White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

It snowed last night in Charlotte. The second time in a week. It’s unheard of here, as locals tell me. (This is my second winter here and last winter snow came down once, but didn’t stick.) The first snow was a sleet and freezing rain mix, so making snowballs and snowmen weren’t the easiest. But last night was real snow and the kids made snowmen and loved it.

This is a picture of our backyard in the early morning sun. Fresh snow always look so peaceful! Matthew was creative with his version. Grace’s was a petite thing. (It’s as tall as one of the steps leading to our front door, haha!)

When it’s cold like this, it makes me want to bake wintery cookies. I had some leftover crushed peppermint candy, and it seemed like a good fit to put it in a cookie. Since these cookies use about 1/4 cup of dough, they are large. But thy have a nice ripple around the edge and a soft middle. If you don’t have crushed peppermint, you can always make them with added sprinkles or nothing at all. They’re delicious either way. Have a warm one with a glass of milk.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

print recipe here

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour (includes baking time)

Serving: 18-20 cookies
Dough: 

1 c unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ c sugar

½ c brown sugar (packed)

2 eggs

3 ¼ c flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

12 oz white chocolate chips

6 oz crushed peppermints (from the circular candy or candy canes)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute.  Add sugars and cream until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs and beat for 1 minute, until egg is incorporated in.

In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix with a whisk.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined, so there are no traces of flour.  Add the white chocolate and crushed peppermint until evenly distributed.

Drop with a ¼ cup cookie scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 6 per sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.