One of my favourite parts of the Christmas holiday is cookies! Not just the eating of cookies (which I do a lot of), but the making of cookies too. Some of my earliest food memories are of baking cookies with my Grandma and my Mom. All of us together in the kitchen measuring, mixing (my job!) and laughing. Today, I still love to bake cookies, especially for the holidays. It’s usually pretty rainy and cold in Vancouver in December, but kitchen feels cozy with the heat from the oven and Christmas songs in the background.
For holiday gift giving, I usually put together a Cookie Box. I keep a few popular cookie recipes on repeat in the boxes, but am always looking for other new and fabulous holiday recipes to add-in. I first tried @displacedhousewife ‘s Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream Cookies a few years back when I did a cookie exchange. They were a hit! Perfect for the chocolate lover, as well as those that like holiday flavours. Lately they’ve been on my mind again. Rich and chewy chocolate cookies with a light, more spice than sweet, buttercream top – yum! I like to sprinkle different sized pearl dragées on top, or use crushed candy canes, so that people know to expect a hint of peppermint when they take a bite. Go light on the peppermint extract though, as a little goes a long way! I highly recommend you try these or make they a regular in your holiday baking rotation.
To all the holiday cookie baker’s out there – Happy Baking,
Krista
Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream Cookies (makes 30 cookies)
(adapted from @displacedhousewife 's Instagram feed recipe)
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
8 oz dark chocolate (I used 72%), roughly chopped
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup demerara sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup bread flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder (I used dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the Buttercream: (you will have extra icing left over, below is a double recipe, you can never have too much icing!)
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 ½ - 4 tablespoons milk
Method
In a medium-large sized heat safe bowl add the chocolate and oil. Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring after 1 minute on high heat. If there are still chocolate bits after stirring, continue to heat bowl in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and glossy. Set bowl aside to cool. Once the chocolate cools to luke-warm, whisk in the demerara and granulated sugars, vanilla and eggs one at a time, until combined.
In a separate bowl sift bread flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Wrap bowl with cling film touching the dough (so the top does not get a skin) and refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment (I used a silicone mat).
Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, roll individual balls with your hands. Place balls onto the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between.
Place baking sheet with balls into the fridge for 20 minutes to chill (I was in a rush, so only chilled for 10 minutes and they turned out fine).
Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 10 minutes. You want the cookies to remain chewy or slightly under baked. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, or until moveable with a spatula. Then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the powdered sugar, softened butter, peppermint extract and 3 tablespoons of milk. Reserve remaining milk if buttercream is too thick. You want a spreadable consistency. Add more milk if necessary.
To Assemble:
Once cookies have completely cooled, add 1 teaspoon of peppermint buttercream to each cookie top. Using an off-set spatula, spread buttercream. Top cookies with pearl dragées or crushed candy canes.
Instead of Cookie Box gifts this year, I am trying something new (more on that to come next week!), but still opted to bake and package some of these Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream Cookies as little treats for friends and family. I just couldn’t help myself!
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