Dark chocolate peppermint crunch cookies are topped with sweet peppermint buttercream. Then they're drizzled with milk chocolate ganache and crushed candy canes for the perfect holiday cookie.
3/4 cup crushed candy canes (about 6 regular sized)
For the buttercream:
3/4 cupbutter, room temperature
5 1/2 cupsconfectioner's sugar
1/4cupmilk
1teaspoonpeppermint extract
Dashred food coloring, optional
For the ganache and topping:
1/2 cupheavy cream
6 ozmilk chocolate chips
1 cup crushed candy canes (about 8)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat, set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large metal bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler), melt bittersweet chocolate, 1 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips, and butter. Stir often until melted, combined well and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
In a stand mixer, add eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix on low until combined well. Gradually add cooled chocolate mixture. Next add flour mixture and scrape sides if needed. Fold in chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. (You can also mix all of this by hand)
Using a 1.5 inch cookie scoop, place dough on cookie sheet leaving 2 inches between each one. (They will spread while baking but as the dough sets longer between batches, it gets firmer with less spreading.)
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are just set and centers slightly gooey. Remove and let sit on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Buttercream and Ganache
To make buttercream, beat butter in a bowl with electric mixture until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar and milk alternately. Beat until smooth. Add extract and food coloring then beat until combined well. Spread a tablespoon (or two) onto each of the cooled cookies.
To make ganache, add cream to a sauce pan and heat over medium until very hot but not boiling. Place chocolate in a heat safe bowl and pour hot cream over. Let sit for a couple minutes then stir well to combine. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in fridge to thicken a little. Drizzle over frosted cookies then immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
Notes
This makes 48 smaller cookies that are about 3 inches across. You can use a bigger scoop to make less cookies if desired.
These cookies stay soft for days!
Make sure your baking powder is not expired. That can result in a very flat cookie. These cookies are thin but still very soft and hold up well to the frosting.