Peppermint Bark Sugar Cookies
Peppermint bark cookies are sugar cookies topped with a dark chocolate drizzle, creamy white chocolate, and crushed candy cane pieces, delivering every layer of classic peppermint bark candy in one soft, chewy bite.
Last updated: June 2026
Quick Answer: What Are Peppermint Bark Cookies?
Peppermint bark cookies take the iconic holiday candy trifecta (dark chocolate, white chocolate, and peppermint crunch) and build it right on top of a buttery sugar cookie base. The result is something that looks stunning on a cookie tray and actually comes together in about 35 minutes, start to finish. No mixer required, no chilling, and no special equipment beyond a baking sheet and a couple of bowls.
The kitchen smells like a candy shop and a bakery had a holiday baby. That cool peppermint hits first, then the butter and vanilla underneath it, and somewhere in the middle of scooping the dough you’ll realize your kids have wandered in and are waiting very patiently at the counter. This recipe lives in my holiday rotation for exactly that reason. It’s festive enough for a cookie swap, simple enough for a Tuesday night, and the finished cookies look like you spent way more time on them than you did.
Why You’ll Love This Peppermint Bark Cookies Recipe
Most peppermint bark cookie recipes out there use a chocolate chip or chocolate fudge base. This one starts with a sugar cookie, which means the dark chocolate and white chocolate drizzle on top actually read as distinct layers instead of blending into the dough. That’s the whole point of bark, right? Here’s what else makes it a keeper for busy moms:
- One bowl, no mixer needed: just a whisk and a spatula, which means kids can help with almost every step.
- Done in under 35 minutes: 10 minutes of prep, 10 to 12 minutes in the oven, and about 15 minutes for the chocolate to set.
- The full bark experience in cookie form: dark chocolate base drizzle, white chocolate zigzag, and candy cane crunch, all on top of a soft, chewy center.
- Makes 24 cookies: enough for a cookie swap, a teacher gift box, or Santa’s plate with plenty left over.
- Easy to dress up or simplify: do both chocolate drizzles for a showstopper, or skip the dark chocolate on a weeknight and it still tastes amazing.
Plus, if you scroll down, there’s a red velvet variation and a cake mix shortcut for when you want maximum festivity with minimum measuring.
Ingredients
Think of this recipe in three distinct layers: the soft sugar cookie base, the double chocolate drizzle, and the candy cane topping. Each layer builds on the last, so when you bite in, you get texture and flavor in every single component. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour: spooned and leveled, not scooped directly from the bag (scooping packs in too much flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter: softened to room temperature, ideally 65 to 68°F, not melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar: adds a softer, slightly crinkled edge to the baked cookie
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk: the extra yolk adds richness and keeps the center soft for days without making the cookie spread too thin
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract: start here and add up to ¾ tsp if you want a stronger mint punch (this is standard grocery peppermint extract, not peppermint oil; if using oil, start with just ⅛ tsp since it’s about four times stronger)
- 2 oz dark chocolate: melted and slightly cooled, for the base drizzle
- 4 oz white chocolate or white chocolate chips: melted, for the top drizzle
- ⅓ cup crushed candy canes: about 4 standard candy canes
- Flaky sea salt: optional, but the sweet-salty contrast is worth it
Want to skip the measuring and get straight to decorating? Jump to the cake mix version in the Variations section below.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the softened butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes by hand, or 60 seconds with a hand mixer.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Stir until just combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms. Stop mixing the moment you don’t see dry flour streaks.
- Scoop the dough into 1.5-tablespoon balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Press each ball down gently with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They firm up as they cool, so pulling them early is the key to a chewy center.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Melt the dark chocolate and white chocolate separately in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Two or three intervals is usually enough for each.
- Drizzle or dip the bottom of each cooled cookie in the melted dark chocolate, then drizzle the white chocolate over the top in a zigzag pattern. Work quickly so the next step happens while the chocolate is still wet.
- Sprinkle crushed candy canes (and flaky sea salt, if using) immediately over the wet chocolate. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature, or speed it up with 5 minutes in the refrigerator.
Macy’s Tip: Pull the cookies at exactly 11 minutes. They’ll look underdone in the center and you’ll doubt yourself. Don’t. That’s exactly where you want them. They’ll finish setting on the hot pan, and the centers stay perfectly chewy instead of cakey.
Recipe Card
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Set Time | 10 to 15 minutes (chocolate drizzle) |
| Total Time | approximately 35 minutes |
| Yield | 24 cookies |
| Method | Baked |
| Storage | Airtight container, room temperature, up to 5 days |
Tips, Substitutions & Make-Ahead Notes
Baking Tips for Perfect Peppermint Bark Cookies Every Time
A few small details separate a good batch from a great one:
- Butter temperature matters: 65 to 68°F is the target. Press a finger into the stick and it should leave a clean indent without the butter sinking around it. Too warm and your cookies will spread into flat puddles.
- Don’t skip the egg yolk: it adds fat that keeps the center soft for days, not just the first few hours out of the oven.
- Crush candy canes properly: seal them in a zip-lock bag and roll firmly with a rolling pin. You’re aiming for pieces between ⅛ and ¼ inch. Too fine and they disappear; too large and they crack when you bite in.
