Peppermint white chocolate sugar cookies for a sparkling holiday treat! This white chocolate peppermint cookies recipe is one of my favorites! -- What could be better than the flavor of white chocolate peppermint bark? How about a white chocolate peppermint sugar cookie recipe to celebrate the season? Even better!
And if you're in the mood for more festive cookies, try my No Spread Sugar Cookies, my Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies, or my Ginger Crinkle Cookies, and don't forget to see my collection of the 45 Best Cookies for Cookie Exchanges!
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Peppermint White Chocolate Sugar Cookies
By far, the holiday season is my favorite time of year. Everything just seems to be glittery and bright, and these peppermint white chocolate cookies are no exception! They're my favorite Christmastime sugar cookie recipe because they're so soft, SO easy to make, and so festive with their sparkly topping! If you're looking for a perfect holiday cookie, look no further than this peppermint drop cookies recipe!
Peppermint Cookies - White Chocolate
Every Christmas Eve, my family and I make holiday cookies, but according to our family tradition they're always made with store-bought dough and store-bought frosting. No perfection here; just a fun, easy Christmas season tradition with the family.
But-- sometimes you want a soft, elegant version. A sparkling peppermint cookies recipe that is impressive enough for a swanky holiday party. One that has a perfect balance of peppermint, white chocolate, and vanilla flavors, and a crunchy sparkly sugar topping. White chocolate dipped peppermint sugar cookies that are worthy of the most wonderful time of the year. When you want cookies like that, you need to make these.
White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe
This peppermint cookies recipe yields a soft sugar cookie with a hint of vanilla and peppermint, and they're topped with a peppermint white chocolate ganache. I love white chocolate! And the combination of white chocolate and peppermint is just perfect for the holidays, so I went with a ganache rather than a traditional cookie icing. Finally, they're finished with white sparkling sugar. They look like a freshly-fallen snowdrift glistening in the sun!
Ingredients
To make this white chocolate peppermint cookies recipe, we'll start with a classic sugar cookie recipe, with powdered sugar swapped in for granulated sugar. The powdered sugar is important -- it gives the cookies a softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes all the difference! To make the cookie dough, you'll need:
- butter - we'll use unsalted butter for this white chocolate peppermint cookies recipe. Make sure your butter is room temperature: it should indent to the touch, but not be greasy or overly soft. You want it to be just soft enough to work with, but still slightly cool to the touch.
- powdered sugar - instead of granulated sugar, we're using powdered sugar to give our peppermint cookies that light, tender texture. For best results, it should be measured by weight using a kitchen scale.
- eggs - your eggs should also be room temperature - I like to let my eggs sit in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes to get them to room temp quickly.
- vanilla extract - be sure to use a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- peppermint extract - we're skipping the candy cane pieces and peppermint candies and using a touch of peppermint extract to give these peppermint cookies a cool, minty flavor!
- flour - be sure to use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients by weight, or use the spoon-and-level method to measure by volume.
- baking powder - to give these cookies a light texture.
- salt - bringing out the peppermint and vanilla flavors in these soft sugar cookies!
And then for the ganache, you'll just need:
- heavy cream and white chocolate - combine to form a ganache topping!
- peppermint extract - for another hint of peppermint flavor.
White Chocolate Peppermint Drizzle
The white chocolate peppermint ganache is much easier than it sounds, and there's definitely room for trial and error. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a bit more chocolate, or heat it for 10 seconds in the microwave. If it's too runny you can chill it a bit longer in the refrigerator. It's a fantastic alternative to peppermint icing for these white chocolate mint cookies.
Then comes my favorite part -- the sprinkles! I used Wilton White Sparkling Sugar, because I was going for that snowball look. But you can switch it out for any sprinkles you prefer!
Equipment for White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe
You won't need any special equipment for these white chocolate dipped peppermint sugar cookies, but it is a good idea to use a few tools to make your peppermint cookies the best they can be! You'll need a hand mixer or a stand mixer to mix the dough. I like to use a rolling pin and a 2-inch cookie cutter to get that perfect round shape. I always make cookies on my Silpat baking mat and a cookie sheet like my Nordicware sheet pan, and let them cool on a wire rack.
Tips and F.A.Q.
Because of powdered sugar, these white chocolate peppermint cookies are delicate, so be careful when transporting or freezing. But in my experience, they freeze and thaw very well! Just let them set completely and then layer between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container.
One major flavor in these white chocolate sugar cookies is peppermint extract, but you can definitely change it up to your preference! For example, these cookies would be great with almond extract, orange extract, or coconut extract.
My #1 piece of advice for sugar cookies is not to skip on chilling your sugar cookie dough! If a recipe calls for chilling it's definitely necessary. With this peppermint sugar cookie recipe, the chill time helps the cookies to keep their shape while also keeping their soft, tender texture.
If you overmeasure your flour, your peppermint white chocolate cookies may end up dry and crumbly -- one way to prevent this is to make sure to measure your flour correctly. My favorite method is to use a kitchen scale to measure by weight. See here for my tips on how to fix dry, crumbly cookie dough!
