These holiday-themed chocolate-dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies are fun to make and will look so festive on your Christmas cookie platters this season.
Slice and bake rich shortbread cookies are dyed in bright red and green, baked, and then dipped into melted chocolate chips. Crushed candy canes finish the peppermint cookies perfectly.
There is something so special about making cookies specifically for Christmas. I love the planning and the process. And of course, I love eating all the cookies with my family and friends!
These shortbread cookies are extra special, as they are infused with the cool, sweet flavor of peppermint, dipped in chocolate, and colored in the very brightest red and green.
If you’re looking for a shortbread cookie recipe without peppermint, try my Chocolate Shortbread Bites. They’re the perfect adorable mini cookies for filling in spaces on your holiday cookie trays.
And if you love the bright colors of these peppermint cookies, you can use the same ones to make my classic Christmas Pinwheel Cookies!
Peppermint Shortbread Recipe Highlights
- Slice and Bake Cookies – Once this simple cookie dough is ready, roll it into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it chill for a bit. When you’re ready to bake, slice the cookies with a sharp knife and pop them in the oven.
- Sweet, Minty Flavor – These cookies are made with fresh butter, cool peppermint extract, and vanilla extract, so they’re amazing even before the chocolate and peppermints are added. You’ll see that the crushed candy canes add the perfect amount of minty flavor without being overpowering.
- Versatile Recipe – Go ahead and play around with this recipe to make these cookies for any occasion! The cookie dough can be dyed in any color imaginable with gel food coloring, the flavor extracts can be changed, and you can swap out the crushed mints for sprinkles or nuts.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these peppermint cookies for Christmas:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is almost always the best type for cookie recipes. I stock up on this for holiday baking!
- Powdered Sugar: In shortbread cookie recipes, powdered sugar adds sweetness, and gives the cookies a softer texture than granulated sugar would.
- Butter: Be sure to use unsalted butter – we’ll add the exact right amount of salt to the dough. Let the butter sit out at room temperature so that it’s very soft and easy to mix.
- Vanilla and Peppermint: These two extracts flavor the cookies. When you’re shopping, make sure to buy peppermint extract rather than mint extract. Mint extract has a much stronger flavor and will overpowder these cookies.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. We’ll melt it down to add a rich coating to each cookie.
- Peppermint Candy: Crushed candy canes or starlight mints work perfectly.
- Food Coloring: To get the bright, deep colors that you see here, use gel food coloring, easily found at most craft stores or ordered online.
How To Make Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Tip!
Let the chocolate harden before serving these! It will take about 2 hours at room temperature, but you can speed it up by putting the cookies in the fridge. This way it will only take about 10 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Use Gel Food Coloring. You will not be able to get these deep, vibrant Christmas colors with liquid food color drops. To create these tones I started with at least ½ teaspoon of Americolor gel coloring (super red and leaf green) and added more until I was happy with the colors.
- Avoid Overbaking. It will be difficult to gauge the doneness of these colorful cookies by looking at how brown they get. Instead, the cookies are done when they are no longer wet-looking or shiny on top.
- Thicker/Thinner Cookies. Thicker sliced cookies will take a bit longer to bake, and thinner ones will be done more quickly. Try to make all of your cookies the same thickness so that they bake at the same rate.
Christmas Cookie Storing Tips
If you’re planning on making lots of holiday desserts this year, you’ll need a good plan for baking them all and an even better plan for keeping them all fresh for all of your celebrations.
Here are my best tips for keeping Christmas cookies fresh:
- Most cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 5-7 days if properly stored in airtight containers. Be sure to keep them in a cool, dry place.
- Refrigeration can actually cause your baked goods to get stale more quickly! Only refrigerate your cookies if they contain perishable toppings or fillings, such as buttercream frosting or cream cheese filling.
- The freezer is your best tool when it comes to making holiday cookies ahead of time. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then place them in freezer bags or containers. Separate layers with parchment paper and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve frozen cookies, pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
More Cookies for Christmas!
I have so many fun cookie recipes that will impress your guests. Try these:
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Church Window Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Almond Crescent Cookies
- Spiced Rum Cookies
- Danish Butter Cookies
Recipe FAQs
What’s the Easiest Way to Crush Candy Canes?
I like to put them into a large ziploc bag and then put that bag inside of another bag. Use a meat mallet to pound on the candy canes in the bag until you have lots of small pieces.
The reason for two bags is that the candy bits will get sharp once you start breaking them. Two bags will keep you from making too much of a mess!
Can I freeze Peppermint Shortbread Cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze well and can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I leave out the peppermint extract?
Sure! Make these vanilla shortbread cookies instead!
More Christmas Recipes
Get in the holiday spirit with these fun and easy Peppermint Shortbread Cookies! Pin it to your holiday cookies board so that you’re ready for the season.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring
- ½ teaspoon green food coloring
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix
- Mix in the flour until just combined, then divide the dough into two equal portions.
- Add about ½ teaspoon of red gel food coloring to one portion and ½ teaspoon of green gel coloring to the other portion and mix until the dough is uniformly colored.
- Roll each color into a 5-6” log that is about 2” in diameter, then wrap in plastic wrap and place into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) or 140°C if using a fan oven. Line three half-sheet baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice the chilled dough logs into ¼-½ ” thick slices, then place onto the prepared baking sheets leaving at least 2” between the cookies.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly puffed and no longer glossy on top. Allow to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate chips in 30 second increments in the microwave, mixing well after each 30 second increment.
- Dip half the cookie into the melted chocolate, then return to the parchment baking sheet. Sprinkle each chocolate-dipped cookie with crushed candy canes.
- Allow chocolate to harden before serving, 10 minutes in the fridge or 2 hours on the counter.
Notes:
- Use Gel Food Coloring. You will not be able to get these deep, vibrant Christmas colors with liquid food color drops. To create these tones I started with at least ½ teaspoon of Americolor gel coloring (super red and leaf green) and added more until I was happy with the colors.
- Avoid Overbaking. It will be difficult to gauge doneness on these colorful cookies by looking at how brown they get. Instead, the cookies are done when they are no longer wet-looking or shiny on top.
- Thicker/Thinner Cookies. Thicker sliced cookies will take a bit longer to bake, and thinner ones will be done more quickly. Try to make all of your cookies the same thickness so that they bake at the same rate.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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