Peppermint Sugar Cookies – Soft & Festive Holiday Cookies
December has arrived and so have all the Christmas cookies! This is indeed our favorite time of year, filled with many sweet bakes for the holiday season. First on the list are Peppermint Sugar Cookies! These cookies are soft, with crushed peppermint throughout the dough, and are simply decorated with modern scored lines, silver leaf and a dusting of powdered sugar for an elegant touch. They’re easy to make on a baking scale and will be ready to enjoy in under an hour, no icing necessary! Be sure to add them to your holiday baking list this month!
Peppermint Tree Sugar Cookies
Soft sugar cookies infused with crushed peppermint and vanilla bean. Decorated simply with branch lines, silver leaf and powdered sugar. An easy and delicious no icing cookie option for the holiday season. (Dairy Free option.)
Peppermint Sugar Cookie Inspiration
Peppermint is a festive flavor that I love to incorporate into holiday bakes. It tastes delicious infused into just about any cookie, and has become a tradition to bake with annually. Past recipes include iced black cocoa peppermint cookies, peppermint meringues, peppermint macarons and more! This year, I’m offering a simplified peppermint cookie recipe, with no icing, to highlight the flecks of crushed peppermint in the dough. For decorations, the easy branch lines are completed with a paring knife just before baking, similar to the maple cookies shared during Fall.
Although simple, the easy Christmas sugar cookies will absolutely make a statement at your next Christmas or holiday party, or when packaged and gifted for friends and loved ones this merry season.
How the cookies taste
The peppermint sugar cookies are soft and light with notes of creamy vanilla bean and peppermint throughout. With each bite you’ll notice a textured crunch from the crushed peppermint, enhancing the overall cookie flavor. The cookies are lightly sweetened with a dusting of powdered sugar and would taste wonderful paired with your favorite holiday tea, coffee, hot cocoa or even white wine/sparkling wine.
Ingredients & Supplies
Below is a list of ingredients and supplies necessary to make these cookies at home.
Ingredients:
Butter of choice, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, flour, crushed peppermint candies.
Supplies:
2 baking sheets, parchment paper, tree cookie cutter (or any festive cookie cutter,) silver leaf (optional), edible glitter, powdered sugar.
A few notes: If you don’t have a tree cutter on hand, you can cut the cookies into any festive shape. I also have the tree cutter available for sale in my Etsy shop. The silver leaf and edible glitter are optional.
Baking with peppermint candy
Peppermint candy can be tricky to bake with, as it has a tendency to burn in the oven, due to its high sugar content and peppermint oil. For these reasons, I recommend baking the cookies at a slightly lower temperature (referenced in baking instructions) and for no more than 5-6 minutes per batch.
Plant Based Butter
Baking with plant based butter is a personal preference, but the cookies can be made with any butter of choice. If using dairy butter, you may need to increase the flour one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms and attaches to the paddle.
How to make the Peppermint Sugar Cookies?
You’re gonna love how quickly these peppermint cookies come together, taking under an hour to cut out and bake!
In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) cream the butter (of choice) and sugar together until combined, then stir in the eggs, vanilla and quality peppermint extract. Next mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the egg, sugar and butter, mixing until well combined. Pour the crushed peppermint candies into the dough, just before forming. You’ll know the dough is ready when the mixing bowl is clean and the dough attaches to the paddle.
Then, roll the dough onto parchment about 1/4″ thick.
Use a tree shaped cookie cutter to cut the shapes into the dough. Be sure to apply plenty of pressure when cutting the dough to cut through the peppermint candies.
Leave about 1 to 1.5 inches in between each cut cookie so that you can peel away the excess dough. Then use a paring knife to gently score the cookies with branch lines. Start by placing a vertical line down the center of each cookie. Then start at the top of each cookie and score with angled branch lines. You can experiment by scoring longer angled lines onto each cookie ore even horizontal lines down each cookie for variation.
Be careful to only score the tops of cookie dough and not cut through them.
Then transfer the cookies on parchment directly to the oven for baking. Will less handling, this will ensure that the cookies maintain their tree shape.
Decorating the peppermint cookies
Royal icing is one of my absolute favorite ways to decorate cookies, but bare cookies can also be beautiful. These simplified peppermint cookies focus most on shape and flavor suitable for all baking levels! The crushed peppermint is enough to add festive red and pink color, texture and flavor to the cookies, while the quick branch detail offers a distinct and eye catching modern design. The silver leaf and powdered sugar, elevate the cookies, adding just the right bit of sparkle for the holiday season!
Print
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen+ 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Peppermint Cookies
- Cuisine: Christmas Cookies
Description
Soft sugar cookies infused with crushed peppermint and vanilla bean. Decorated simply with branch lines, silver leaf and powdered sugar. An easy and delicious cookie option for the holiday season. (Dairy Free option.)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups plant based butter (or real butter softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- Seeds from vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp quality peppermint extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour (+ extra, for rolling)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup crushed peppermint candies
- Tree shaped cookie cutter
- Edible glitter and silver leaf (optional)
- Powdered sugar
- Parchment paper
Instructions
Peppermint Sugar Cookies:
- Pour measured flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix butter and sugar together for 2- 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl.
- Beat the egg, vanilla bean and peppermint extract into the butter and sugars until smooth and fully combined.
- Pour dry flour mixture into the butter, egg and sugar, mixing on medium.
- Once the dough begins to form, mix in the crushed peppermint.
- Mix until the cookie dough forms and attaches to the paddle.
- The mixing bowl should be mostly clean when the dough is ready to roll out.
- No chilling required.
- Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin and a sheet of parchment paper.
- Roll out the cookie dough out to about 1/4 ” thick.
- Cut the dough into tree shapes using a tree shaped cookie cutter. Apply enough pressure to cut through the peppermint candies in the dough.
- Leave about 1″ to 1.5″ between each cut cookie.
- Peel away excess dough and set aside.
- Then use a paring knife to gently score the cookies with branch lines. Start by adding a vertical line down the center of each cookie. Then at the top of the cookie, create angled branch lines with the paring knife, extending the design down to the bottom of the cookie. You can experiment by cutting longer angled lines onto each cookie ore even horizontal lines down the cookies for variation.
- Transfer the cookies on parchment to a baking sheet and place in the oven.
- Bake in the middle rack for 5 minutes, but for no more than 6, so the peppermint candies do not burn.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat steps for remaining dough.
- Once all cookies are baked and cooled, decorate with silver leaf, edible glitter and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store the cookies in an airtight container or ziplock for 2 days. Or freeze for up to 6 months.
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Enjoy a quick batch of these peppermint cookies for festive holiday parties and upcoming Christmas Day!
They look beautiful arranged on a platter and will also make lovely homemade gifts.
If you enjoyed today’s recipe be sure to give it a share or save. Be sure to tag me over on instagram if you give the recipe a try! @poshlittledesigns.
Visit my amazon link for all the supplies you’ll need to make a batch!
More holiday recipes are on the way soon.
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