Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

I feel like this week is like the movie Groundhog Day for my blog. Because last week I posted recipes involving sweet potatoes and candy canes. And this week? More sweet potatoes and more candy canes. I was going to save this Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane cookies recipe for next week, but I want to post it in time for holiday baking. Because it’s really good!

(And if you don’t have candy canes on hand, you can use starlight mints too. I made these again to update the photos and they are just as good. Peppermint candy is peppermint candy, right?)

I am not a crispy cookie person. For me, it’s all about the chewiness. And these cookies are the easiest, chewiest, yummiest cookies I make. The basic chocolate cookie is one of my go-to recipes (yup, it’s the one I used in my Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches) and I add whatever I have on hand to finish them. Toffee pieces, peanut butter chips, dried cherries, chopped nuts—they’re all great in these cookies. So since it’s Christmas cookie season, I decided to try adding broken candy cane pieces. They’re not the prettiest cookie, it’s true, but they make up for it in taste—chewy chocolatey cookies dotted with crispy bits of peppermint.

Do you have a favorite recipe for holiday cookies? I would love to hear about it!

Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Chewy chocolatey cookies studded with bits of broken candy canes and chocolate chips.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 27 minutes
• Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint pieces (about 6 candy canes)
• cooking spray or oil mister

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until combined and any lumps are broken up.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using a mixer on high speed. Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined.
4. Set mixer to low speed and slowly add flour mixture. Beat until just combined and fold in chocolate chips and peppermint pieces.
5. Drop tablespoons of batter two inches apart onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 12 minutes or until set. (Don’t overbake or the cookies won’t be chewy!)
6. Cook on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie