Have you ever wanted brownies in cookie form? Because these peppermint brownie sandwich cookies happen to fit the bill! Sandwiched together with a dreamy peppermint-flavored frosting, they make for a perfect addition to your holiday baking.
A few years ago I attempted to come up with a recipe for peppermint brownies and just wasn’t happy with the results. So this year I decided to make them in cookie form. And guess what? My family loves them! One of my sisters especially can’t stop drooling over them.
So let’s get into the recipe.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make peppermint brownie sandwich cookies
- baking or melting chocolate
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- dark cocoa powder
- baking powder
- salt
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- peppermint extract
- powdered sugar
- milk
- peppermint candies or candy canes
Step-by-step instructions to making peppermint brownie sandwich cookies
These festive cookies are a fun baking project even though they require some more time from start to finish than simple drop cookies.
The brownie cookies
First, let’s talk about how brownie cookies are different from other chocolate cookies. They are more fudgy and have a shiny, cracked top. We’ll talk more about how to achieve this iconic top on the cookies in the next section of this post.
The first step to making the cookies is to melt the chocolate and butter together. Then add that to the creamed sugar and egg mixture along with the vanilla extract; mix and add the dry ingredients.
I prefer using dark cocoa powder for these cookies because the regular cocoa powder results in lighter cookies that look like dried mud. That dark cocoa powder just makes the cookies look a hundred times better.
While testing this recipe, I found that the cookie dough hardens pretty quickly because of the chocolate in it, so I recommend dropping all the cookie dough on the cookie sheets immediately, even if you can’t bake all of them at the same time. This ensures that the cookies you bake first and the ones you bake last will look more alike.
Next comes a point that I feel like I mention in every cookie recipe: do not overbake the cookies. I know everybody (myself included) is scared of raw cookies, but with these brownie cookies you want to be extra careful; if you overbake them, they’ll be dry instead of fudgy like brownies should be. Bake the cookies just until the edges are barely set. Then, after removing them from the oven, let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes to finish setting up; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to get shiny, cracked tops on brownie cookies
The secret to shiny, crackly tops is to beat the eggs and the sugars for a prolonged period of time. Do not skimp on this, but make sure to beat the eggs and sugars for the full 4 minutes as the recipe directs. You’ll get a thick mixture that almost doubles in volume. Trust me, this makes a huge difference.
Then, make sure you don’t overmix the dough; mix just until all ingredients are combined. Immediately drop all the cookie dough on baking sheets; I recommend baking the cookies as quickly as possible since the dough hardens quickly.
How to make the peppermint buttercream filling
I’ve shared buttercream recipes before and this one is very similar, with the only exception being that it’s peppermint flavored. Start with room temperature butter; if you press it with your finger it should keep an indent, but not be greasy or slide around. Whip the butter until smooth, then add the remaining frosting ingredients.
Also make sure your milk is at room temperature; I usually forget to take it out of the fridge on time so I warm it up in a saucepan over low heat. Cold milk will make your the butter separate and leave you with an unappetizing-looking filling.
Whip the buttercream on medium to high speed for a few more minutes until it’s fluffy. Spread it on half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches.
Decorating the cookies
Drizzle half of the top of each sandwich cookie with melted chocolate; immediately sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. If you wait too long with sprinkling the candies, the chocolate will harden and the candies won’t stick.
I use the round peppermint candies but you can also use candy canes. Place them in a plastic bag and crush them with a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Can I freeze these peppermint brownie sandwich cookies?
Yes, these cookies freeze well. Store them in the freezer in an airtight plastic bag or container up to 3 months. If you leave these cookies out at room temperature for a few days, you can expect the crushed candies to start melting; this why I prefer to store them in the freezer.
More holiday recipes you’ll love
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- No-Chill Sugar Cookies
- Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Twice-Baked Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon
- Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls
Happy baking, friends!
Ingredients
- For the brownie cookies:
- 250 grams chopped chocolate
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For the peppermint buttercream filling:
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- For topping:
- 100 grams chocolate, melted
- crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a medium bowl set over a pot of boiling water, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring until smooth. Alternately, you can melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until fully melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture for 3-4 minutes. Then mix in the chocolate/butter mixture and vanilla extract just until combined. Add the dry ingredients, again being careful to mix just until combined.
- Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets using a 1½-tablespoon sized cookie scoop. The dough will harden the longer it stands, so I recommend dropping all the dough on the baking sheets right away, even if you can't bake all the cookies at the same time.
- Bake 1 or 2 sheets of cookies at a time (depending on your oven) for about 10 minutes until the edges of the cookies are just set. The cookies will look underdone in the center, but that's okay. They'll keep cooking after you take them out of the oven. Let them sit in the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. The cookies puff as they bake and they'll somewhat collapse as they cool. Let all the cookies cool completely before filling them.
- For the frosting, add the butter to a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, milk, salt, peppermint and vanilla extract. Beat on low until combined, then whip on medium-high for 2-3 more minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
- Spread or pipe the frosting on half of the cookies and top with the remaining half of the cookies. Drizzle melted chocolate over half of the top of each sandwich cookie and immediately sprinkle with crushed candies.
- Let the cookies set for 1-2 hours before serving.
- The cookies can also be frozen in an airtight plastic bag or container for 3 months.
Notes
This recipe makes 20-22 sandwich cookies.