In the very beginning of November, one of my old high school friends drove up to stay with her mother-in-law, who lives about twenty minutes away in the next town over, so she set aside time to visit me one night during her trip. Because she works in a bakery as her full-time job, it’s always fun to catch up and trade stories!
We met at the Starbucks just two traffic lights away from my home. Despite walking into the store after 6 pm, we both ordered coffee. Too little sleep makes caffeine a necessity! She elected for a standard cup topped off with milk, but when I spotted their colorful sign promoting their holiday peppermint mocha, all other thoughts flew out the window.
The barista at the register smiled when I ordered, asking if I liked the little curls of chocolate on top. I completely forgot that was an option… And with my chocoholic nature, he sweetly called out to the other barista mixing up drinks to add extra on top of mine!
My friend and I settled into the chairs, hands curled around the cardboard liners, slowly sipping our drinks while laughing, trading stories, and losing all sense of time. It was as if only a day had passed since we last saw each other in person instead of the 1½ years that had actually slipped by!
Although hanging out with my close friend was definitely the highlight of the evening, that peppermint mocha came in a close second. All of that rich chocolaty goodness… So of course, I decided to turn it into a dessert. These Peppermint Mocha Cookies, to be exact!
These chocolaty cookies are treat #3 in Cookie Week on Amy’s Healthy Baking! First up were rainbow chocolate chip cookies, followed by yesterday’s eggnog snickerdoodles. Next on the menu are spiced and classic treats, so stay tuned!
With 3 types of chocolate, these peppermint mocha cookies definitely count as the richest of the week! You’ve got cocoa powder, regular chocolate chips, and minis too. They’re so decadent that they practically taste like fudgy brownies in the shape of cookies. That’s my kind of treat—it combines my two favorites!
Then for the other iconic flavors, we’ll turn to instant coffee and peppermint extract. Don’t use regular coffee grounds! We need the kind that dissolve in water—or in this case, melted butter. Instant coffee ensures an even coffee background flavor without any graininess.
To make sure they stay extremely fudgy, do not overbake these cookies! Pull them out of the oven when they still look slightly underdone; then let them sit on the warm baking sheet longer. This allows the centers to set without the outsides turning crisp and crunchy.
Soft and chewy cookie lovers, beware… If you haven’t tried that trick before, I guarantee you’ll never go back!
I’m incredibly indecisive (it still takes me 10 minutes to choose an entrée at our favorite restaurants!), but these Peppermint Mocha Cookies just might be my favorite holiday cookies this year. Warm coffee, light peppermint, oodles of melty chocolate chips, all wrapped up in fudgy brownie-like cookies…
If you figure out a way to keep your hands out of the cookie jar with these, I’ll be absolutely amazed. We already polished off the entire batch!
| Peppermint Mocha Cookies | | Print |
- ¾ c (90g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- ¼ c (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured correctly)
- ½ tsp (2g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (1g) cornstarch
- ⅛ tsp (1g) salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 tsp (3g) instant coffee granules
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ tsp (3mL) peppermint extract
- ½ c (106g) light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (28g) regular chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp (14g) miniature chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter and instant coffee until about halfway dissolved. Mix in the egg and peppermint extract, continuing to stir until the instant coffee is mostly dissolved. (If a few small granules remain, discard them.) Stir in the brown sugar, smearing out any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in all of the regular and half of the miniature chocolate chips.
- Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops on the prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Make sure to use instant coffee and not regular coffee grounds. Choose the kind that dissolves in water to create an even background flavor without any graininess.
It takes a while to get the instant coffee to dissolve. I generally use a fork, and when it clumps onto the tines, I rub the fork back and forth against the side of the bowl. The friction helps it dissolve slightly faster.
{low fat, low calorie}
More mocha cookie recipes by other food bloggers…
Chocolate Mocha Snickerdoodles by Crazy for Crust
Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies by Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Café Mocha Cookies by Table for Two
Chewy Mocha M&M Cookies by Overtime Cook
Peppermint Mocha Cookies by Baking a Moment
Amy, I discovered you yesterday, and my first batch, of your peppermint mocha cookies are cooling! they smell amazing. I do have a question. the dough was unmanageable. I tired to put it in the fridge for a few and it seemed to get better. I was pressed for time tonight so managed thru it, but had a good amount stuck to my hands!
any suggestions? thanks and I look forward to eat them in about 5!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Lisa! This dough is not meant for rolling into balls between your palms, only dropping into rounded scoops on the baking sheet. It’s incredibly sticky, even with chilling, which is what helps keep the cookies soft and chewy. I’m sorry for the confusion!
Ahhhh sweet friend!! Can’t believe I’m just now seeing this… December was an absolute whirlwind!! This made my evening… Loved that night talking and laughing with you! Miss you tons! Let’s have a virtual coffee date soon!!
Ps… Those cookies look rediculous!! I was jealous of your drink when you ordered that night for sure- but if I can make these cookies, that’ll be a good substitute! 🙂
Aww thank you Andrea!! This entire year has been a whirlwind for me! And yes, we definitely need another virtual coffee date soon!! (And I still have your Christmas present…) P.S. I felt like a crazy lady ordering a fancy coffee drink versus your regular cup — too funny!
I made these delicious cookies tonight , however I got lazy and used my mixer and they were so dry . I’m pretty sure I ruined this cookies. It only made 6 cookies as well, my fault I’m sure. I can cook just got lazy after making dinner. I will try again, it will not defeat me 🙂
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that Mary, but I really appreciate your persistence. If the cookies were dry, my guess is that there was too much cocoa powder or flour in the dough. Both of these ingredients should be measured using either a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method with a light hand while measuring (I describe more here.) I’ve found that when I scoop either one directly from the container with the measuring cup, I end up with 1.5 times as much, which would dry out the cookie dough and create the problems you describe. I hope your next batch turns out perfectly! 🙂
Dear Amy
Thanks for the recipes! I put so many of yours on my list but this will be my first one to try. I was wondering if I could substitute coffee extract for the instant coffee (and how). Also, I understand that this uses natural cocoa powder, not Dutch. And if I chill the dough before baking, would it affect this recipe? I just like the cookies not to spread much and I ‘thought’ it would make the cookies soft. Or would that not be necessary if using melted butter? Thank you in advance and I look forwards to hearing from you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Nicki! I’m honored! 🙂 I don’t have any experience with coffee extract, so I’m not the best source of knowledge for whether that substitution will work. There isn’t any need to chill the dough! These cookies won’t spread much at all and are already very soft and chewy, if made exactly as written. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!