For more of my favorite cookie recipes, check out these Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies! Or if you want another fun Christmas cookies recipe, you'll love these Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies! And these Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter and Sea Salt are the perfect cookies when I have a cookie craving! And these Lemon Curd Cookies are always a hit at holiday parties!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter - softened
- 1 ¾ cup (210 g) powdered sugar - packed
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon (4 ml) peppermint extract
- 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour - 320g
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
For the White Chocolate Ganache
- 6 tablespoon (89 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz (227 g) white baking chocolate - chopped
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) peppermint extract
- white sparkling sugar - optional
Instructions
Prepare Cookies
- Preheat oven to 400°F and place oven rack in center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar until smooth.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- Beat in eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract.2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for least one hour.2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Roll out dough on floured surface to ¼ inch thick,dusting dough and rolling pin with flour as needed. Place any dough not being cut into the fridge to stay cool.
- Cut into rounds with a 2-inch round cookie cutter, or any similarly-sized cookie cutter of your choice. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make Peppermint White Chocolate Ganache
- Microwave heavy cream for 30-45 seconds in microwave-safe bowl until hot.6 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- Add white chocolate and whisk to slowly melt chocolate, heating another 10 seconds if necessary, until smooth. Whisk in peppermint extract.8 oz white baking chocolate, ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Let ganache chill in refrigerator 30 min. Whisk again. It should be a opaque with a thick liquid consistency, like honey.
- Spread small spoonfuls of ganache onto each cooled cookie, smoothing with the back of the spoon in a circular motion. If ganache thickens too much while you're working, microwave on high for another 5 seconds and stir.
- Sprinkle with white sparkling sugar. For added sparkle, sprinkle a bit more sugar after ganache has set completely.white sparkling sugar
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. You can also freeze them (see note).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Last Updated on November 1, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
Sisley White - Sew White
How delicious! I love the mix of peppermint and sugar cookie.
Chenée Lewis
Me too!
Jamie
I love the flavor of peppermint in these cookies! My niece and I decorated them and we had so much fun with the sparkles!
Chenée Lewis
That sounds so fun! Glad you liked them!
Sara Welch
Adding these to my baking line up this holiday season! These will make excellent gifts and look too good to pass up, indeed!
Sharon
Perfect for holiday entertaining! I absolutely loved the combo of the white chocolate and peppermint. Yum!
Chenée Lewis
So glad you liked them!
Gina Abernathy
I had to make these as soon as I saw this recipe. They turned out perfect. Just the right balance of peppermint and chocolate.
Chenée Lewis
I agree! Thank you so much!
Britney Brown
These were soooo delicious and so easy to make! Not to mention, the sparkles on top made these look so beautiful. You always have such yummy recipes ?
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! They're one of my favorite Christmas cookies!
Jazz
Perfect cookies for our cookie swap this year. The frosting is my favorite part and so simple! Nobody could believe it only called for three ingredients.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! These are great for a cookie swap!
Eric & Shanna Jones
These cookies were so soft and we loved the white chocolate ganache! Definitely making them again soon!
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Crystal
I know I can always count on you whenever I’m in the mood for something sweet! These cookies were delicious and so fun to make with my 2 kids! Thank you for sharing!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! I'm glad you guys had fun making them! 🙂
Cat William
First off I love a good sugar cookie recipe and this was that! The peppermint and sugar crystals really set this cookie apart! Thanks for sharing - hubby and I loved it.
Chenée Lewis
I"m so glad you both enjoyed!!
Adri Ruff
Seriously Chenee, these are SO dang good. I included these cookies in a batch that I dropped off for my neighbor and she keeps hitting me up for the recipe. Texting her the link right now! Your recipes are always so delicious and reliable.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much Adri! And thanks for passing it along!!
Jessica
Finally an easy sugar cookie recipe with some FLAVOR! They also look so gorgeous and don’t require advanced decorating skills. These will be going in my holiday cookie gift boxes.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you!! And yeah I think these would be great in a cookie gift box!
Renia
I easily choose white chocolate over milk chocolate anyday. These cookies ate so tasty and beautiful. I miss real butter so much!
Chenée Lewis
I definitely prefer white chocolate over milk chocolate! So good.
Marta
These were our weekly baking project for our homeschool Home Ec class. The kids loved the peppermint flavor and I loved that your instructions make it more hands off for me!
Chenée Lewis
Sounds so fun! I'm glad you all enjoyed 🙂
Linsey Tracy
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them!
Robin Sparks
Really any soft cookie is a win for me, but these were topped a with a gorgeous peppermint, white chocolate and vanilla icing. I'm in love!
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad you liked them!
Robyn Jones
Very elegantly written! This post totally matches the cookies themselves. I appreciate you linking to baking tools. I love watching baking shows and when I see tools, I always wonder what they are called or where I can get them. Now I know. Thank you ?
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! I'm so glad you liked the recipe 🙂