These easy and delicious chocolate dipped shortbread peppermint cookies are the most festive Christmas cookies for sharing with friends and family during the holiday season!
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I have been making these cookies every Christmas for the last decade at least! They're so fun to dip into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes! They're so festive and my family loves eating them over the holidays. They have that classic peppermint mocha flavour just like these chocolate peppermint cookies that everyone craves at Christmas.
If you love shortbread during the holidays, then try these apple bars with shortbread crust, buttery shortbread cookies, and butter tart bars with shortbread crust, and shortbread pecan bars!
These crinkly chocolate cookies are also a great addition for your Christmas baking trays!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- FESTIVE: These cookies are super festive and fun with sprinkled crushed candy cane!
- EASY: You only need 6 ingredients to make these, and the steps are super simple to follow.
- TEXTURE: These will melt in your mouth. They have a buttery, crumbly, traditional shortbread texture that’s sealed with a rich chocolate exterior sprinkled with crushed candy cane that will give you all the holiday feels!
Recipe Ingredients
- BUTTER: The butter helps the cookie have a melt-in-your-mouth texture when combined with the powdered sugar.
- SUGAR: Powdered/confectioners add sweetness to the cookies.
- FOUR: Flour gives structure to the cookies and helps the batter roll out without sticking.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS: The cookies are dipped into melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- CREAM: Heavy cream helps the melted chocolate thin out and become less thick.
- CANDY CANE: Crushed candy cane is sprinkled on the cookies to make them extra festive for Christmas!
See the recipe card below for the ingredient measurements.
Kitchen Equipment
- MIXING BOWLS: You need a mixing bowl for the shortbread cookie dough batter.
- CUP: You will need one microwave-safe cup for making the melted chocolate.
- ELECTRIC HAND MIXER: For mixing the cookie batter.
- ROLLING PIN: For rolling the dough out.
- COOKIE CUTTERS: Your favorite Christmas cookie cutters for shaping your cookies!
- MEAT TENDERIZER: For crushing the candy canes.
- BAKING SHEETS: For baking the cookies.
- MEASURING SPOONS AND CUPS: For measuring the ingredients.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1: Preheat the oven to 325°F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2: In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and powdered sugar together. Add the flour and mix it until you reach a soft dough (it will be crumbly at first, but just keep mixing). Form the dough into a large ball of dough.
3: Dust a large surface with flour, place the dough ball on it, sprinkle the dough ball and rolling pin with flour and roll it out until it's a ¼ inch thick. If your dough edges start to crack, add water to your fingertips and seal it back together. Use cookie cutters to create your cookies and transfer them to the baking sheets.
4: Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, and do not let the edges brown. Wait to dip the cookies until they’re at room temperature.
5: Add the chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave-safe mug or drinking glass and heat at 20-second intervals, mixing each time until melted. Dip the cookies and place them on a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board or cookie sheet.
6: Add the candy cane to a ziplock bag and crush it using a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle the cookies with the candy cane pieces, and place the cookie tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden the chocolate.
Storage and Leftovers
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for future use for up to 3 months. The cookies can be left out at room temperature, but depending on the temperature, the chocolate may not stay hardened.
Expert Tips
- Use your favorite chocolate. These are dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips to dunk the cookies in, but the cookies taste delicious dipped in any type of melted chocolate. Hershey’s has a huge variety of chocolate chip products to choose from, like milk chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, and more!
- Use a cup to melt the chocolate. A drinking glass or coffee mug is the perfect size to melt the chocolate in and dip the cookies in. If you use a wide round soup bowl, the cookie may not be able to dip down far enough to have half a side of dipped chocolate on the cookie.
- Have fun with sprinkles! Crushed candy cane combined with the chocolate is the perfect peppermint mocha flavor we all love during the holidays, but you can also have fun with festive sprinkles instead of crushed candy cane!
- Use water to fix the cracking cookie dough. Once you start to roll out the dough, if you notice the edges are starting to crack, sprinkle some water onto your fingertips and seal the cracks by gently pressing the cracks together. Flour the dough and rolling pin before you start to roll again.
- Dust the dough with flour. To avoid the dough sticking to the rolling pin, sprinkle the rolling pin and the dough with flour, but don’t overdo it because too much flour will dry out the cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can fix seized chocolate by adding boiling hot water ½ teaspoon at a time while stirring constantly until it smoothes out.
If the shortbread starts to brown, it’s overcooked.
Your cookies will spread/become flat and brown more easily.
Alternative Ingredients
- Chocolate Chip Flavors: Switch up the melted chocolate and dip the cookies into something like white chocolate or milk chocolate!
- Sprinkles: Consider swapping the crushed candy cane pieces for festive holiday sprinkles!
- Nuts: Roast some chopped walnuts or pecans and sprinkle them over the melted chocolate instead of the crushed candy cane as another option.
Related Recipes
- Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies Recipe
- Thumbprint Cookies with Jam Recipe
- Soft Cream Cheese Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
- Fudgy Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Crinkly Chocolate Cookies
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Peppermint Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Easy and festive chocolate dipped shortbread peppermint cookies that your family will love during the holidays!
Ingredients
- Butter, softened: 1 cup
- Powdered/Confectioners Sugar: ½ cup
- Flour: 2 cups
- Chocolate Chips: ¾ cup
- Heavy Cream: ½ cup
- Candy Canes: 1 large or a couple small
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 325°F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and powdered sugar together. Add the flour and mix it until you reach a soft dough (it will be crumbly at first, but just keep mixing). Form the dough into a large ball of dough.
- Form the cookies: Dust a large surface with flour, place the dough ball on it, sprinkle the dough ball and rolling pin with flour and roll it out until it's a ¼ inch thick. If your dough edges start to crack, add water to your fingertips and seal it back together. Use cookie cutters to create your cookies and transfer them to the baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, and do not let the edges brown. Wait to dip the cookies until they’re at room temperature.
- Chocolate Dip: Add the chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave-safe mug or drinking glass and heat at 20-second intervals, mixing each time until melted. Dip the cookies and place them on a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board or cookie sheet.
- Candy Cane Topping: Add the candy cane to a ziplock bag and crush it using a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle the cookies with the candy cane pieces, and place the cookie tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden the chocolate.
Notes
Scroll up to the full blog post for recipe FAQs, alternative ingredient options, and storage information.
Choose your favorite melted chocolate for dunking, such as milk chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, and more!
A drinking glass or coffee mug is the perfect size to melt the chocolate in and dip the cookies in.
Swap the crushed candy cane for festive sprinkles as another option!
Once you start to roll out the dough, if you notice the edges are starting to crack, sprinkle some water onto your fingertips and seal the cracks by gently pressing the cracks together. Flour the dough and rolling pin before you start to roll again.
To avoid the dough sticking to the rolling pin, sprinkle the rolling pin and the dough with flour, but don’t overdo it because too much flour will dry out the cookies.
Nutrition facts are for informational purposes only. We are not responsible for any errors. We have tested the recipe for accuracy, but your results may vary. Please note that this is not medical or nutrition advice. Seek advice from a licensed professional if you need advice. We are not liable for any damages caused by your use of this content.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: dessert, cookies
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: american
Andrea says
The most festive and delicious Xmas cookies 🙂 did you enjoy them?