It’s Time to Eat Peppermint Cookies

My strongest belief in the universe — besides the sacred duty to butter everything — is that peppermint cookies deserve a standing ovation, a parade, and possibly a tiny medal for emotional support. If you bake one thing this holiday season (or Tuesday at 9 p.m. because anxiety), make it this: It’s Time to Eat Peppermint Cookies. Also, if you’re weirdly into carbs and rituals, you might appreciate my other cozy bakes like my honey wheat bread (yes I will make you toast, you’re welcome).

How I ignited the Great Cookie Catastrophe of 2018

I once attempted peppermint cookies for a Thanksgiving cookie exchange because clearly I did not understand social constraints. I used crushed hard candy instead of crushed candy canes because “they’re the same thing” — spoiler: they are not. The tray emerged looking like a glitter bomb at midnight. Aunt Marge tried one and her dentures flirted with catastrophe. The cookie exchange turned into an emergency dentist fundraiser. I’m still on dentist call lists. Lesson learned: read labels, don’t be clever, respect the cane.

Okay, pivot! Let’s talk recipe before I start confessing to more oven crimes

ANYWAY, before I emotionally relive the entire event (yes, therapy helped), here’s the part where I pivot from confessions to recipes like a graceful yet mortified swan. These cookies are bright, minty, and — crucially — soft with a little tooth. They’re peppermint-forward without being a mouthwash commercial. Also, if you want a dramatic dessert centerpiece cousin, consider the decadent Boston cream cake (I will not apologize for the temptation).

Ingredient shout-out: what you actually need (and my opinions about it)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp (do not use margarine unless you hate yourself)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk (for chew)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (Trader Joe’s vanilla is fine, don’t splurge)
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (tiny and mighty)
• 3/4 cup crushed candy canes (not the huge decorative kind — those are for Instagram)
• Optional: red gel food coloring for festive swirls

Mini-rant: Fancy European butter is dreamy, but you can absolutely make these with regular supermarket butter and not cry about it. I buy crushed canes at Trader Joe’s when they’re available because they’re convenient and I like the way TJ’s lights make me feel financially irresponsible in a cute way.

Cooking Unit Converter

Quick conversions if you bake like a sleepy witch at 2 a.m.: grams, cups, teaspoons — we’ve got you.

Technique breakdown: how this actually comes together (I’ll overshare so you learn from my flops)

I don’t do rigid step-by-step here because my brain prefers chaotic choreography. But here’s the gist (and what I learned the hard way):

• Cream butter and sugar until the mixture is suspiciously pale and whisper-soft — scraping the bowl like you owe it rent.
• Beat in egg, yolk, vanilla, peppermint (tiny, please), then stir in flour and leavener until it looks like cookie dough and not a casserole.
• Fold in crushed canes at the end — if you add them too early, they dissolve into sad, syrupy streaks.
• Chill the dough 30–60 minutes. Yes, it’s annoying. Also yes, it makes the cookies thicker and softer. Trust the chill.
• Bake 9–11 minutes until edges set and the centers still look slightly like they might forgive you. Cool on a rack.
  What I learned the hard way: don’t pulverize candy into dust unless you want peppermint confetti in everything for a week. Sensory note: the smell hitting the oven when they bake is like peppermint toothpaste met caramelized sugar at a holiday party and they fell in love.

Why I bake like this: an emotional aside about dough, family, and identity

Cooking for me is memory teleportation. The crunch of a candy cane in my mouth zips me back to being eight, sticky-lipped, watching my neighbor (Mrs. Patel) teach me how to roll dough into perfect, smug little balls she called “joy.” Baking is how I talk to my relatives when I cannot find the words: I send a plate, and the groans and compliments fill in the spaces. It’s tradition, therapy, and likely the reason I have 17 aprons I never wear.

Tiny anecdote (micro) — because I can’t stop myself

Once I decorated a batch of these and handed one to my dog because I forgot cookies were for humans. He shuddered, then gave me a look like I had betrayed him. He is now officially team plain peanut butter.

This is where you get answers — chaotic FAQ for logical humans

Okay, I’ll stop talking now. Make these cookies. Bring them to the chaotic holiday thing, hand them to strangers, steal one yourself at midnight. Trust me: the world gets a little quieter when a peppermint cookie disappears into someone’s grateful mouth.

Daily Calorie Needs Calculator

Estimate your daily calorie needs if you plan to justify cookie seconds with math.