These Chocolate Peppermint Shortbreads are tender cookies decorated with a glossy coat of chocolate topped with crunchy peppermint candies. They come together quickly with little fuss—just make the dough, chill, slice, bake, and decorate. These cookies are quick enough to crank out on a weeknight or as a fun weekend family project.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
Make the shortbread dough, consisting of flour, butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and peppermint extract. Roll it into a log shape, chill, slice, and bake. Once cooled completely, dip the shortbread in melted chocolate and crushed peppermint candies. That’s it!
Tips for the Best Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
Shortbread can sometimes be finicky, but with the right ingredients and techniques, you can bake up a delicious cookie.
Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a darker color and smoother chocolate flavor.Soften the butter to room temperature for tender, slightly crumbly shortbread. Some recipes call for cold butter, which gives the cookies a flakier, crumbly texture. I prefer a softer, tender texture, as it pairs better with the taste of rich cocoa.Use powdered sugar, instead of granulated sugar to eliminate any graininess in the texture of the cookie.Allow the chocolate dipped cookies to set completely before serving. Otherwise, the melted chocolate will be a sticky mess.
Baking Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
Plain shortbread is easy to tell when fully baked because their bottoms will turn a pale golden brown. Unfortunately, chocolate shortbread is naturally darker in color and can be difficult to assess for doneness. Use the following cues to determine if your cookies are ready:
As your cookies bake, they will turn from glossy and wet to a matte finish when ready.After the ten-minute timer goes off and the tops of the cookies look dry, take them out of the oven. Carefully use your pointer finger or the back of the small spoon to gently tap the top of a cookie. It should make a very slight indent when fully baked.If the cookies appear wet or your finger creates a significant indent, place them back into the oven for another two minutes.These cookies yield a soft texture, but if you prefer a crunchier, denser shortbread, you can bake them at 325°F for 15 minutes.
Swaps, Substitutions, and Add-ins
Not a fan of semi-sweet chocolate? Need a way to use up those leftover candy canes? We’ve got a few easy swaps for you!
Instead of the round peppermint candy I use for this recipe, candy canes would achieve the same result. You could also purchase peppermint sprinkles online. The recipe calls for unsalted butter, but salted butter works too. Make sure to omit the added kosher salt if using salted butter. Use dark or white chocolate: The slightly bitter notes of the Dutch-process cocoa pair well with semi-sweet chocolate, but you could coat the cookies with dark chocolate or white chocolate chips.
How to Crush the Peppermint Candy
The most enjoyable part of this recipe is crushing the peppermint candies, which adds a wonderfully crunchy texture and minty flavor. The fastest way to crush peppermint candies is to grind them in a spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, place them in sealed zip top bags (double bag them so that the bags don’t tear) and use a mallet or a rolling pin to crush them into small pieces.
How to Store the Cookies
There are several ways to store the shortbread before and after baking.
For the dough: Keep the dough in log form, chilled in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate the log for two hours until firm, then place it in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to one month. To bake the cookies, let the log thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours until sliceable. You can also pre-slice the log before freezing for easier baking.For the baked cookies: Once the cookies bake, let them cool completely, then decorate and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for three to four days. You could also freeze the decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to one month.
Fan of All Things Sweet and Minty?
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Fold the plastic over to cover the dough. Using your hands, form the dough into a tight log shape, rolling it on the counter to smooth it out. It doesn’t have to be perfect! The log should be about 2 inches in diameter and 4 to 5 inches long. Repeat with the other portion. The cookies will turn from glossy and wet to matte. They will feel slightly soft out of the oven but should barely make an indent when gently tapped them with your fingers. If they look shiny or feel too soft, continue baking until firmed up, about 2 minutes. Place the decorated cookies on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Allow the chocolate to fully set before serving.
