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–+ servings

Chocolate Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Peppermint Bits

Chocolate Cookie with Cream Cheese Frosting and Peppermint on a cookie sheet with bowls of frosting and peppermint bits. Small child's hand reaching for a cookie.
Author: Si Foster
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 18 large cookies
Dark chocolate cookies covered in pink cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with crunchy peppermint bits. So festive!

Ingredients 

Chocolate Cookie

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream, not low fat
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa, such as Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

for shaping cookies:

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • cooking spray
  • *glass with flat bottom, (see notes)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened , not low-fat
  • 3 ½-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • dash of salt
  • milk or half and half, to thin icing
  • 1-2 drops red food coloring
  • 1 cup crushed peppermint candy

Instructions

For Cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
  • Cream butter and sugar together.
  • Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix. Add the cocoa and mix again until smooth. The mixture should be creamy, with no specks of white. Turn the mixer off.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips all at once. Mix just until all of the flour disappears, on the lowest setting. This should take about 10-15 seconds.
  • Using a 1 3/4-inch to 2-inch scoop, place the dough on the prepared cookie sheet.
  • Lightly grease the bottom of a glass, then dip it into sugar. Flatten the cookie ball with the bottom of the glass while twisting the glass gently.  Re-dip the glass in sugar between each cookie to prevent sticking.
  • After all of the cookies are flattened a bit, lightly sprinkle sugar on top of each cookie.
  • Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should be barely firm on top. The sugar sprinkled on top will form a light crust. Do not over bake!
  • If the cookie has spread while baking and is not as round as you would like, use a small spatula and push the edges back into a circle shape while still warm.
  • While cookies are baking, prepare the frosting and the crushed peppermint sprinkles.

For Frosting:

  • Cream butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Add vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth.
  • Add milk a little at a time, until the frosting is spreading consistency. Add food coloring for a light pink frosting.
  • Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet. Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.

Notes

  • Tips to create an edge or "lip" on the cookie:
  • Generously fill the cookie scoop. Extra dough will help form an outer edge on the cookie.
  • Choose a glass with a flat bottom. If the bottom is not flat, the dough will not press out properly. I use a 2 1/4-inch glass bottom.
  • Flatten the cookie ball with the bottom of the glass while twisting the glass gently.
  • The cookies should be about 1/4-inch thick after flattening with glass.
  • Be careful not to over bake. When the cookies are done, they should feel just slightly firm to the touch. Because the dough is dark in color, don’t rely on color alone to judge doneness.
  • We use Dutch Process Cocoa, which I highly recommend.
  • These cookies will keep for a few days in an air tight container if refrigerated. 
  • This recipe does NOT contain eggs!