All-Purpose Flour: Achieving the perfect cookie texture relies heavily on accurate flour measurement. For the most consistent and professional results, we highly recommend weighing your flour using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by first stirring the flour in its bag to loosen it, then gently spooning it into your measuring cup. Level off the excess from the top with the flat edge of a knife, being careful not to pack the flour into the cup. This prevents over-measuring, which can lead to dry, dense cookies.

Cocoa Powder: Dutch-processed cocoa powder is crucial for these cookies, imparting a deep, rich, and intensely chocolatey flavor that truly defines a brownie. This type of cocoa powder has been treated to reduce its acidity, resulting in a darker color and a smoother, less bitter, more mellow chocolate taste compared to natural cocoa powder. Using Dutch-processed ensures that characteristic decadent brownie flavor and color in your cookies.

Semisweet Chocolate Chips: These are a go-to choice for brownies and, by extension, these brownie cookies, due to their balanced sweetness that complements the richness of the cocoa without being overly sugary. They’re also widely available, making this recipe accessible. When purchasing, always look for chips explicitly labeled as “real semisweet chocolate chips” rather than “semisweet baking chips,” which often contain less cocoa butter and can melt differently. Alternatively, a good quality semisweet chocolate baking bar, finely chopped, works wonderfully.

Butter: You can successfully use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If you opt for salted butter, remember to slightly reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe to maintain the perfect flavor balance. Ensure your butter is at room temperature for optimal mixing, though for melting with chocolate, a colder butter is fine initially.

White Chocolate: For the peppermint bark dip, the quality of your white chocolate truly makes a difference. We recommend using good quality white chocolate bars, as they typically melt more smoothly and offer a superior, rich, and buttery flavor. Exercise caution if using white chocolate chips, as many varieties are not made with real cocoa butter and can be much more challenging and finicky to melt evenly, often resulting in a grainy texture and a less authentic white chocolate taste.

Candy Canes: While other peppermint candies exist, peppermint candy canes are by far the easiest to crush into small, sprinkle-ready pieces. Their elongated shape allows for simple crushing with a rolling pin. Just be sure to double-check that you’re grabbing peppermint-flavored candy canes, not cherry or any other fruit flavor, as a cherry-peppermint combination might result in a surprisingly strange and undesirable flavor profile.

Peppermint Extract: This powerful extract is essential for infusing both the brownie cookies and their white chocolate coating with that distinctively beautiful and refreshing peppermint flavor. A little goes a long way! If you find yourself with leftover extract, consider trying my easy peppermint swirl fudge or my peppermint sugar cookies for more delightful peppermint-infused treats.

Step 1: Melt Chocolate and Butter. In a small saucepan, combine the semisweet chocolate chips and butter. Gently melt this mixture over low heat on your stovetop, stirring frequently to prevent any burning. As soon as the mixture is smooth and fully melted, immediately remove it from the heat to avoid overheating the chocolate.

Step 2: Whisk Eggs and Sugars. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the room temperature eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk this mixture vigorously with a wire whisk (or an electric mixer on medium-high) until it becomes very thick, pale, and creamy. When lifted, the mixture should fall off the whisk in thick ribbons, indicating it’s sufficiently aerated for those coveted crackly tops. Then, stir in the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and a pinch of salt.

Step 3: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients. Pour the slightly cooled melted chocolate and butter mixture into the aerated egg mixture. Gently fold until just combined. Next, sift the all-purpose flour and Dutch-processed cocoa powder directly into the bowl. Continue to fold the mixture carefully with your wire whisk or a spatula until there are no visible streaks of flour remaining. Be careful not to overmix, as this can develop the gluten and result in tougher cookies.

Step 4: Scoop the Dough. The cookie dough will be quite soft and batter-like, similar to brownie batter. Use a two-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough onto your parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Leave approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading. Alternatively, you can use a piping bag with a large round tip for cleaner, more uniform portions if preferred.

Step 5: Bake and Cool. Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. They are ready when their tops look shiny and slightly crinkled, but the centers still appear soft. Avoid overbaking to keep them fudgy. Immediately upon removing from the oven, use a spatula to carefully transfer the cookies off the hot parchment paper onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely before handling or dipping. Repeat this process until all of your delicious cookie dough has been baked.

