These dark Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie trays. They have a fudgy texture and lots of holiday flavor, with peppermint chips, white chocolate chips, and Oreo cookies in each bite!
Looking for more peppermint treats? Try these peppermint Oreo balls and this candy cane bark.
A few years ago, I made these peppermint Oreo cookies, and right away, they became an extremely popular Christmas cookie. Years later, they are still our number one cookie recipe.
That got me thinking. How could I take that popular peppermint cookie recipe make it even better? Since chocolate and peppermint is a classic holiday flavor, I chose a chocolate cake mix with extra peppermint flavor.
Chocolate is always the answer to making things better, right?
Why You Will Love These Cookies
- Easy to make with just a few ingredients.
- Cake mix cookies stay soft for days!
- The contrast of red, white, and brown makes them stand out on cookie trays.
- Chocolate and peppermint is a fantastic flavor combo!
- It is guaranteed to be everyone's new favorite holiday cookie.
Key Ingredient Notes
You will only need a few extra ingredients added to a cake mix to have soft and delicious holiday cookies this year. Have fun adding different mix-ins and making your personal flavor for Christmas parties.
- Chocolate Cake Mix - All you will use for this recipe is the dry cake mix. Do not follow the back of the directions. I have found that a Pillsbury cake mix or an Aldi cake mix works best for puffy cookies!
- Butter & Cream Cheese - Set these out beforehand so they are soft enough to mix into the dry cake mix.
- Egg - Gives enough moisture to create a thick cookie dough.
- Peppermint Chips - Andes peppermint crunch chips and peppermint extract; ensure you know this is a peppermint cookie.
- White Chocolate Chips - I like the contrast of the white chip with the dark chocolate cookie. You can also use dark or milk chocolate chips for more chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies
The dough for this chocolate peppermint cookie recipe comes together in minutes. Just make sure you allow enough time to chill the dough before baking.
- Mix the dry cake mix, butter, cream cheese, egg, and extract in a mixing bowl until a soft dough forms.
- Use a spoon or spatula to gently stir the Oreo cookie chunks, white chips, and peppermint chips. Please do not use an electric mixer to do this because it will break up the cookies too much.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 60 minutes.
- Scoop into 24 even dough balls and place 12 on a baking sheet. Refrigerate the other 12.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 2 minutes on the hot pan to finish baking.
- Use a flat spatula to gently tap the tops of the cookies to flatten them out, if desired.
- Gently move the cookies to a piece of parchment paper on the counter.
- Press a few extra chips into the top of the warm cookies and let them cool completely before storing.
What if I can't find peppermint chips?
The Andes chips seem to be hard to find every year. You can chop up the Andes peppermint crunch thins (found at Target), Hershey's candy cane kisses, or Ghirardelli peppermint bark instead of the chips.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes, cake mix cookies stay soft for a few extra days, so they can be made a few days before you need them.
The dough balls can also be frozen and stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw the dough balls in the fridge overnight before baking. You can also bake the frozen dough, but you must add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Storage Recommendations
Keep the cake mix cookies in a sealed container on the counter for 5-6 days. If they last that long...
The cookies can also be frozen for 1-2 months. Wrap each cookie tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you refrigerate your cookie dough. It will be very soft when you first mix it up. Just put your bowl in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes.
- Roll the dough into even dough balls. I like to use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop so everything is the same uniform size.
- Please do not overbake these cookies. You will question me when you take your pan out of the oven. TRUST ME! They should and will look underdone!
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies sit on it for 2 minutes before gently placing them on parchment paper.
- Tap the tops of each cookie gently with the flat edge of a spatula. They will firm as they cool.
- Press a few extra chips into the tops of the warm cookies to make them look like they came from a bakery.
Packaging Ideas
I found these cute red berry baskets and holiday stickers at Michael's craft store. A strip of black and white washi tape around the basket with the label gave it a fun Santa look.
Blue filler paper adds a contrasting color, making the basket and cookies stand out.
