12 Days of Baking – Day 6: Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Mic drop! These cookies are legit. They are hands down my favorite holiday cookie. Rich gooey dark chocolate center, crispy peppermint outside, rolled into a winter wonderland of powdered sugar. Yaaaaaasssssss! Honey!

If I had kids and they believed in Santa I would NOT let them put these cookies out for old Saint Nick. Nope. These cookies would be reserved for baker and family only. Santa can have an apple or a salad…..all that cookie eating isn’t good for his waistline anyway.

Enough talking. Let’s get in the kitchen and make it rain cookies.

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Adapted from Bakers Royale

Yields 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spooned and leveled bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 2 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm, not hot
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons of peppermint extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, beat together well the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 50 percent power for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for 15 seconds more and stir; set aside.
2. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together 2 1/2 cups of the sugar, the oil, butter and corn syrup to blend. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract. Then on low, beat in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and beat in on low speed. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line bakesheet with parchment. Take out about one-quarter of the dough at a time to shape. Roll the dough into 3 inch balls. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar into one bowl and the confectioners’ sugar in another bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball lightly in granulated sugar first, then very heavily in confectioners’ sugar. (By rolling in plain sugar first, the confectioners’ sugar does not soak in so much and stays on the surface better).
4. Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on the foil. For crisp cookies, bake 12 to 14 minutes. For a chewier cookie, bake 10-12 minutes. Bake one sheet at a time. Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes, the press flat with a spatula.