Step 1: Melt White Chocolate Mixture and Dip. Prepare your peppermint candy canes by crushing them (a rolling pin over the wrappers works perfectly). Set aside the crushed candy. In a clean bowl, combine the white chocolate bars, a touch of coconut oil (or butter for a similar effect), and the peppermint extract. Melt this mixture either in the microwave in short bursts, stirring frequently, or over a saucepan of simmering water (a double boiler method), stirring continuously to ensure smooth melting and prevent burning. Once melted and smooth, dip the tops of your completely cooled brownie cookies halfway into the luscious white chocolate. Allow any excess to drip off before proceeding.

Step 2: Sprinkle and Set. Immediately after dipping, generously sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the wet white chocolate coating. Place the dipped cookies onto a fresh piece of parchment paper laid on a cookie sheet. To help the white chocolate set faster, especially if you’re in a hurry, you can pop the entire cookie sheet into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes until the chocolate is firm.

✔️ Expert Brownie Cookie Tips for Success

1. Achieve the Perfect Crackly Top: The secret to those beautiful, shiny, crackly tops on your brownie cookies lies in properly whisking the eggs and sugars. Vigorously whisk them until the mixture is visibly foamy, thick, and significantly lighter in color. This process incorporates air, which helps create that desirable crinkly texture. Whether you use an electric mixer or a handheld whisk, aim for at least one minute of dedicated whisking.
2. Handle Dough with Care: After adding the melted chocolate and then sifting in the flour and cocoa powder, it’s crucial to fold the brownie cookie dough gently. Overmixing at this stage can deflate the air you worked so hard to incorporate, leading to tougher cookies and potentially compromising the crackly top. Fold just until no dry streaks remain.
3. Bake Immediately for Shine: Once your cookie dough is mixed, don’t let it sit around. The sooner you bake it, the better chance you have of achieving those signature shiny, crinkly tops. Prepare your baking sheets and oven in advance so you can scoop and bake right away.
4. Shape Warm Cookies: If your cookies come out of the oven looking a little uneven or less perfectly round, don’t worry! While they’re still hot and fresh on the baking sheet, use the back of a spoon or a small spatula to gently push any uneven edges inwards to reshape them into beautiful, uniform circles.
5. Avoid Overbaking: Brownie cookies, like brownies themselves, can go from perfectly fudgy to dry and crumbly very quickly. Keep a close eye on them; they are done when the edges are set and the tops are shiny and crinkled, but the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to set as they cool.

Absolutely, these peppermint brownie crinkle cookies are a fantastic addition to any holiday cookie box! For best results and optimal freshness, I recommend baking the brownie crinkle cookies ahead of time and freezing them. Then, dip them in the white chocolate and crushed candy canes just a day or two before you plan on assembling and gifting your cookie boxes. The un-dipped cookies freeze wonderfully, and the finished cookies will keep well at room temperature for 4-5 days.

No, you certainly don’t have to! While the white chocolate and candy cane dip adds an extra festive touch and flavor layer, the brownie cookies are incredibly delicious and flavorful on their own, offering a pure dark chocolate peppermint experience. If you prefer, you can also drizzle the melted white chocolate on top instead of a full dip, then sprinkle the candy canes over the drizzle as an alternative decorative and flavorful finish.

While I haven’t personally tested a gluten-free version of this specific recipe, it should theoretically work if you substitute the all-purpose flour for a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that’s designed for baking. Please ensure your blend contains xanthan gum, or add a small amount if it doesn’t. If you try it, please let us know how it goes in the comments below – your feedback is always valuable!

The coveted shiny, crinkly top on brownie cookies (and brownies!) is primarily achieved through a combination of a high sugar content and the crucial step of vigorously whisking the sugar with eggs until the mixture becomes foamy, thick, and light in color. This aeration and sugar concentration work together during baking to create that beautiful, delicate, and characteristic crust. This is why it’s so important not to reduce the amount of sugar in these cookies, as it directly impacts the texture and appearance. Rest assured, the sugar content is perfectly balanced with a touch of salt and the inherent bitterness of the Dutch-processed cocoa powder, ensuring a harmonious flavor profile.

Peppermint Brownie Bark Cookies