Chocolate candy cane cookies are soft, one-bowl, no-chill chocolate cookies dipped in white chocolate and finished with crushed candy canes. They can be made in less than 30 minutes, are festive, easy to make, and are perfect for gifting or for holiday cookie trays.
These Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies deliver everything you want in a holiday baking recipe: they’re simple to prep, have big flavor, and have a striking finish. The chocolate cookie base is adapted from my popular easy chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe. It comes together in one bowl and doesn’t require any chilling, so you can go from mixing to baking in minutes.
Once the cookies are baked and cooled, they’re dipped in melted white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes for a festive finish. They look impressive enough for cookie exchanges and gifting, but they’re easy enough for last-minute holiday baking.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: This recipe uses melted butter. I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Sugars: This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated (white sugar). You can use either dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give you a slightly richer flavor.
- Peppermint extract: Be sure to use peppermint, not mint. Mint extract has more the flavor of mouthwash or toothpaste and won’t give you the right flavor.
- Measuring Flour: If you aren’t weighing your ingredients, I can’t recommend that enough. If you are using measuring cups, be sure to sift or stir the flour before measuring. Flour packs easily and using too much flour in cookies will give you dry, crumbly dough and cookies that don’t spread.
- Chocolate Chips: I use semisweet chocolate chips. You can use another type of chocolate chip, like milk or semisweet, if you prefer.
- Candy canes: You can use pre-crushed candy canes in packages or crush your favorite flavor of candy cane.
How to make chocolate candy cane cookies
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Step 1: Microwave the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl for about 40 seconds. Butter should be about 90% melted. Whisk the butter until it is completely melted.
Step 3: Add the sugars; mix until well-combined.
Step 4: Stir in vanilla, peppermint, and egg until incorporated.
Step 5: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Please read the recipe note about properly measuring flour. Mix dough until just combined. Dough should be soft and a little sticky but not overly sticky.
Step 6: Stir in chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.
Step 7: Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough (medium cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
Step 8: Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are set. They will be puffy and still look a little underbaked in the middle.3
Step 9: To decorate, put the chopped white chocolate into a heat proof bowl and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in-between, until melted.
Step 10: Dip half of the cooled cookies into the melted white chocolate and place back on to the wire rack.
Step 11: Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top of the white chocolate while it’s still wet. Leave the chocolate to set at room temperature.
Recipe Tips!
- Chocolate chips: I use a combination of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips in this recipe. You can use all of one or the other if you prefer. You could also consider using peppermint flavor chips to really amp up the peppermint flavor!
- Freezing: You can flash freeze scoops of dough to bake for later. Flash freeze on a baking sheet until frozen through. Place the frozen scoops of cookie dough in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 1 month. To bake, bake the frozen scoops as directed, adding about 3-4 minutes to the baking time.
Storage
I recommend storing the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If storing more than one layer, separate with a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. The cookies will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
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Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- 6 ounces white chocolate finely chopped
- ½ cup crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Microwave the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl for about 40 seconds. Butter should be about 90% melted.½ cup salted butter
- Whisk the butter until it is completely melted.
- Add the sugars; mix until well-combined.¾ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Stir in vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and egg until incorporated.½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon peppermint extract, 1 large egg
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Please read the recipe note about properly measuring flour.1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Mix dough until just combined. Dough should be soft and a little sticky but not overly sticky.
- Stir in chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough (medium cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are set. They will be puffy and still look a little underbaked in the middle.3
- To decorate, put the chopped white chocolate into a heat proof bowl and microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring between, until melted.6 ounces white chocolate
- Dip half the cooled cookies into the melted white chocolate and place back on to the wire cooling rack.
- Scatter the crushed peppermint candies on top of the white chocolate while it's wet.½ cup crushed peppermint candies
- Leave the chocolate to set at room temperature.
Notes
- Butter: This recipe uses melted butter. I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Sugars: This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated (white sugar). You can use either dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give you a slightly richer flavor.
- Peppermint extract: Be sure to use peppermint, not mint. Mint extract has more the flavor of mouthwash or toothpaste and won’t give you the right flavor.
- Measuring Flour: If you aren’t weighing your ingredients, I can’t recommend that enough. If you are using measuring cups, be sure to sift or stir the flour before measuring. Flour packs easily and using too much flour in cookies will give you dry, crumbly dough and cookies that don’t spread.
- Chocolate Chips: I use semisweet chocolate chips. You can use another type of chocolate chip, like milk or semisweet, if you prefer.
- Candy canes: You can use pre-crushed candy canes in packages or crush your favorite flavor of candy cane.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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