If you loved my Salted Brownie Cookies, you’ll adore this Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies version. These fudgy, chocolatey cookies are infused with peppermint and finished with chocolate chips and broken peppermint bark tucked into their shiny, crackly tops—ideal for gifting or a holiday cookie tray.
Table of Contents
- Let’s Talk Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions
- The Best Baking Tools
- How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies
- How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies
- Recipe FAQs
- Other Holiday Cookies
- Recipe Card
Let’s Talk Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies
These Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies are a peppermint-forward take on my Salted Brownie Cookies. I reduced the espresso powder slightly and swapped vanilla for peppermint extract so the mint flavor shines. Broken peppermint bark pieces join semi-sweet chocolate chips as a festive topping.
The cookies are intentionally left without finishing sea salt so the peppermint bark flavor remains the star. Chocolate chips and peppermint bark are pressed onto the cookies right after baking so they soften without fully melting, keeping texture and visual appeal.
Recipe Ingredients
The base ingredients mirror a brownie cookie: all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, salt, eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, unsalted butter, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
To make them peppermint bark brownies you’ll also need:
Peppermint extract. Use pure peppermint extract (not generic “mint” extract) for the correct peppermint profile.
Peppermint bark. Break the bark into small pieces for sprinkling on the baked cookies. About 6 ounces is recommended.
Substitutions
Vanilla instead of peppermint. If you prefer a subtler peppermint presence, omit the peppermint extract and use vanilla extract; the broken peppermint bark will still add peppermint flavor.
Alternative peppermint bark. Any brand of peppermint bark will work; choose your favorite variety—classic, dark chocolate, or salted—to personalize the topping.
The Best Baking Tools
Recommended tools: mixing bowls, a hand or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, a small saucepan for melting chocolate and butter, a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons), parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and a wire cooling rack.
Here’s How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies!
This overview covers the main steps; the full recipe card below has exact amounts and timings.
Prep first. Measure ingredients, break the peppermint bark into pieces, and have everything within reach. After the batter is mixed, scoop and bake immediately for best texture and shine.
If you can only bake one sheet at a time, it’s fine to let the second batch of scooped dough rest on the counter for 8–10 minutes while the first tray bakes. Do not refrigerate the batter.
Dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cocoa and espresso powder are added to the melted chocolate mixture.
Wet ingredients. Beat the eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and peppermint extract until frothy.
Melt chocolate and butter. Combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir until smooth (about 2–3 minutes), then remove from heat and stir in cocoa and espresso powders.
Scoop and bake. Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons) to portion dough onto lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake at 350ºF for 8–10 minutes, until tops are shiny and cracked.
Top while warm. Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, press 3–4 semi-sweet chips and several pieces of broken peppermint bark into each cookie so they adhere and soften without fully melting.
Cool and enjoy. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack to finish cooling. They will be soft when hot, so handle carefully.
How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies
These brownie crinkle cookies will spread and vary slightly in size. To make thicker, uniform rounds:
- When the cookies come out of the oven, keep them on the hot baking sheet.
- Immediately place a slightly larger round cookie cutter (or mug/small bowl) over the cookie.
- Gently rotate the cutter around the cookie for 5–8 seconds to form a clean circle.
Use an oven mitt to hold the baking sheet steady—the sheet will be very hot. Shape cookies right after baking while they’re still soft.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe produces cookies that spread and are slightly thin by design. For thicker, uniform cookies, use the cookie cutter method described above immediately after they come out of the oven.
Freeze baked cookies if needed. The batter is best baked immediately after mixing and does not freeze well for later baking.
Yes. The batter will be thinner than typical cookie dough but still scoopable; scooped portions will look like blobs on the sheet before baking.
Key factors are measuring everything first, baking immediately after mixing, and removing the cookies toward the earlier end of the bake time. Timing and prompt transfer to the oven help create that signature glossy, cracked surface.
Check Out These Other Holiday Cookies!
Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Dipped Graham Cracker Cookies
Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 Large Egg Yolk, room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Peppermint Extract
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, plus some for topping cookies
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder (optional)
- 6 oz Peppermint Bark
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and position the rack just above center. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Beat eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vegetable oil, and peppermint extract with a hand or stand mixer on medium-high until frothy.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and butter until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder and espresso powder.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined; the batter will be thin but scoopable.
- Using a 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop or two spoons, portion dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake 8–10 minutes at 350ºF, until the tops are shiny and crackled.
- Remove from oven and immediately press broken peppermint bark pieces and a few chocolate chips onto each warm cookie. Optionally use a round cutter to shape cookies while they’re still soft.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a cooling rack. Store in a sealed container at room temperature up to 2 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from the Salted Brownie Cookies recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients used.