Wrap six cookies in a cellophane bag and tie the top of the package with red and white baker twine. A small snowflake ornament completes the look.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Peppermint Meltaways
- Mint Chocolate Pudding Cookies
- Cherry Chip Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Kisses
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies
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Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies
These dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are the perfect treat for Christmas cookie trays. They have a fudgy texture and lots of holiday flavor from peppermint chips, white chocolate chips, and Oreo cookies in each bite!
Ingredients
- 1 dark chocolate cake mix
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup Oreo cookie chunks (7-8 cookies)
- 1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch chips
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix together the cake mix, butter, egg, peppermint extract, and cream cheese with a mixer until a soft dough forms.
- Gently stir in the Oreo cookies, peppermint chips, and white chocolate chips by hand.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop and roll the dough into 24 even dough balls.
- Bake on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Do not over bake!
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes before gently removing the cookies to parchment paper on your counter.
- Tap the tops of the cookies very gently with a flat spatula. Press a few extra chips into the top of the warm cookies.
- Let cool completely. The cookies will set up as they cool. Store in a sealed container on the counter.
Notes
If you can't find the Andes peppermint crunch chips, you can also chop up Andes peppermint crunch thins or Hershey's candy cane kisses and use those instead.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
This post was first published in December 2014. The photos and post were updated and republished in December 2021.
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting
Your last few posts have had the CUTEST packaging! Will you come and pack all my Christmas cookies? LOL. I love me an under baked cookie. My boyfriend, not to much. We are working through it.
Jocelyn Brubaker
Hehe, I'll be right there!! 😉 And how can you not love an under baked cookie?! Craziness!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
I love anything with peppermint in it so these cookies are right up my alley! What a gorgeous cookie, Jocelyn! And I love that these are made with chocolate cake mix. Pinned!
Heather
Your original peppermint crunch cookies were our favorite new cookies last year and I'm making them again this coming weekend for a Christmas party. I may just have to try the new version!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yay!! I think you'll love this new version just as much! 🙂
Shannon
I love the packaging ideas :-).
Amanda
These look so delicious and I love the little gift bag 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Amanda! 😉
Teresa
These look so wonderful. I'd love to be popping one in my mouth right now. My problem would be that I couldn't stop eating them!
heather+@french+press
of course I love these cookies, but that gift package....SO cute!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Heather! 🙂
Cyndi @ My Kitchen Craze
Yay to cookies looking under done. That means they will be soft and chewy, my fav!! These look great and I am loving the packaging pictures too. I say keep it going after the holidays!
Cookbook+Queen
Best flavor combo ever. These are so festive!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks, girl! And it definitely is the best flavor combo!!
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel
LOVE chocolate and peppermint! And cookies... in general. These look amazing!
Melanie | Melanie Makes
My favorite holiday flavor combo - chocolate and peppermint! Can't wait to give these a try!
Jocelyn Brubaker
It's definitely one of mine, too! Thanks Melanie!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
I am dying to add cream cheese to cookies. These look perfect!
Jenny+Flake
Love all of the chocolate peppermint recipes this time of year!
Jocelyn Brubaker
I do too!! 🙂 Thanks Jenny!
Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl
Yep, more often than not, chocolate IS the answer! Haha! You are so right about that! These cookies look fantastic! I love the cream cheese in them too.
Martha @ A Family Feast
Oh yum - these look fantastic! And I can't step foot into Michael's without spending a small fortune on props, decorations or ingredients!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness
Chilling cookie dough and baking it until it doesn't look done is SO key to super soft and chewy cookies.
Chocolate and peppermint are also key to making cookies SO DELICIOUS. I want 10 of these puhleaseeeee! Pinned!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Hehe, thanks sweet girl! 😉
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
Mmmm I wish I had some of these in front of me right now!
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files
Ya for way under done cookies! And chocolate anything will make me swoon 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Me too!! 😉 Thanks Meg!
Mir
I'm not sure what's more addictive, trips to Michaels or your cookies. Heck, I'll go with the cookies. They look like puffy cookie heaven!
Baby+June
I can say I would be thrilled to get some of these cookies for Christmas! Can't go wrong with chocolate + peppermint 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks! And no, you definitely can't! 😉