The classic combination of chocolate and peppermint make these Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies the perfect treat for the holidays!
Before we dive into the deliciousness of these Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, allow me to indulge you in a story that is just so typical “me”.
A few years ago, around this time of year, I was shopping at my favorite discount housewares store. Truthfully, I’m there so often they probably know me by name.
If you’ve ever been to HomeSense (aka Homegoods in the US) you know they have an awesome selection of discount bakeware, props (it’s where I get most of my cake stands), and generally everything you could ever want for your home.
You have to put in a bit of time searching, but you can find some really good treasures there.
HomeSense around the holidays is honestly one of my favorite things ever. They have an amazing selection of decorations.
AMAZING!
Unique pieces from all over the world. It takes SO much restraint for me not to walk out of there with bags full of goodies. I have to keep asking myself: Do I really need this reindeer with sparkly antlers? (it was SO pretty!) Or these minimalist Santas from Sweden? (I did, and I bought them).
It’s a serious struggle.
So there I am a few years ago, blissfully perusing their holiday decorations, when I stumble across these authentic handmade Nutcrackers from Germany. There was a variety of them and they weren’t the traditional, boring (sorry!) Nutcrackers.
Each of these Nutcrackers had a theme — there was a fisherman, a Scottish bagpiper, a leprechaun, a painter, a toymaker… They were freakin’ adorable.
And then I saw it.
There was a CAKE BAKER Nutcracker. OMG.
My heart maybe started to race a little bit… until I looked at the price. These guys were all $40-$60, which isn’t crazy unreasonable (but sorta), and this was before I had gone to pastry school and gotten back into baking and blogging.
I literally thought to myself: ‘If I was still really into the cake thing I would totally buy this’. But I wasn’t, so I didn’t buy the Nutcracker. Sigh.
I kid you not that I have looked for that Nutcracker every damn year since (probably about 3 years now). Every year!
I scour various HomeSense locations hoping it will pop up. They have a series of these Nutcrackers every year, so I am hopeful, but alas, I haven’t been able to find it.
I even looked for it online, but can’t find the exact one I saw (or at least the way I remember it). The one I can find online is a bit uglier than the one I remember (lol), and I’m certainly not willing to spend $100 incl. shipping on it.
We never really had Nutcrackers when we were growing up — they weren’t part of our holiday traditions.
We did go see the Nutcracker ballet one year though, and I remember it fondly. I must have been 12 or so at the time. It was the first “fancy” outing for my sister and me, and we got new outfits for it. I still remember the dusty-rose corduroy pants and matching sweater I was wearing. Sooooo 80’s, I love it.
I dragged Ryan to see the Nutcracker ballet a couple of years ago. It’s a bit of a snooze-fest (especially for Ryan), but very festive nonetheless.
Anyhow, with my sister in town, we had to hit up HomeSense at least once during her visit.
I’d like to tell you that I finally found the cake baker, but alas, I did not. However, I did come across a cookie baker that I’d seen in previous years. I would totally have been settling to get him since he wasn’t “the one” but I looked at the price and noticed he was only $16.99!
He was obviously mispriced, as all the other ones were $40. I feel a teeeeeeny bit bad about getting him for that price, but honestly, I spend so much money in HomeSense that I’m not losing sleep over it.
So cute, right??
I’ll keep checking every damn HomeSense every year until I can find that cake baker. But for now, I’m quite happy with the gingerbread baker. In my search for the cake one it turns out this is actually a gingerbread seller, but whatever!
He’ll do.
It would have been ideal if I’d had the foresight to do a gingerbread cookie recipe to tie in with this post, but it wasn’t in my plans (neither was the Nutcracker) so you get these Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies instead!
If these cookies look familiar, it’s probably because they are. I slightly modified the recipe for my Halloween Sprinkle Cookies to bring you a holiday version. As soon as I made those Halloween ones, I knew a holiday version would not be far on the horizon.
If you read my Halloween Sprinkle Cookies post, you know that those are some of my favorite cookies ever. The white candy melts are surprisingly delicious with the Oreo-like cookie.
These Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are super simple to make. It’s a fairly standard cookie though, with the exception of one unique ingredient: black cocoa powder
What Is Black Cocoa Powder?
Black cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been heavily Dutch-processed.
What this means is that almost all of the acid has been removed from it. Regular cocoa powder, that you buy in the grocery store, hasn’t had any of the acid stripped. Dutch-processed cocoa powder has had most of the acid stripped and black cocoa powder even more so.
This results in a richer flavor and color. In the case of black cocoa powder, it results in a cocoa powder that is almost completely black and tastes just like an Oreo cookie.
It’s delicious!
I try to add it in, in some part, to most of the recipes I make that call for cocoa powder.
If you don’t have black cocoa powder and don’t want to buy it, it’s not the end of the world. I would recommend sticking with Dutch-processed though over regular cocoa powder if you can swing it though. It will really result in a better tasting cookie!
As for the dipping. I used Bright White Candy Melts over white chocolate because I wanted that stark white color contrast. Either will work though.
If you’re going to use candy melts, be sure to read over the details in this post as it has some tips on how best to melt them for dipping.
