Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean it’s time to put away the peppermint flavored desserts! These peppermint sugar cookies are soft and chewy and topped with an amazing peppermint cream cheese frosting.
I am a lucky gal. Not only do I have a wonderful family, but I also work for a great company. Each and every year, my company has hosted a holiday party. Sadly, due to the pandemic, we were unable to have an in-person holiday party. In lieu of that, our team admin organized a virtual cooking class for us.
Each of us who opted into this fun activity received a box full of goodies. We received ingredients for a mocktail (although some of us decided to turn it into a cocktail, heh heh), some cheese, crackers, cookies, and all of the ingredients for a peppermint and caramel bark.
We had a chef join us via ZOOM to demonstrate how to make the bark. Luckily, I have made bark countless times over the years, so I was very familiar with the steps. It was fun being able to make something with the rest of my team, even though we were on a video call.
During the instruction, I actually got a little helper. Well, she’s actually not so little anymore (she’s up to my eyes in height, so she’s almost 5 foot tall). Addie came to assist me in stirring the chocolate as it melted, and she got to lick the spatula and sample some of the unmelted chocolate coins. She was a great assistant that day.
Anyway, we had leftover crushed peppermint from that afternoon. When I polled my family about what to make with the extras, my husband mentioned a sugar cookie. Thus, this sugar cookie was born. I found a cookie that yielded a soft and chewy base and topped it with a cream cheese frosting. Since I still had leftover crushed peppermint, I sprinkled some on top to make my cookies look more festive.
I thoroughly enjoyed these cookies. My husband claimed they were too sweet, so if you have anybody like that in your family, you can certainly eat these plain (without frosting). I imagine you could also do a simple chocolate drizzle on top as well. One note about these cookies is that the crushed peppermint will tend to melt and bleed overnight, so keep that in mind if you are gifting them to someone. They are best the day they are baked.
Husband’s rating: 3 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 4 out of 5
Peppermint sugar cookies
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract note that this is different from MINT EXTRACT
- ½ cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Sugar coating (optional, but recommended)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup white sparkling sugar can substitute with granulated sugar
Frosting
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 and ½ cups powdered sugar
- additional crushed peppermints optional
Instructions
Make the cookies
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar. Make sure that your butter has cooled or else it will melt the sugar and make your cookies really greasy. Ideally, the butter should near room temperature when you stir in the sugar. You can also do this in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer if you like. Stir for about 3-4 minutes with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the egg and egg yolk and continue to stir. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and continue to stir.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the crushed peppermint, flour, salt, corn starch, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly fold this into the large bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until everything just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Scoop out balls of dough with a medium cookie scoop or using two spoons. In a small bowl, mix the granulated and sparkling sugars together. Roll each dough ball into the sugar to evenly coat it. Place it on a lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Place the rolled cookies in your refrigerator to let it cool for at least an hour and up to overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Make sure your cookie dough balls are at least 2-3 inches apart, as they will spread when they bake. Bake in your preheated oven for 11-12 minutes or until the edges are firm. The middle might look underdone - that is OK. You don't want to overbake the cookies.
- Set the cookies aside to cool while you work on the frosting.
Make the frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the vanilla and peppermint extracts and salt. Mix well. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Frost the cookies
- Add a generous dollop of frosting on top of each cooled cookie. Use a knife or offset spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle crushed peppermints on top if desired.