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.
Correction: Chocolate fudge pudding mix, not brownie pudding mix. Sorry, late Saturday night/early Sunday morning for Mrs. Claus here. 🙂
This looks so good! Chelsea, what brand of brownie pudding do you use? I didn’t see that flavor on my grocery store’s pudding/Jello aisle.
Hey Kathy!! I just use the store brand, I’ve found it at Kroger stores (Smith’s) Hope that is helpful! Regular chocolate pudding will work too as long as the ounces are the same. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Do you have this recipe using everything from scratch – i.e brownie mix and pudding mix?
I live in Brazil and we don’t have mixes like that – would love love to make these cookies… please help!
I’m so sorry, I don’t! I wish I did; here’s a chocolate cookie recipe that is similar! https://axis-framework.live/chocolate-cookies/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
These are exactly the recipe I’m looking for. Once they are made, how should they be stored? Do they need to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese? Thank you!
I can’t wait to make these later in the week! I’m prepping lots of cookie dough for holiday dessert trays for my neighbors. Any chance these can be refrigerated over night? Have you tried doing this before? Thanks!
Super upset. Added all my ingredients and it says 3.9 oz of pudding mix and I’m pretty sure it should be 1.4 oz. I’m going to save the mix bc I used an entire box of brownie mix and all that. If you know how I can fix it, please let me know.
No it’s right 🙂 1, 3.9 ounce box! It’s super thick!
These are amazing and SO easy to make. A big hit at holiday parties.
Question- do you think if I make the batter about an hour ahead of cooking it will mess with the consistency and shape of the cookies? We have our family cookie baking party and the more prep I can do before going, the better!
These cookies were AMAZING. Making another batch for neighbors and family this weekend!
For those without a stand mixer: I started making this recipe before realizing I needed a stand mixer, which I didn’t have. My hand mixer seriously flopped, but I was determined to make these! I ended up using a fork and a lot of arm strength for mixing the first part and toward the end when the brownie mix was added to the batter, I used my hands. All in all, the batter mixed very well and cookies turned out delicious! So, an alternative for those currently w/o a stand mixer!
Oh my gosh you are amazing! Also what a win, win, hahaha you get delicious cookies and a little workout! Haha! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks Shana! 🙂
I can’t find chocolate fudge pudding mix! I’ve looked at two stores. They have either chocolate pudding mix or sugar free chocolate fudge pudding mix. Have you ever made it with one of those?
The chocolate pudding mix will work! I’d stay away from sugar free 🙂
Curious if this would work with the dark chocolate peppermint bark?
Also, is milk chocolate vs semi-sweet for the chips important?
Sure! 🙂 And you can use milk or semi-sweet; it won’t change the structure of the cookies — just flavor (so if you prefer semi-sweet definitely use that!)