- Balance rich dark chocolate with a precise amount of mint extract to avoid overpowering toothpaste-like flavors.
- Chill dough to prevent spreading, yielding thick, chewy centers and crisp edges.
- Use both cocoa powder and melted bittersweet chocolate plus brown sugar for deep fudgy flavor and moist texture.
- Small technique tips (room-temp eggs, underbake slightly, use a scoop) ensure bakery-quality, consistent cookies.
The marriage of rich, dark chocolate and cool, vibrant mint is pure dessert magic. It is that classic, nostalgic flavor everyone loves. If you are looking for a cookie that truly delivers on both flavor and texture, my chocolate mint cookies are the absolute answer. This chocolate mint cookies recipe creates fudgy, intensely dark centers and perfectly crisp edges, a guaranteed winner for holiday cookie swaps or a delicious anytime treat. They are surprisingly easy to make, feel incredibly decadent, and bring a professional bakery taste right into your kitchen. These cookies always disappear first at any gathering I host!
Table of contents
Smart Baking Prep (What to Prep Ahead)
Successful cookie baking often comes down to timing and temperature. For the best chocolate mint cookies, tackling the preparatory work and allowing for a chill time is absolutely essential.
- Measure and Whisk: Measure all of your dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together thoroughly in a bowl. This ensures even leavening.
- Cool the Fat: If you are melting butter or chocolate for your recipe, do this first. They must be completely cooled to room temperature before mixing with the sugars and eggs. Adding warm ingredients will “cook” the eggs prematurely.
- Dough Chilling: Make the dough ahead of time and chill it. This is the secret to thick, soft cookies that won’t spread into flat puddles. You can chill the dough for 1 hour or even overnight.
Chocolate Mint Cookies Recipe Card
Chocolate Mint Cookies Recipe
24
servings20
minutes10
minutes160
kcalThese are the ultimate chocolate mint cookies, soft, chewy, and packed with deep cocoa flavor and a refreshing minty kick. They are perfect for holiday trays or a cozy night in.
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Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
0.75 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutched process preferred)
1 teaspoon baking soda
0.25 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
0.75 cup brown sugar, packed
0.5 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
0.5 teaspoon peppermint extract (not mint extract, specifically peppermint)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or mint baking chips
Directions
- Whisk the Dry Ingredients In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure to break up any clumps of cocoa powder. Set this aside.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together. You want to beat this on medium-high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy. This step aerates the dough.
- Add Wet Ingredients Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the butter mixture. Beat for another minute until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Combine and Chill Turn the mixer to low speed. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This creates a thicker cookie.
- Scoop and Bake Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the chilled dough into 1.5-tablespoon balls. Place them on the sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should be set, but the centers will look slightly soft.
- Cool and Serve Remove from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.
Notes
- Extract Strength: Peppermint extract is stronger than vanilla. Stick to the 0.5 teaspoon measurement in this chocolate mint cookies recipe. You can add a drop more if you love intense mint, but proceed with caution.
- Cocoa Choice: Using Dutch-process cocoa powder will give you a darker color and a smoother, fudgier flavor compared to natural cocoa powder.
- Dough Stickiness: The dough will be sticky before chilling. This is normal. Do not add extra flour, or the cookies will become dry and cakey.
Nutrition Facts
- Fat: 8g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Protein: 2g
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The Flavor Secret of the Chocolate Mint Cookies
This chocolate mint cookies recipe is superior because it maximizes the chocolate flavor in two crucial ways. First, we use both high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder and a small amount of melted bittersweet chocolate. This combination delivers a depth of cocoa that is far more intense than using cocoa powder alone. Second, we use only a precise amount of mint extract, ensuring the cooling mint flavor complements the chocolate without overpowering it.
Furthermore, we focus on texture:
- Chewy Center: Using a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar locks in moisture, giving you that soft, chewy middle everyone craves.
- Superior Melt: We use Andes mint pieces or mint chips, which melt beautifully without turning chalky.
This recipe is also easily customized. You can substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend for a gluten-free chocolate mint cookies option. For a richer, darker flavor, choose a high-quality Dutched-process cocoa powder for the best results.
Chef’s Secrets for Achieving Bakery Perfection
Baking is a science, and these small adjustments will elevate your chocolate mint cookies from good to absolutely amazing.
- Don’t Overdo the Mint Extract: Mint extract is incredibly potent. Measure it precisely. Too much will taste like toothpaste, not a decadent dessert. Start with a small amount; you can always add more, but you can’t take it away.
- Use Room Temperature Eggs: Room temperature eggs mix better with the creamed butter and sugar, resulting in a lighter, more evenly structured dough. Take them out 30 minutes before starting.
- Underbake Slightly: Pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges are set and slightly firm, but the centers still look soft and slightly glossy. They will continue to bake on the hot baking sheet.
- Invest in a Quality Scoop: Using a cookie scoop ensures every cookie is the same size. This guarantees even baking, so none are burnt while others are raw. Check your oven temperature accuracy with an oven thermometer; most home ovens run hot.
Creative Minty Spins
The Peppermint Patty Surprise:
For a truly decadent treat, I love stuffing these cookies. To do this, wrap the cookie dough around a mini peppermint patty before baking. You will need to scoop slightly less dough than usual. Flatten the dough ball, place the candy in the center, and seal the edges completely. When you bite into the warm cookie, the peppermint center is molten and gooey. It turns a standard cookie into a gourmet confection.
The “Snow-Capped” Crinkle:
If you want a festive look for the holidays, turn these into crinkle cookies. Before baking, roll your chilled dough balls generously in granulated sugar first, and then in powdered sugar. The granulated sugar helps keep the powdered sugar from melting into the dough. As the chocolate mint cookies bake and spread, the white coating cracks apart, revealing the dark fudgy interior. It looks like snow on a dark mountain.
The Mint Chip Sandwich:
Sometimes one cookie isn’t enough. You can make these smaller and use them as shells for a sandwich cookie. Whip up a simple buttercream frosting using butter, powdered sugar, a splash of cream, and a drop of green food coloring. Pipe a swirl of mint filling between two cooled cookies. This variant is excellent for parties because they look impressive and can be made a day in advance to let the flavors meld.
If you are a fan of rich cocoa desserts, you have to try my famous Fudgy Pot Brownies next.
Baking Troubleshooter (FAQs)
Flat cookies usually happen because the butter was too warm or the dough wasn’t chilled long enough. If the fat melts before the structure sets in the oven, the cookie spreads. Ensure your butter is cool room temperature and never skip the chilling step in this chocolate mint cookies recipe.
Peppermint extract is made specifically from peppermint and has that sharp, cool, “candy cane” flavor. “Mint” extract is often a blend of spearmint and peppermint. For chocolate mint cookies, peppermint extract is the superior choice for that classic flavor pairing.
When creaming butter and sugar, a film of butter often sticks to the bottom and sides of the bowl. If you don’t scrape it down, you will end up with streaks of unmixed butter in your dough, which leads to uneven baking and greasy cookies.
The Perfect Finish
There is a reason these chocolate mint cookies are a permanent fixture in my baking rotation. They strike the perfect balance between sophisticated dark chocolate and playful, refreshing mint. Whether you are baking for a holiday exchange, a school bake sale, or just a Tuesday night craving, this recipe delivers consistent, delicious results every single time.
I encourage you to pour a tall glass of cold milk and enjoy these while they are still slightly warm from the oven. If you loved this recipe, you might want to try my crockpot Hot Chocolate to double down on the cozy vibes!
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