Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies That Somehow Turn Out Even When You’re Exhausted

I swear these cookies save me every December

Okay. So. Let me just say this right away.
If you’re searching for peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies, you’re probably tired too. Maybe the house is quiet, but it’s that weird quiet where you can still hear your kid’s tablet at volume fourteen echoing inside your skull. And now you need cookies for something tomorrow and you promised someone and you nodded even though you had no business nodding.

And now you’re here. Mixing bowls staring at you like,
“Well? You gonna do this?”

The problem hits fast: most peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies look cute but taste dry. Or the mint punches too hard like you brushed your teeth and ate a brownie at the same time. Or they spread flat because you forgot to chill the dough because someone yelled “Mommmm where’s my sock??” and your whole brain shorted out.

And that’s where the frustration lives.
You want soft. You want fudgy. You want minty but not scary minty.
And you want it without a chemistry degree.

Good news. I got you. Even at 9 p.m.
And yep… I see that bowl in the sink. We will pretend it’s clean.

If you are building a full holiday cookie tray to go with these peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies, our classic traditional Christmas cookies recipe gives you a whole plate of cozy favorites to share.

Why these cookies work even when you’re distracted

this …

Honestly, I made these cookies one night after my kid cried over a LEGO brick shaped like a carrot. Not a broken brick. No. Just… a carrot. And my head hurt and the house smelled like overheated spaghetti noodles, and I mixed this dough so sloppy I thought it would fail. And then the cookies popped out perfect. Like it was trying to cheer me up.

So I kept this exact style.

These cookies stay soft because of melted chocolate and brown sugar.
They stay minty because the peppermint sits in the dough, not blasted on top.
They keep shape because the dough rests, like I wish I could.
And the crinkles show because we double roll the dough in sugar.
(It feels extra but it works and you’ll nod and say “fine” like I do.)

And I toss in tiny bits of chocolate peppermint bark because it melts into tiny warm spots that feel like a tiny treat inside a treat. This is the one idea I keep from the fancy people. This makes the cookie feel deeper without being crunchy.

It’s the cookie that forgives you for being tired.

If some of the baking language in this recipe feels new, you can skim our simple guide to common baking terms so every step in your cookie dough makes more sense.

Key Ingredients For Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (and what they’re actually doing)

I’m gonna keep this simple because it’s 9 p.m. and you don’t want a science class.

Cocoa powder
Makes the deep color and the chocolate smell. Dry though, so we give it help.

Melted chocolate
Keeps the middle soft. Gives “fudge” energy without the sticky.

Butter
Flavor. Softness. And it lets the dough spread just enough.

Granulated sugar
Helps the outsides get the crinkle shell.

Brown sugar
Keeps things chewy. Brown sugar is the friend who never lets you down.

Eggs and the extra yolk
Hold everything together. Add richness. Make the dough feel like dough, not paste.

Peppermint extract
A tiny drop goes far. A bottle smells like a candy cane exploded.

Vanilla
Softens the mint. This is the peacemaker.

Flour
The part that keeps the cookie from falling into a little chocolate puddle.

Baking powder and a bit of baking soda
Help the cookie lift and crack.

Salt
Just enough to wake the flavor up.

Crushed peppermint bark
This is the fun part. Melts inside the cookie like tiny surprise spots.

Granulated sugar + powdered sugar for rolling
Double coat gives the strong crinkle. Don’t skip even if you want to.

When you want your sugar and flour ratios to hit just right for soft, fudgy crinkles, our breakdown of volume vs weight in cooking explains why weighing ingredients can make cookies bake more evenly.

Step-by-step: the 9 p.m. parent version

Alright. Move that laundry basket off the counter.
We’re doing this.

Turn the oven to 325°F.
Put parchment on your pans unless you like scraping baked stuff at 10 p.m. (I do not.)

Melt the chocolate and butter together. I always stand there staring at it like I forgot what I’m doing. Stir until smooth and then walk away from it for a sec so it cools.

Mix cocoa, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl.
Pour the warm chocolate stuff into the sugar stuff.
Stir until shiny. You’ll think “this looks thick” and yes, it should.

Crack the eggs, drop in the extra yolk, add vanilla and peppermint.
Mix like you’re mixing a toddler tantrum back into calm.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a different bowl.
If your bowl is in the sink under that one forgotten spoon, rinse it real fast.

Fold the dry mix into the chocolate mix. Try not to fling flour everywhere.
Mine always gets on my sweater.

Add the crushed peppermint bark. Fold it in.

Let the dough rest ten minutes.
You rest too if you want. This part buys you a breath.

Scoop little balls.
Roll in granulated sugar.
Roll again in powdered sugar.
Place them on the pan like tiny snowballs you’re too tired to throw.

Bake 11–13 minutes.
The tops crack. The edges set. The centers stay soft.

Cool them on the pan for ten minutes while you stare into space thinking about nothing.

