We are officially halfway through Twelve Days of Cookies! Today’s recipe is sure to please all your coffee-loving friends and family: Peppermint Mocha Cookies! These cookies have all the flavors of your favorite holiday specialty coffee, no silly red cup required. Chocolate roll-out cookies spiked with espresso and peppermint, dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies? Sign me up! Let’s make some holiday cookie magic.

 These cookies start with a souped-up chocolate roll-out cookie dough. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, granulated espresso, baking powder, and salt. In this recipe, you may use any kind of cocoa powder that you have on hand–both natural and Dutch Process will work well here. I like to use a combination of the two: six tablespoons of natural cocoa, six tablespoons of Dutch Process. Whatever you choose to do, these cookies will be out-of-this-world chocolaty. After you’ve whisked together the dry ingredients, it’s time to cream some butter. Then add in 1/2 cup each of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. The light brown sugar keeps these cookies slightly softer than your average chocolate roll-out, thanks to the moisture from the molasses. Next add one room temperature egg, followed by vanilla and peppermint extracts. I’ve mentioned previously that peppermint extract is potent, but it warrants a reminder. This recipe calls for only 1/2 teaspoon of the stuff, and that is plenty. Don’t be tempted to add more, or your cookies may taste a lot like your toothpaste…but with a kick of mocha. No, thank you. Add dry ingredients to wet in three installments, frequently scraping down the bowl. The mixed dough may look a little like clumpy play-doh.

 Now for my favorite thing about this recipe: there’s no chilling required! This dough is ready to bake as soon as it’s mixed. Just turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it with your hands for a minute or two. That clumpy texture should quickly give way to a smoother dough, excellent for rolling. Re-flour your surface and a rolling pin, and then roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough. Place cut dough on parchment-lined sheet pans. Don’t worry too much about spreading–these cookies barely spread at all! Bake 8-10 minutes at 350F, until the tops no longer look raw. Let them cool on the baking pans for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.   Now, let’s melt some chocolate. You’ll need eight ounces of pure white chocolate. Don’t be tempted to use white chocolate chips–the stabilizers in them will likely keep the coating from melting evenly. Add a touch of coconut oil. White chocolate can have difficulty re-solidifying after it’s been melted. The coconut oil, which solidifies at 76F, will help the white chocolate to set at room temperature. And don’t worry–the coconut oil will not make your cookies taste like coconut. Melt your white chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or the microwave, stirring occasionally, until it is smooth. Place your cooling racks over some sheets of wax paper to keep your counters from getting covered in white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy. Now, take one cookie at a time and dip it halfway into the white chocolate mixture. Let some of the excess run off before laying it on the rack. Take some crushed peppermints and sprinkle them over the melted chocolate, and then repeat with all the remaining cookies. Leave the finished cookies at cool room temperature for a couple of hours to set the white chocolate. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the cookies briefly to set. Once the chocolate can be touched without coming off on your finger, they’re ready to eat!

Peppermint Mocha Cookies are so cute, your friends and family won’t be able to resist them! Between the minty mocha-flavored cookies and the white chocolate dip sprinkled with peppermints, these will be some of the most festive treats on your holiday table! These would also be perfect for food gifting to the coffee-obsessed friend in your life (everybody has at least one). No matter where you take them, they’re guaranteed to be a hit!

Need more Twelve Days of Cookies? Check out my recipes for Red Velvet Peppermintdoodles, Eggnog Sandwich Cookies, Whipped Shortbread Snowballs, Apple Cider Snaps, and Oreo-Stuffed Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookies! And there are six more recipes to come before Christmas. Make sure to check back soon 😊 Peppermint Mocha Cookies
makes about three dozen cookies

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
2 1/2 tablespoons (7 1/2 teaspoons) espresso granules*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

White Chocolate Dip:
8 oz pure white chocolate*
1 teaspoon coconut oil*
12 starlight peppermints, crushed*

Start by making the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two sheet pans with parchment. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso granules, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer. When butter is fluffy and lighter in color, beat in sugars. Beat in egg, followed by extracts. Add dry ingredients to wet in three installments, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes with clean hands. If the dough seems too sticky, knead in flour in 1 tablespoon increments. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Set cut cookies on prepared pans. Bake 8-10 minutes, until no longer shiny. Let cookies cool on the pans for five minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Repeat rolling, cutting, and baking until all dough has been used.

Prepare the White Chocolate Dip. In a double-boiler or the microwave, melt white chocolate and coconut oil, stirring frequently. Dip cooled cookies halfway into the white chocolate mixture before setting them on a rack. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the white chocolate. Repeat dipping and sprinkling with all cookies. Let cookies sit at room temperature until set, or briefly refrigerate cookies to set.

Cookies will keep covered at room temperature for up to a week.

Notes:

1. I use a mixture of 6 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder and 6 tablespoons Dutch Process cocoa powder. You may use all of one kind, if you choose. Use whatever you have on hand.
2. I use Medaglia d’Oro granulated espresso. Instant coffee may also be used.
3. I use Baker’s Premium White Chocolate Baking Chocolate Bars, which can be found at Target and many grocery stores.
4. Shortening may be substituted for the coconut oil.
5. Crushed candy canes may also be used, although I’m not sure how many you will need.