The dipped cookies will freeze well, but the crushed candy canes won’t. If you’re looking to make these in advance, I would recommend baking and freezing just the cookies themselves, then thawing, dipping, and decorating when you need them.
Rich chocolate cookies with splash of peppermint and some crushed up candy cane make these Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies the perfect festive treat for the holidays!
Tips for making these Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
- Black cocoa powder is not critical, but I highly recommend it for that nice Oreo-like color (and flavor). You can use Dutch-processed instead, but it will affect the color of the cookies.
- Ideally use Bright White candy melts for dipping. You can use white chocolate if you prefer, but the color will be a bit yellow.
- Read this post for tips on how best to melt the candy melts for dipping.
- I chopped up some whole candy canes, but you can use store-bought crushed candy canes to save some time.
Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1/4 cup black cocoa powder sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light-brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp peppermint extract optional
- 1 bag Bright White Candy Melts or white chocolate, melted*
- vegetable shortening as needed to thin candy melts
- crushed candy canes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until light and fluffy (approx. 2-3mins). Reduce speed and add egg and peppermint extract. Beat until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Chill dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, portion dough onto baking sheet (I did 9 cookies per sheet). Bake for approximately 10 mins, or until the middle is set. Cookies will deflate and crinkle a bit upon cooling.
- Cool on pans for 5 mins then transfer to to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dip in melted candy melts or white chocolate, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Allow to set.
Notes
Originally published Nov 20th, 2016
Jennifer says
I searched through the comments and no one else seems to be having the same problem as me….The cookies flattened and basically melted when baked. I tried baking them on foil and on parchment paper; the first test cookies had chilled for just over an hour in the fridge, but the second chilled overnight; I tried small, tiny balls of dough and large (1.5 to 2 Tbsp) dough balls. All of them melted in the oven within the first few minutes and cannot be used for dipping or for serving to guests. Any idea what happened?
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! That is super bizarre, I’m sorry you had trouble with these! Was the cookie dough really firm after you chilled it? Are you sure everything was measured properly? Did you use cups or grams? It sounds like something was off in the ratio of butter to flour 🙁
Kat says
My dough is the consistency of fudge. I wonder if mine are also more on the runny side? When baking, though, they crisp up. The dough is very messy since the high ratio of dark chocolate butter to flour is high!
Katie says
I had this same problem and I measured everything correctly. They tasted great but where super flat (not raised like the picture at all). I didn’t even bother with dipping them because they were so flat. I even tried refrigerating the dough overnight and then baking but the same thing happened.
James says
Aww!!
Thanks for sharing this.
Olivia says
Glad you like them!
Jessica says
It may seem silly, but what is dutch processed cocoa and black cocoa.. im in the UK and want to make these but not sure what I’m looking for in the supermarket!
Olivia says
Hi Jessica! Dutch-process cocoa powder has had most of the acid stripped from it and black cocoa powder even moreso. These might be harder to find in the supermarket. I have to get mine in specialty cooking/baking shops and the supermarkets here just carry regular cocoa powder.
Goska says
Hi Olivia,
I recently bought Organic Cacao Powder, and was wondering if I can just use what I have in lieu of your dutch processed cocoa and black cocoa? Below is a link of what I have on hand…I wanted to make these cookies for tomorrow as I have all other ingredients, but don’t want to waste them if the cookies will be a flop. Thanks in advance for your advice.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HES9CMS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Olivia says
Hi Goska! I don’t know if that would work with the exact amounts indicated in the recipe. Cacao is processed differently than cocoa and has a different characteristics and flavour. Ideally, stick with the recipe as is. You can see my comment to Michael Oakman below about substituting regular cocoa powder for black.
Jessica says
Ahh I have cadbury bournville cocoa powder to hand, is this dutch processed? I think it is!
I have normal cocoa too.
And can get green & blacks cocoa? I am assuming these are all okay.
Olivia says
Hi Jessica! As long as you have black cocoa powder, any other will work just fine!
Brand says
Hi! I tried this recibe but i obteain cookies like balls 🙁 i don’t know what happend , can you Tell me what can I do ? 🙁
Olivia says
Hi Brand, I’m not totally sure what you mean, but it sounds like your cookie dough was very dry? Something must have been off in the measurements.
Tracy says
Mine did the same thing!
Alice says
Mine too. My butter was room temp but not softened beyond that. When I added the flour, it all turned into crumbs. I added another egg and half a stick of butter. It was very difficult to work with the chilled dough.
Will try again.
Olivia says
Hi Alice! Did you make any substitutions to the ingredients? What kind of flour and cocoa powders did you use?
Samantha says
My colleague and I just picked this recipe for our company cookie exchange (here in Vancouver!) – looking forward to sharing these delightful treats!
Olivia says
Aww yay! Hi neighbour! I hope you like these ones, let me know 🙂
Rhonda Walker says
These look so yummy! I will be adding them to my cookie trays this year. Do the baked cookies freeze well? I usually freeze my cookies then pull out what I need as I need them. I would not freeze the cookies dipped, I would do that when I pull them out of the freezer. Thanks!!
