I’ve shared a sequence of Peppermint Bark Cookies, but this one is my favorite: Chewy Honey Peppermint Bark Cookies.
The base “Chewy Honey” recipe here will be a familiar one to regulars on Bready or Not–or if you’ve met me at a convention at some point in about the past 10 years and had my Maple or Snickerdoodle versions. This new version is modified to incorporate lots of chopped peppermint bark candy.
As with the similar recipes, the quality of the peppermint bark will not only make a difference in taste but also the prettiness.
As with the other recipes in my “Chewy Honey” collection, these baked cookies will keep for weeks in a sealed container. That makes them great to mail as a holiday gift, but of course, be wary if you’re sending them to or from a warm destination. In an infernal place like Arizona (which I am so glad to be away from), it can still be hot, even into December!
Bready or Not Original: Chewy Honey Peppermint Bark Cookies
These cookies are soft, sweet, and delicious. Using higher quality peppermint bark will result in tastier, prettier cookies. Note that the dough needs to be chilled prior to baking.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: chocolate, cookies, mint
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
cookie scoop or spoon
parchment paper
Ingredients
3/4cupunsalted butter softened
1/2cuplight brown sugar packed
1/2cupwhite sugar
2Tablespoonshoney
1large egg room temperature
1Tablespoonvanilla extract
1/2teaspoonpeppermint extract
1cupbread flour
1cupall-purpose flour
2teaspoonscornstarch
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonsalt
1 1/2cupspeppermint bark chopped
more peppermint bark pieces for topping
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add both sugars and honey; beat until creamy and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl, then mix in the egg and both extracts.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: bread flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Sift together.
Slowly stir together the wet ingredients and flour mix until just combined. Fold in the peppermint bark. Encase dough in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for several hours or days; dough can also be frozen at this stage.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet. Use a teaspoon or tablespoon to space out cookies on the pan. Press additional peppermint bark pieces into the tops of the dough balls.
Small cookies bake 9 to 12 minutes; larger cookies bake in 11 to 13 minutes. Once removed from the oven, let set on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Stored cookies will keep in a sealed container for weeks. They are excellent for travel or shipping.
Last week, I posted a Peppermint Bark Cookies recipe modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine. This week, I share a reworked version of the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies I’ve made for about two decades. This White Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Cookies recipe includes white chocolate melted into the dough, resulting in a smooth, sweet cookie that gets only better with the addition of peppermint bark.
A whole bag of white chocolate chips is included in this recipe. A cup is melted for the dough; the rest is added as chips, right along with the coarsely chopped peppermint bark.
These cookies are incredible. I preferred them over last week’s take, though both are excellent.
Bready or Not Original: White Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Cookies
Melted white chocolate chips make this dough especially smooth and sweet, the resulting cookie crisp, chewy, and soft all at once. Use a pretty peppermint bark to make this especially pleasing to the eye. Modified from Bready or Not’s White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 1 cup of white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power in short increments, 20-25 seconds, and stop to stir between passes until the chips blend smoothly; take care, as it can burn fast! Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, vanilla, and eggs until they are creamy. Mix in the melted chips. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Fold in the remaining chips and 1 cup of peppermint bark.
Use a tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to place dough in rounded lumps on cookie sheet. Using the reserved stash of peppermint bark, press a few pieces onto the top of each dough ball. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops just begin to turn light golden brown. Immediately add a few more pieces of peppermint bark onto the top of each cookie. Cool on the sheet for several minutes, then move to a rack to set for about 3 hours; this process can be speeded up by briefly placing cookies in the fridge.
Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Best eaten within 5 days.
This Peppermint Bark Cookies recipe, modified from a holiday Bake from Scratch issue, is the first in a small series of such experiments.
One thing I’ll say straight up: peppermint bark can be expensive, and this recipe will look much prettier with nicer bark. I used cheap Palmer Peppermint Bark from Dollar Tree for this recipe, and it doesn’t look as nice as my other experiments.
That said, the cheap stuff can still make tasty cookies. These morsels are soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate and peppermint flavor. They make for a great holiday treat. If you want to make them year-round, stock up on peppermint bark while you can get it–if you’re lucky, score some on clearance right after Christmas.
These chewy cookies are imbued with chocolate and peppermint. Note that the dough needs to be chilled for at least a few hours prior to baking. Modified from Bake from Scratch November/December 2023.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: chocolate, cookies, mint
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
plastic wrap
parchment paper
large cookie scoop
Ingredients
1cupunsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
3/4cupwhite sugar
3/4cupbrown sugar packed
2large eggs room temperature
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
2 3/4cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonkosher salt
3/4teaspoonbaking soda
10ouncespeppermint bark chopped, divided
1cupsemisweet chocolate chips
flaked sea salt for topping optional
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
In another bowl, combined the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet, beating until just combined. Measure out 1 cup of the peppermint bark and add that to the dough, folding it in. Add the chocolate chips and fold in.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Use cookie scoop to dole out dough, spaced out, on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are set and turning golden brown. Immediately press a piece or two of the reserved peppermint bark onto each round. Add a small pinch of flaked sea salt to each, if desired. Let set until bark pieces solidify, then transfer to a cooling rack.
These Chewy Molasses Cookies are perfect holiday cookies. They are loaded with warm spices, with just the right hit of sugary icing.
These are not massive cookies. They are dangerously bite size, the cookie chewy with the icing forming a pleasant sweet crunch.
Note that the dough needs to be made ahead of time so that it can chill for at least an hour, but up to a few days is fine. You can also freeze the dough, if desired.
Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking 2021.
These cookies are the epitome of holiday flavor, hearty, warming, with just the right hit of sweetness. Note that the dough needs to chill prior to baking. Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking 2021.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: cookies
Servings: 43
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
small cookie scoop or spoon
parchment paper
spoon
Ingredients
Cookies
3/4cupunsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
1cupbrown sugar packed
1/3cupmolasses
1large egg room temperature
2 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking soda
2teaspoonspumpkin pie spice
1/2teaspoonsalt
Icing
1 1/2cupsconfectioners’ sugar
1/2teaspoonclear vanilla extract
3Tablespoonshalf & halfor milk
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses and egg.
Gradually mix in the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Make sure everything is combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for anywhere from an hour to a few days.
Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to dole out dough onto pan. Flatten each ball slightly; they won’t spread much.
Bake for 10-11 minutes, until set with a crackling top. Let cool a couple of minutes, then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
Once the cookies are cool, combined the icing ingredients. Glaze should be thick but spreadable. Coat the back of a spoon and transfer that to the top of a cookie, spreading to evenly coat. Cover cookies until icing is used up; the amounts should be a close match. Let them set for an hour for the icing to solidify, then pack into a sealed container.