Peppermint Mocha Cookies

My Christmas-time favorite flavors for coffee creamer are chocolate and peppermint. I have wanted to make peppermint mocha cookies for a couple of years. However, I never seem to get around to it, but this year is the year!

These cookies are everywhere, but what inspired me to make them this year is I found Mascrapone with espresso. I mean, really, are you kidding!!! So I grabbed it and thought, OK, this was the year to make Peppermint Mocha Cookies.

I wanted a deep chocolate taste in my cookies, so I mixed the regular cocoa powder with dark cocoa powder to give it a rich flavor. My go-to cocoa powders have always been Hershey's. What can I say? I am supporting my local chocolate factory here in Hershey, PA.

Ingredients You Will Need

• Butter unsalted
• Mascarpone Espresso
• Sugar white 
• Vanilla extract
• Peppermint extract
• Eggs
• Espresso coffee
• All-purpose flour 
• Baking powder
• Kosher Salt
• Unsweetened cocoa powder 
• Unsweetened dark cocoa powder 
• White chocolate wafers
• Crushed peppermint

Creating Peppermint Mocha Cookies

You will need to find a few things before you start your cookies, the crushed peppermint you can find in a store that is already in tiny pieces, or you can make your own.

Buy your favorite candy canes and add them to a strong zip lock baggie. Make sure the end is sealed tightly. You can use a rolling pin, a meat pounder, or anything solid and start to crush the candy canes. Just be careful that you don't end up with a bag of peppermint dust. It is easy to go too far. 🙂

The Bel Gioioso Espresso Mascarpone can be a challenge to find at this time of the year. However, it sells out quickly, from what I am seeing. But no fear, if you can't find it, add 2 Tablespoons of Delallo Instant Espresso powder instead of only one tablespoon to the cookie dough and use the regular mascarpone.

Making the Cookies

I always like to have all my ingredients ready for the mixer bowl instead of stopping and doing it during the mixing phase.

Weigh or measure the sugar and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and regular and dark cocoa powders, and run a whisk to blend.

Now you want to cream (baking term) the butter and sugar together for about 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the espresso mascarpone and blend through the butter and sugar. Don't forget to add the peppermint and vanilla extract at this point. Your kitchen will fill with the smell of sweet peppermint.

Now you want to add the espresso powder (1 Tablespoon if mascarpone has espresso in it or 2 Tablespoons if it is plain mascarpone). Next comes the eggs one at a time, then scrape down the bowl.

Finally, add the flour mixture. Don't mix too long only until incorporated. You can finish mixing with a spatula if it needs it. Cover lightly and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Take a medium cookie scooper and roll the cookie dough into a ball. I did get 12 balls on my half sheet parchment-lined cookie sheet pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.

Adding the White Chocolate and Peppermint

Melted chocolate wafers are fantastic, but you have to be fast if you add anything on top of the chocolate. It hardens quickly, and anything placed on it will stay in place after it sets.

My microwave has a convenient melt setting. But if yours does not, no fear, place the wafers in a microwave dish and turn it on for 30 seconds. Then, stir the chocolate wafers and turn the microwave back on for 10 seconds. If it needs more, do 10-second intervals. Then, if only one or two wafers still need to melt, stir to see if they will melt without heating.

Do not keep heating the chocolate in the microwave, or you will get overheated chocolate that is lumpy, hard to stir, and dry-looking.

I take a spoon with the white chocolate and go back and forth across the top, doing 2 or 3, then stop and sprinkle the crushed peppermint onto the white chocolate. I had to heat two batches of the white chocolate wafers for the tops of the cookies.