For these cookies, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup oats.
• 4 ounces of good-quality baking chocolate
• 14 mini or four regular-sized peppermint candy canes.

Before starting the dough, chop the chocolate on a cutting board and crush the candy canes into small, fine pieces.

You can crush up round peppermint candies instead if preferred.

To make these cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is well-combined and fluffy.

Then, mix in the egg and peppermint extract.

Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until the cookie dough comes together.

Next, mix the oats into the cookie dough.

To finish off the dough, mix in the chopped chocolate and the crushed candy canes until well incorporated.

Transfer the dough to the fridge and let it chill for 15 minutes. This quick step will help to produce the ideal cookie texture.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to ensure the cookies won't stick while baking.

If you don't have parchment paper, spritz your sheet with a light coating of cooking spray.

Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough. Roll enough balls until smooth, flatten gently, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

If you don't have a scoop, which helps create uniform balls of dough, eyeball it and grab sections with your hands.

With 12 balls of dough evenly spaced out on the cookie sheet, place it in the oven. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn golden.

Take the cookies out of the oven and let them sit on the hot baking sheet on top of the oven for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

This will help to create a wonderfully chewy center.

These cookies are great to bring to any holiday gathering.

They're soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful, thanks to the chunks of chocolate and crushed candy canes.

Plus, you can always play around with the fixings to make a custom cookie that's perfect for you.

You can upgrade your cookie dough by adding spices to it, said Tracy Wilk, lead chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. .

To do so, combine ground cinnamon, ginger, and sugar, and then roll your balls of cookie dough in the mix before baking. This can result in a warm, spicy cookie.

If you're feeling bold, you can even spice up your cookies with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper, said Jackie Newgent, chef and author of "The Clean and Simple Diabetes Cookbook."

To add depth to your cookies, add a few drops of a pure flavor extract to your dough, Newgent said.

This is a simple way to personalize the cookies to your liking or give them a unique twist each time you bake them. Some extracts to try include peppermint, lemon, vanilla, coffee, almond, or coconut.

Another way to add flavor or texture to your cookies is by rolling the balls of dough in your garnish of choice, Jennifer Hill Booker, chef, cookbook author, and culinary educator, told Business Insider. 

To start, you can try using chopped nuts, sanding sugar, miniature chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or sprinkles. 

For added texture, crunch, and color, stir nuts into your cookie dough.

Newgent said pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts can work — but, if you want a real homemade feel, you may want to use nuts that aren't commonly found in store-bought cookies, like pistachios. 

Mix-ins are another great way to add a unique flavor to a cookie and make it seem like you spent a lot of time making them.

"Plop in a surprise ingredient that you love, like crushed pretzels, potato chips, roasted chickpeas, or popped popcorn," Newgent told BI. 

Try topping cookies with a pinch of flaky sea salt before you put them in the oven, Newgent said.  

"Salt helps to balance sweetness, providing a more well-rounded taste and bonus deliciousness," she told BI.

Use a bit of melted chocolate to give your cookies a high-end look and homemade flavor, Wilk said. 

"Once the cookies are baked and cooled, dip them into chocolate or drizzle them with it," she said. "This will give a finished and fancy look without a lot of extra work."

Newgent told BI that if you really want to impress, you can use freshly grated citrus zest as a cookie topper.

She said orange pairs well with many chocolate cookies and lemon can elevate vanilla ones. 

"It'll make the cookies seem extra special and kind of fancy," she said. 

This story was originally published on May 15, 2020, and most recently updated on December 5, 2024.