If you are ever unsure about how packed your flour or cocoa should be, follow the simple habits in our guide on how to measure baking ingredients to keep every batch of peppermint crinkle dough consistent.

Rolling and baking tricks so your cookies won’t flop

When people say their peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies didn’t crack, it’s almost always because something silly happened. Warm dough. Not enough sugar coat. Too hot oven. Someone opened the oven to ask you a question you didn’t hear.

The little tricks that help:

Rest the dough. Even ten minutes changes everything.
Double rolling the sugar gives the best look.
Cold pans. Warm pans make cookies slide into flatness.
Choose 325°F. It keeps the centers soft without flattening.

If a few cookies come out weird, that’s normal.
We all have days where we feel weird too.

Ingredient swaps that won’t break the cookie

Maybe you forgot something at the store. Maybe you don’t wanna go back because your kid already took off their shoes and now the night is done. Here are swaps that don’t wreck the cookie.

Butter can be swapped for coconut oil.
Dark chocolate can replace semisweet.
Mint extract can replace peppermint, but use less.
Crushed thin mints can replace bark if you feel wild.
Gluten-free flour blend works if you add a tiny splash of water.

See? No stress.

If you need to bake for someone who cannot eat eggs but still wants that crinkle cookie moment, try pairing this method with the tricks from our no egg cookies recipe to guide your substitutions.

Nutritional notes (the real ones)

These sit around 145 calories each.
Most of that comes from chocolate and butter.
The sugar adds joy and carbs.
The mint? Mostly scent, not calories.

And if you eat one while standing in the kitchen with the lights low and the dishwasher humming, it feels like therapy.

How to store and freeze them without hassle

These stay soft for four days in a sealed tin.
They don’t harden up like some cookies do.
If anything, the mint flavor gets a tiny bit stronger each day.

You can freeze the dough after scooping.
Roll in sugar right before baking.
They bake nicer from chilled than from rock hard frozen.

If you freeze the baked cookies, thaw at room temp.
Don’t microwave. The sugar coat melts weird.

When you are planning cookie tins and snack jars for the season, these crinkles sit nicely next to big-batch treats like our buttery Christmas crunch recipe that also keeps well for gifting.

Why the chocolate peppermint bark makes these cookies different

I know every recipe says to use candy cane pieces.

But candy cane pieces crunch.

And some batches melt strange and leave little holes.

The bark melts softer. It gives a sweet chocolate-mint glow inside the cookie.

When you bite it, it’s like hitting a soft spot of flavor.

Not a crunchy spot.

Not a sharp mint attack.

Just a warm little surprise.

It makes the whole cookie feel like a small win at the end of a long day.

Full Ingredient List (with what they add)

Unsweetened cocoa powder adds deep chocolate color.

Melted chocolate adds softness.

Butter adds flavor and gives the dough lift.

Granulated sugar adds crunch on the outside.

Brown sugar adds chew inside.

Eggs each work like glue.

Extra yolk adds richness.

Vanilla smooths flavor.

Peppermint extract adds winter taste.

Flour makes the dough a dough.

Baking powder helps it rise.

Baking soda helps it crack.

Salt wakes everything up.

Crushed peppermint bark adds tiny soft minty bits.

Granulated sugar for rolling gives the first dry seal.

Powdered sugar for rolling gives the crinkle look.

Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Dough Recipes and Baking Instructions

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FAQs About Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

If you want extra help reading how dough should look and feel, the tricks in our perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe translate really well to judging doneness and texture for these peppermint crinkle cookies too.

The Final Bite

By the time you reach this point, the kitchen’s quiet again. The pans are cooling, the sugar dust is everywhere, and those peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies smell like the kind of small win we all need at night. If you like recipes that feel honest and simple and come from someone who actually cooks full-time, you might enjoy the Simply Delicious Newsletter I write through Savore Media. It’s where I share new dishes, small tricks, and the things I learn in real kitchens every day. You can join it anytime right here Simply Delicious Digest.

I’m Ryan Yates, and I’ve spent twenty years in hot commercial kitchens, long shifts, busy dining halls, and late nights at home trying to make food taste good even when I’m tired.

If these cookies helped make your night a little calmer, that’s enough for me.

More Sweet Recipes You Might Love

If you’re already covered in powdered sugar and the kitchen smells like winter, these other treats fit the same cozy vibe. Each one plays well with peppermint chocolate crinkle cookies on a cookie tray or dessert table.

For another soft holiday classic that pairs well with peppermint, try our traditional Christmas cookies recipe with simple shapes and warm flavors.

If you want a quick topper for cookie gift boxes, the crunchy sweetness in our Christmas bark recipe sits perfectly next to these fudgy crinkles.

For a cozy jar gift, the bright berry flavor in our Christmas jam recipe adds color and balance beside chocolate mint.

If you want another soft cookie for a winter tray, these warm and simple easy oatmeal cookies round out the plate without stealing the show.

And if you love holiday baking in general, the sweet citrus notes in our cranberry orange scones bring a fresh, bright break between chocolate-rich cookies.