Olivia says
Hi Rhonda! Totally, they freeze perfectly (pre-dipped)! I hope you like them 🙂
Nylah Granata says
I love Liv For Cakes it is an awsome website. I really like baking cakes,macaroons,and cakes this website is perfect Olivia
Olivia says
Thank you Nylah! 🙂
sa says
For the Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, how many cookies does the recipe make?
Olivia says
It makes 36 cookies.
Taagluk says
This is my first comment for a recipe I have found and decided to make. This cookie recipe is so good and I am so glad it popped up on pinterest for me. I omitted the peppermint extract only because that isn’t something I normally keep on hand and it was so good. Thank you for sharing it.
Olivia says
I’m glad to hear you liked these! They’re some of my faves 🙂
Tania says
How long will these cookies stay good for?
Olivia says
Hi Tania! I would eat them within 2-3 days.
Ali says
Hi! Can I make these cookies 2 days in advance of serving?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Ali! Yep, just store them in an airtight container and place parchment or something between the layers of cookies to keep them pretty 🙂
Ali says
Thanks!!
Valentina | The Baking Fairy says
I LOVE HomeGoods! I always find the best food photography props there too. I’ll keep my fingers crossed so that you can find your baker Nutcracker, but that cookie baker one is darn cute too! 😉 And of course, these cookies look fab. Definitely pinning for later.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Valentina! 🙂
Lacie says
Thanks for that link. Being down under means I won’t receive the scoop in time. I’m thinking I’ll use an eighth cup measure and see how it goes. My grandson is so excited to help make them.
Olivia says
I think that will totally work. 1/8 cup is about 2 Tbsp, so your cookies will be a tad bigger, but I don’t think that will be a problem. Let me know how you like them! 🙂
Brooke says
These look so good! When you get to the “chill dough” step do you think you could just freeze it for later use?
Olivia says
Hi Brooke! Totally! I would actually recommend portioning the dough into balls, freezing them, and putting them in an airtight freezer bag until you’re ready to bake.
Brooke says
Awesome! Thanks for the reply
Lacie says
Anyone care to elaborate- how big is a medium cookie scoop? Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Lacie! This is the one I use (http://amzn.to/2gwRPHU). It’s 1.5 Tbsp.
Kara says
Thank you, this recipe looks amazing! In order to yield 36 cookies, when I use the cookie scoop should the scoop be rounded or leveled off? Thanks!!
Olivia says
Hi Kara! It should be levelled off. I usually scrape it along the side of my mixer bowl 🙂
Kate@MyLittleLarder says
I made a double batch of these for my son’s daycare teachers and they were a massive hit! I saved a few for my family and they were gone within minutes. Such a great recipe!
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked these Kate 🙂
Samantha @MyKitchenLove says
Bawhahaha! That Nutcracker is fantastic! I was in Homesense today and thought of you – the festive Nordic Bundts are in full swing. I also saw a few different versions today of your Nutcracker. I’m on the hunt for one for Greg, but I didn’t spot any. Back to the cookies … Ah-mazing. I love everything about them. The chewy chocolate, the hit of peppermint. Can’t wait to see what else you bake up this holiday season!
Olivia says
Ahh thank you! I love these cookies 🙂 And thank you for looking for the Nutcracker for me! xoxo
Michelle says
I’m addicted to HomeGoods too. I get all my props there and lots of other stuff too, and I think my husband sighs when he sees me coming in with a HomeGoods bag because I just don’t EVER get out of there without spending a decent amount. Bowls are my nemesis. Its like a running joke here. I have an extra shelf in the pantry for all my bowls. I really like soup. Hehe
Anyway, your cookies look divine, as all of your desserts do. I don’t bake a ton, but when I make cookies at the holidays, I love to dip them in chocolate! These look so pretty and festive, and I’m sure they are so delicious!
Olivia says
How did I miss this comment?? I am glad I am not the only HomeSense/HomeGoods addict! I always walk out with at least one thing too, but it’s really hard not to leave with a cart-load of stuff!
Olga says
Olivia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the nutcracker is awesome!!!!!!!! i love it… In Spain is not a traditional figure, but a lived 3 years in USA, so for me they are so special…
I am not fan of pepermint, but as i saw, is too easy to take off that ingredient… Dark chocolate cookies alone are fantastic for me.
Kisses
Olivia says
Thank you!! I love the Nutcracker, he’s so cute, right?? And yes, you can leave the peppermint out entirely and still have delicious chocolate cookies!! xo
allie says
Girlfriend – Can I just how much I LOVE your cookie baker Nutcracker. He is so incredibly adorable and I’m so glad you got him for that price. You know that price was just for you, right? If I’d been there the tag would’ve said $40. See, it was just for YOU. Now I will be forever on the lookout for your cake baker Nutcracker too. Your festive cookies are lovely and I wish I was sitting down enjoying one with a cup of hot cocoa on this chilly NH night!
Olivia says
You are SO right — it WAS just for me. The universe was like — this chick is going to obsess over this GD nutcracker forever, let’s cut her a break. LOL. 🙂 Thanks Allie!! I would love to send some of these cookies your way!