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White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (Two Ways)

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com

If you love peppermint but you also enjoy the creamy texture of white chocolate, this is the recipe for you! These yummy cookies combine those two favorites! And just for fun, I'm going to teach you how to make these cookies two different ways.

Christmas Cookies. . .all Year 'Round!

I've been in the mood for Christmas cookies this week. Crazy, I know. It's 97 degrees outside at the moment. But when I stumbled across a recipe for peppermint white chocolate cookies I said, "Yes, please!"

Then, as always, I decided to tweak the recipe and make it my own. And one of the first ideas that came to mind was this: Add cocoa powder to half of the batter. Make half of these cookies chocolate based. That way my friends and family could choose for themselves which ones to enjoy.

Are Candy Canes Just for Christmas?

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

I have a firm memory affixed in my mind of my grandfather smelling like peppermint. And he didn't just limit this to the holidays. He was a year 'round peppermint lover. Many people are.

I shopped for peppermints today (in mid-August) not knowing if I'd find them on the candy aisle. Surprisingly, I found multiple options. Clearly, lots of people love peppermints all year long. And while these aren't candy cane-like in appearance, the taste is exactly the same. So, I knew these would be perfect for my cookies.

This isn't the first time I've added mint to my cookies. I have a recipe for some delicious Double Mint Chocolate cookies that incorporate mint chocolate chips. And of course I've got a recipe for Doctored Brownie Mix with mint chips. I've always been crazy about the combination of chocolate and mint.

Candy Cane Cookie Ingredients

By now you're probably swooning, so let's start talking about what you'll need to make these delicious cookies. You'll find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here's a quick peek at what you'll need to make these yummy White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (version one)

  • room temperature butter (salted or unsalted)
  • granulated sugar
  • packed brown sugar
  • large eggs
  • all purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • salt (optional if you use salted butter)
  • vanilla extract
  • white chocolate chips
  • crushed peppermint candies (or crushed candy canes)

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (version two)

  • same ingredients as above, but add ½ cup unprocessed cocoa powder

How to make White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

These are so easy and perfect for the holidays! Best of all, they come together quickly. You can whip up a batch in (literally) minutes. This is a basic recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and it serves as the perfect base for the chips and candies.

Start by preheating oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Smash your peppermints into small pieces. You can use candy canes or other peppermint candies. You'll need ¾ cup crushed candy to add to the mix.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Place butter in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. You can do so with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Add your sugars and continue to mix.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Work your eggs in, one at a time.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

In a separate medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt (optional).

Slowly work the dry ingredients in until fully incorporated.

Add white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Divide dough in half and add cocoa powder to half of it. Make sure it's fully incorporated.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper. I use Nordic Ware pans, along with the perfect parchment sheets that are pre-cut to fit the half-sheet perfectly!

Add scoops of dough. (I use a cookie scoop.)

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Press extra chips into the tops of the cold cookies.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 - 11 minutes or until set.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. They will stay fresh for 3-5 days. No need to refrigerate.

You can store the balls of frozen cookie dough in a ziplock bag for up to two months.

To bake frozen dough balls, thaw slightly and bake low and slow (around 350 for 12+ minutes).

What to expect from these cookies:

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

I knew I would love these because, as I said above, I'm crazy about chocolate and mint. I was particularly intrigued by how different the two different versions tasted. I'll start with the cocoa version first.

It was absolutely rich with chocolate flavor and had just the right amount of mint. The creamy white chocolate chips were a lovely complement to the darker chocolate. These were fluffier cookies due to the additional dry ingredient (cocoa powder).

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

The non-cocoa cookies had a completely different flavor and texture. They were flatter and chewier. I feel like the white chocolate chips and crunchy peppermint pieces were much more pronounced in this version. Perhaps because there was no dark chocolate to distract me.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

I opted for a glass of whole milk while eating these cookies. The milk was perfect with both versions.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways) from Out of the Box Baking.com.

Variations on these White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

I'm already thinking of so many different ways I could make these. I'm thinking I might consider the following:

Brownies. I would like to make a batch of brownies (any boxed mix) and add white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint. (Yum!) These would be perfect for Christmas.

Double Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies: I have a recipe for Double Mint Chocolate cookies already, but it might be fun to add crushed peppermint along with the mint chocolate chips.

Chocolate drizzle: It would be fun to make the non-cocoa version of these and add melted chocolate drizzle on top.

Hershey's Kiss Peppermint Cookies: Place a Hershey's kiss in the middle of the cocoa cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. (Fun!)

Fluffier cookies: You can make the non-cocoa version fluffier by adding an additional ¼ cup of all purpose flour.

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Sunday LinkUp

Other Mint Desserts from Out of the Box Baking:

I'm crazy about mint so have quite a few recipes you might enjoy. Here are some of my favorites:

That's it for this post, friends! Let me know your thoughts on these fun holiday cookies! And remember, you don't have to wait until Christmas to bake them!


About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways)

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (two ways)

Yield: 36
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes

If you love peppermints but you also enjoy the cream texture of white chocolate, this is the recipe for you! These yummy cookies combine those two favorites! And just for fun, I'm going to teach you how to make these cookies two ways.

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter (softened)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 ¼ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
  • additional white chocolate chips to top off the cookies
  • ¾ cup crushed peppermint candies
  • (For cocoa cookies add ⅓ cup unprocessed cocoa powder)

Instructions

    How to make White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

These are so easy and perfect for the holidays!

Start by preheating oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crush peppermint candies. (I put mine in a ziplock bag and used a rolling pin.)

Place butter in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. You can do so with an electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.

Add your sugars and continue to mix.

Work your eggs in, one at a time.

In a separate medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt (optional).

Slowly work the dry ingredients in until fully incorporated.

Add white chocolate chips and crushed peppermints.

Divide dough in half and add cocoa powder to half of it. Make sure it's fully incorporated.

Prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add scoops of dough. (I use a cookie scoop.)

Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Press extra chips into the tops of the cold cookies.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 - 11 minutes or until set.

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. They will stay fresh for 3-5 days. No need to refrigerate.

You can store the balls of frozen cookie dough in a ziplock bag for up to two months.

To bake frozen dough balls, thaw slightly and bake low and slow (around 350 for 12+ minutes).

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