Description
These Winter Wonderland Chocolate Chip Cookies blend classic chocolate chips with festive white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies, creating a delightful holiday treat with a perfect balance of sweetness and refreshing mint flavor. Soft, chewy, and slightly crispy at the edges, these cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings or cozy winter snacking.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next, then stir in the vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of your cookies.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning throughout the dough.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough, which can make cookies tough.
- Fold in Chips and Peppermint: Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and crushed peppermint candies to add texture and festive flavors.
- Form and Bake Cookies: Drop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11 minutes until the edges are golden brown but the centers remain soft, signaling the perfect chewy texture.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely, which prevents breaking.
Notes
- You can customize the seasonings by adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for extra warmth.
- To make the cookies gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
- For softer cookies, reduce baking time slightly and for crisper cookies, bake for the full 11 minutes or a minute longer.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness for up to one week.
- Crushed peppermint candies add a festive crunch but can be omitted if unavailable or replaced with chopped nuts for texture variation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