- Work fast with the chocolate drizzle: candy canes need to land on wet chocolate. You have about 60 seconds after drizzling before it starts to set, so have the crushed canes right next to you before you start.
That same attention to temperature applies to your melted chocolate drizzle, too. Let it cool for a minute after melting before you start drizzling, so it thickens just enough to hold the candy cane pieces in place.
Ingredient Swaps & Allergy-Friendly Notes
- Dairy-free: swap butter for vegan butter in the same quantity, and use dairy-free white chocolate chips. Enjoy Life brand melts well and doesn’t seize up.
- No peppermint extract? Use 2 to 3 drops of food-grade peppermint oil instead. It’s roughly four times stronger than extract, so start small and taste a tiny bit of dough before adding more. (One quick taste is all you need — raw dough has uncooked flour and eggs, so we don’t linger at the bowl!)
- No candy canes? Crushed Starlight mints or Andes peppermint crunch pieces are solid alternatives and usually easier to find mid-season when candy canes sell out.
- Dark chocolate substitute: semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted. The flavor lands slightly sweeter, but the visual contrast still comes through beautifully.
Make-Ahead & Freezer Instructions
- Freeze the dough: scoop into balls, freeze on a parchment-lined sheet for 1 hour until solid, then transfer to a zip-lock bag. Keeps up to 3 months. Bake from frozen and add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze baked (undecorated) cookies: arrange in a single layer to freeze, then stack with parchment between layers once solid. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then decorate as usual.
- Fully decorated cookies: these need to stay in a single layer only. The candy cane topping absorbs moisture from anything stacked on top of it and loses its crunch fast.
For the crunchiest topping, plan to serve or gift fully decorated cookies within 3 days.
Fun Variations to Try
Two shortcut variations here so every baker finds a version that fits their kitchen, their schedule, or their cookie tray aesthetic.
Red Velvet Peppermint Bark Cookies
Swap ¼ cup of the all-purpose flour for ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, and stir 1 tablespoon of red gel food coloring into the wet ingredients before you add the dry. The dough turns a deep crimson, and the finished cookies look striking with white chocolate drizzle and green-and-white candy cane pieces on top.
Red velvet peppermint bark cookies are particularly dramatic on a holiday cookie tray because the color contrast does all the work for you. They also package beautifully in a clear cellophane bag with a ribbon, paired alongside a festive hot chocolate bar spread for a neighbor gift that feels thoughtful without requiring much extra effort.
Cake Mix Peppermint Bark Cookies (30-Minute Shortcut)
Replace the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and both sugars with one box (15.25 oz) of white or vanilla cake mix. Combine the mix with 2 eggs, ⅓ cup melted butter, and ½ tsp peppermint extract. Stir until a thick dough forms, then scoop, bake, and decorate exactly as described above.
Cake mix peppermint bark cookies spread a little more than the from-scratch version, so flatten the dough balls slightly less before baking. One box yields approximately 28 cookies. This is a great option for baking with young kids since there’s no flour measuring, no sugar measuring, and far fewer steps between “let’s make cookies” and actual cookies. One heads-up for moms with little ones under 3: the crushed candy cane pieces are small hard candy, which can be a choking hazard for toddlers. Either skip the candy cane topping on their cookies or crush it extra-fine before it goes on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes peppermint bark cookies different from regular peppermint cookies?
Regular peppermint cookies typically flavor the dough with peppermint extract and stop there. Peppermint bark cookies replicate the layered experience of actual peppermint bark candy: a chocolate layer, a white chocolate layer, and crushed candy cane crunch, all built on top of the cookie. The flavoring in the dough is subtle; the decoration on top is where the bark experience actually lives.
Can I use store-bought peppermint bark instead of making the drizzle and topping?
Absolutely. Chop 6 to 8 oz of store-bought peppermint bark (Ghirardelli, Williams Sonoma, and Trader Joe’s all carry reliable versions during the holidays) into small pieces. You can fold about 1 cup directly into the dough before scooping, or press pieces onto the top of each cookie right after it comes out of the oven, the same way you’d press chocolate chips into a warm cookie. The store-bought version gives you both the chocolate and the candy cane in one ingredient.
Why do my peppermint bark cookies spread too much?
The three most common culprits are butter that’s too warm (above 70°F), too little flour from scooping directly out of the bag instead of spooning and leveling, and expired baking powder. To test your baking powder, drop ½ tsp into a small bowl of hot water. It should bubble vigorously right away. If it just sits there, it’s time for a new container.
How long do peppermint bark cookies stay fresh?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days. For the crunchiest candy cane topping, aim to eat or gift them within the first 3 days. After that, the crushed candy cane slowly draws in moisture from the air and softens. The cookie itself still tastes great; it just loses some of that satisfying crunch on top.
Can I make these as slice-and-bake cookies?
Yes. Shape the dough into a 2-inch-diameter log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Slice into ¼-inch rounds and bake as directed, reducing the bake time to 9 to 10 minutes. King Arthur Baking uses a similar slice-and-bake approach with a shortbread base; this sugar cookie version is softer and chewier by comparison, and the uniform rounds make them easy to stack in a gift box without the chocolate drizzle smearing.
