Triple the chocolate in these irresistible soft cookies! They are already a thick, perfect cookie but Nutella sets them over the edge in goodness. You can’t skip topping them with decadent peppermint buttercream frosting because it transforms them into the perfect dessert. It’s a fun holiday flavor and they look pretty too!
2017 winter break week is going down in history, people. It has been about a million degrees below zero outside, so my boys and I have been hibernating. I haven’t been out of pajamas since Tuesday. Yesterday we watched three movies, put a 400-piece puzzle together and squeezed in a couch nap all snuggled together like a huge can of sardines. I’ve even held off on baking. Crazy, right?!
Last week, however, I was still in the zone and baked a giant batch of these Triple Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting. The chocolate cookies alone are over-the-top insane, so good luck getting them frosted. Also included on last week’s dessert menu was cherry cheesecake, cheesecake cookies, dulce de leche and dulce de leche chocolate sandwich cookies.
If you have leftover candy canes hanging out in your house, or even just peppermint candies, you have just found the perfect dessert to make today.
DIRECTIONS TO MAKE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH PEPPERMINT FROSTING
Learn how to make triple chocolate cookies from scratch for the holiday season!
MAKE THE COOKIES
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the butter, white and brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until creamy and free of lumps. Add nutella and beat on low speed until just combined.In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter-sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate baking chips. Using a medium cookie scoop, place 1.5-tablespoon-size chunks of batter in your hands and roll into balls. Place onto the prepared baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
MAKE THE FROSTING
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the confectioner’s sugar, butter and peppermint extract. Beat on medium speed until moist. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the milk and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES
Spread 2 teaspoons of frosting over the top of each cooled cookie. Top with crushed candy cane pieces for more intense peppermint flavor.
TRY DIFFERENT FROSTING FLAVORS TO CHANGE UP YOUR COOKIE
You can make this cookie and try piping it with different buttercream flavors so you can make a totally different batch of cookies! Use them on a cake too!
TIPS TO AVOID FLAT AND CRUNCHY COOKIES
Measuring – a good tip for measuring dry ingredients when baking is to use a butter knife to level off the ingredients in the measuring cup. This will help avoid over measuring. Too much sugar can help flatten cookies and give them a crunchy taste.
STORING HOMEMADE COOKIES
A few easy steps will ensure that your cookies stay fresh until the last cookie is eaten.
Let the cookies completely cool on the wire rack. Packing them up too soon will make them soggy and crumbly.
Place the cookies into a large airtight container. Using a layer of wax or parchment paper between the cookies to avoid them sticking to one another and breaking. Try not to layer frosted cookies.
Place a piece of white bread in the container so it will absorb any moisture.
Ok now tell me what you’ve been up to over winter break! Happy last week of 2017! Enjoy these delicious chocolate cookies, my friends.
STORING LEFTOVER BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
The buttercream frosting in this recipe is safe at room temperature in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. The US Food Safety and Inspection gives it a thumbs up because of the amount of sugar and just a little bit of milk in it. A cream cheese based buttercream however needs to be stored in the refrigerator and is good for about a week. When getting ready to use it again, give it a few minutes to come to room temperature. If you don’t think you’ll have a use for it right away, freeze it! That’ll give you a couple of months to put it away and then make another batch of these cookies.
A FEW OTHER FAVORITE HOLIDAY DESSERT RECIPES TO TRY
Chocolate Kiss Cream Cheese Cookies
Triple Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Frosting
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
FROSTING
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- 2 tsp. peppermint extract
- 2 tbsp. milk
TOPPING
- 6 peppermint candy canes broken into small pieces
Instructions
MAKE THE COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until creamy and free of lumps. Add Nutella and beat on low speed until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter-sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a medium cookie scoop, place 1.5-tablespoon-size chunks of batter in your hands and roll into balls. Place onto the prepared baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.
MAKE THE FROSTING
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the confectioner’s sugar, butter and peppermint extract. Beat on medium speed until moist. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the milk and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES
- Spread 2 teaspoons of frosting over the top of each cooled cookie. Top with candy cane pieces.
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