Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies are a chocolate sugar cookie dough rolled up with a peppermint and crushed candy cane dough, then sliced into pinwheels. In my opinion, it doesn’t get any more Christmasy than a cookie that has both chocolate and peppermint.

These take a bit of time and a few dirty dishes to make, but they taste amazing and look really unique on a cookie tray. I started from Alton Brown’s pinwheel cookies and changed a few things so the chocolate dough wouldn’t come out dry.

My peppermint candy cane cookies are always a hit this time of year, as are my homemade peppermint marshmallows. I honestly can’t get enough peppermint in December, but come January it’s all about smoothies and getting a fresh start. I say load up while the gettin’ is good!

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies

• Chocolate and peppermint in every bite. The chocolate layer wraps around a sugar cookie swirl full of crushed candy canes.
• Two doughs from one batch. You mix one sugar cookie dough and split it in half, so there’s only one dough to make.
• The chilling time works for you. If you’re making a crapload of different cookies like I do, you can mix up or bake other recipes while this dough chills in the refrigerator.
• A big batch. One batch makes about 48 cookies. I had quite a few left after filling up all of my cookie tins, and the kids loved taking a couple in their school lunch.

Ingredients for Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies

• Flour, baking powder and salt: the base of a classic sugar cookie dough. The recipe card gives the flour in grams too.
• Unsalted butter: at room temperature for the dough, plus a little more melted with the chocolate to keep it from seizing up.
• Sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla: both whole eggs go into the main dough before you divide it. I use homemade vanilla extract, because you can never have too much vanilla.
• Semi-sweet or dark chocolate: 3 ounces, melted. A bar of baking chocolate chopped up melts more smoothly than chips.
• Egg yolk, peppermint extract and candy canes: these go only into the peppermint half. Five or six candy canes, or a handful of round peppermint candies, crush down to about 1/2 cup.
• Powdered sugar: for rolling out the dough instead of flour.

Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies

The dough chills twice, so plan on making these over an afternoon or across two days. You’ll notice the chocolate dough is rather firm and the peppermint dough is wet and sticky. It’s all part of the fun.

Step 1: Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the 2 eggs, milk and vanilla.

Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough

Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg mixture in three additions, mixing well after each one. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low just until the dough starts coming together, then give it a 5-second burst on medium-high. Divide the dough in half.

Step 3: Make the Chocolate Half

Melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave at 50% power, stirring often, until smooth. Let it cool until it’s just warm, then work it and the vanilla into one half of the dough with your hands. Shape it into a flat square and wrap it in plastic wrap.

Step 4: Make the Peppermint Half

Work the egg yolk, peppermint extract and crushed candy canes into the other half of the dough with your hands. Shape it into a flat square, wrap it, and chill both doughs for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

PRO TIP: Roll the chocolate dough out big enough so it ends up completely on the outside of the log. Otherwise the cookies are likely to get quite interesting during the baking process.

Step 5: Roll Out and Layer the Doughs

Divide each chilled dough in half. On a counter dusted with powdered sugar, roll one piece of chocolate dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long, 5 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Set half of the peppermint dough on top and spread it with your fingers to cover the chocolate completely and evenly. Press the edges together.

Step 6: Roll Into Logs and Chill Again

Roll it up into a tight log, starting from a long side, so you end up with a log about 12 inches long. Wrap it in plastic wrap and repeat with the rest of the dough to make a second log. Chill both logs for 2 hours.

Step 7: Slice and Bake

Cut each log into 1/2-inch slices and place them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake at 375°F for 12 to 13 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Keep the dough you aren’t slicing in the fridge. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Common Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookie Problems

Pinwheel cookies have a reputation for being fussy. Here’s what usually goes wrong and how to avoid it.

• The chocolate dough is dry or crumbly. Too much flour is the usual cause, so weigh it if you can.
• The chocolate seized or won’t mix in. Chocolate that’s still hot melts the butter in the dough, and chocolate that’s cooled too much firms up in streaks. Work it in while it’s just warm.
• The peppermint dough is too sticky to handle. It’s supposed to be sticky. Chill it the full 2 hours, dust the counter with powdered sugar, and spread it with your fingers instead of rolling it. Keep water away from the crushed candy canes, or they’ll dissolve into a syrupy mess.
• The log cracks when you slice it. Use a thin, sharp knife. If the dough is too firm, let the log sit on the counter for 5 minutes first, and press any cracks back together with your fingers.
• The cookies have a flat side. That’s the side the log rested on in the fridge. Roll the wrapped logs back and forth on the counter before chilling and once more halfway through.

★★★★★

“Made these over the holidays and they turned out great! family loved the flavor!” – Beth

Making Ahead and Storing Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies

Baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. For longer, freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months and thaw them on the counter.

To get ahead, wrap the unbaked logs tightly and refrigerate them for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Let a frozen log sit on the counter for a few minutes before slicing, and give the cookies an extra minute or two in the oven if they need it.

If you pack up a bunch of holiday cookies like I do, be sure to separate and seal off any of the peppermint ones. I toured Celestial Seasonings a long while back, and they keep their peppermint tea in a completely sealed room. Wanna know why? Because if it were stored with the other teas, all of them would taste like peppermint. Yeah… you need to do the same thing with your cookies! Keep these in their own tin, away from the walnut rum balls and five-minute microwave fudge.

Do the eggs go in both halves of the dough?

No. The two whole eggs go into the main dough before you divide it. The extra egg yolk goes only into the peppermint half, along with the peppermint extract and crushed candy canes.

Can I use unsweetened chocolate?

Yes, but the chocolate layer will taste bitter next to the sweet peppermint swirl and can turn out drier. That’s why I use semi-sweet or dark chocolate.

Can I use mint extract instead of peppermint extract?

I wouldn’t. Mint extract is usually a blend that includes spearmint, which tastes more like chewing gum than candy canes.

Why does the dough need to chill twice?

The first chill firms up both doughs so you can roll them out and layer them. The second chill firms up the logs so they slice into neat rounds that hold their swirl in the oven.

More Peppermint Christmas Treats

Want something quicker? My peppermint kiss cookies need no chilling at all. For more peppermint and chocolate, you can’t go wrong with my homemade peppermint patties or homemade peppermint bark.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Peppermint Bark Recipe