespoons of dough. Knead the dough ball to get the chocolate chips to stick in and roll it into a ball. Slightly flatten balls to about 1/2-inch thick. You should get about 26–28 cookies from this batter. Place 6–8 cookies on the prepared cookie sheet, giving cookies ample room to spread.
- Bake each batch for 10–14 minutes. Remove from the oven. Sometimes the edges have a tendency to leak out; right out of the oven, simply use the back of a metal spatula to press the edges in toward the center of the cookie. If desired, add some additional chocolate chips or chopped peppermint bark on top of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough until all the cookies are baked.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Betty Crocker Delights Triple Chunk Supreme Brownie Mix is my favorite for this recipe!
Storage: These cookies are best fresh and warm but can be stored:
- Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They soften over time.
- Freezing Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding 1–3 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How many cookies does this make? Says 30 servings, does this mean 30 cookies?
I made these using Peppermint Andes (that was all I could find) and they were delicious. Slightly undercooking is the way to go. Will definitely make again next year. My only comment is about the prep and cooking time listed at the top of the recipe: It took much less than 1hr 20 prep time, and more than 8 min cook time. For me prep was more like 25 min and I baked each about 13 as suggested in the instructions.
I’m so happy you liked these! I’m not sure why the prep and cooking time was listed so weird; I changed to a new platform that hosts my recipes and it did mess up a few of the prep times on some recipes. Thanks for pointing that out for me to fix it!
Would it be ok to use the Ghirardelli Peppermint Chunks (they are like chips) instead of the peppermint bark?
Sure! 🙂
These are sooooo AMAZING! I made them for Christmas and New Years, and everyone loved them! AND they are easy to whip up. They are delicious warm and second day, I can’t imagine they’ll last any longer than day 2. Thanks so much for sharing this, it will be a go to recipe for a long time to come!! I just wish Ghirardelli peppermint bark was not limited to Christmas time…
Awe thank you so much Kate! I’m so happy these were a hit 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment. And I know!! I wish they sold it year round!
Your notes states to keep in them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Will they go bad? I’m planning on sealing them and gifting them and would like to know if they will still be good depending on when the person decides to eat them
They won’t go bad, they just won’t taste as fresh!
Do I prepare the brownie mix or mix it in dry?
Don’t prepare the brownie mix, use it as part of the recipe (with the cream cheese, eggs, and other listed ingredients)
I found this while searching for holiday cookies, these look wonderful, and a nice change to the usual sugar cookies this time of year, thank you for sharing this!
Thanks Sabrina! 🙂 I hope you love them!
These look delicious! Do you think they will work as a bar cookie instead? I need as many shortcuts as I can find this year!
Thanks Denise! 🙂 Unfortunately I think they might get too hard as a bar — I would stick with cookies!
These look delicious! But I’m confused about amounts. Only 1 oz each of the instant pudding mix, brownie mix, and peppermint bar??
No, sorry!! The way my recipes are displayed just changed, and there are a lot of fixes needed. This recipe is now updated! 🙂
I love recipes that are actually easy but turn out to be so tasty and fancy that I look like a chef! These cookies absolutely fit the bill so as soon as I can get a brownie mix, they’re on! Thanks.
Thanks for your kind words Lisa!! I hope you love them ☺️
THESE. I’ve been craving all things peppermint bark and I can not wait to make these!!!
Haha! Thank you Haley 🙂
Ah these sound so yummy! And perfect for Christmas festivities. Cant wait to try them!
Thank you Kelsey! Hope you enjoy 🙂