In addition to holiday music in department stores and colored lights adorning houses everywhere, there’s one more sign of the season that always causes a lot of excitement: The arrival of elaborate peppermint drinks at coffee shops. Peppermint mochas are popular for a reason the minty addition of the season’s iconic candy to your daily pick-me-up elevates it to full holiday status. To enjoy these flavors in another Christmastime favorite cookies we paired a rich mocha-flavored cookie with a peppermint frosting. But rather than adding a mere sprinkling of espresso powder to our chocolate cookies, we incorporated a whole half cup of brewed espresso. This gave the cookies a real jolt while also providing moisture to the rich, cakey cookies. We topped off these cookies in equally bold fashion, amping up a simple butter-and-sugar frosting with peppermint extract and adding a red food coloring. We could have stopped there but couldn’t resist finishing these cookies with one last bit of festive flair: crushed peppermints. Once the cookies are frosted, sprinkle them immediately with the crushed peppermint candies; if you let the frosting dry, the candy won’t stick. Once frosted, the cookies are best served within 1 day.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1½ ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) granulated sugar
- ½ cup brewed espresso or strong coffee, cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1–2 drops red food coloring
- 15 peppermint candies, crushed
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For the Cookies
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together into bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add cooled espresso and vanilla and beat at medium-low speed until combined. Scrape down bowl. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and space them 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake cookies until just set, 8 to 9 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. (Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.) For the Frosting
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and beat on medium-low speed until most of sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat on medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds; increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice. Frost cookies and immediately sprinkle each with crushed peppermint candies before serving.