Oh, January. Don’t take it personally, but I honestly think you are the worst month. There’s the Christmas hangover to deal with, the made-and-already-broken New Year’s resolutions, the credit card bills. To add insult to injury, it’s also often pretty darn cold from the beginning to the end of the month, with no relief in sight. I’m a firm believer in doing whatever you need to do to get through this slog of a month. Do you know what you need to do? I’m here to share my secret January cure-all with you: it’s make these cookies. You’re welcome in advance!
No, but really. These cookies are the best transition from fun-winter to horrible-winter. I love making them in January- they’re chocolatey, cakey, and pure comfort. They take little time (or frankly, talent) to whip together and everyone on the planet will eat them. People still suffering from their own holiday hangover will think you spent far more time and effort making these than you actually did, and everyone will be so impressed. Look at you, baking things and winning friends wherever you go!
Why are they a great transition out of the holidays and into the regular winter doldrums? I think it’s in the peppermint extract. Yes, Christmas just happened and there were peppermint treats everywhere- but this mint is more subtle. I’d call it a note of mint rather than a punch in the mouth with a candy cane. It makes me think of all the great holiday times I had without feeling like I’m some creepy person that can’t let go of December. And just between you and me… they pair wonderfully with leftover New Year (or last night’s) champagne.
CHILL OUT
The one catch to this recipe is that you can’t just decide to make them and have a plate full of cookies sitting in front of you in half an hour. It’s important to chill your dough once it’s made for at least 5 hours, but I usually try to plan in advance and do an overnight chill. Scoop it out of the bowl and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. You can even chill it for two to three days if you’d like to be prepared for company by baking these cookies just before guests arrive. This cookie dough gets sticky when it’s warm, so make sure it is chilled all the way through before you begin. And no freezers to speed this process along- it won’t turn out right… ask me how I know!
ROLL IT GOOD
Once your dough is nice and cold, unwrap it and use a teaspoon to scoop off pieces. Roll the dough into balls about an inch and a half across. Smaller balls will make crunchier cookies, while balls about the size of a golf ball will make much cakey-er texture cookies- just adjust your baking times accordingly. Roll the dough balls on a plate or bowl of powdered sugar, making sure to coat the ball fully. Place each ball onto a baking pan about 1½” apart and bake for 10 minutes. The cookies will still be puffy when you remove them from the oven, so let them cool for several minutes on the pan before moving to a baking rack to cool completely.
HATE PEPPERMINT?
Okay, not everyone loves peppermint. That’s okay, it means more for me. If you want to make this cookie but you don’t want the peppermint taste, just omit it completely and substitute in the same amount of vanilla extract (bringing the total vanilla extract in the recipe to 2 teaspoons). I’ve also tried other extracts like almond and maple, but they weren’t my favorite combination in this recipe. But if you just love one of those, I encourage you to try it. It won’t change the texture or baking time, so go crazy!
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar granulated
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups flour all purpose
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar for coating cookies
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Add the oil to the dry mixture and beat on medium speed to combine. Add the extracts and eggs, and beat again until well combined. Set bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add this bowl to the cocoa mixture in stages, mixing well between each addition until fully combined.
- Scrape the dough out onto a long sheet of plastic wrap. Close the plastic wrap around the dough ball completely and chill for at least 5 hours (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Scoop some powdered sugar into a bow or onto a plate.
- Scoop dough in with a spoon and make balls about 1½". Roll each ball in the powdered sugar and place on the parchment paper. Do not press or flatten the ball.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will still be puffy when removed from the oven. Allow several minutes to cool on the baking pan before removing to a rack to cool completely.
And there you have it- chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies. Make them in January, and then again in February! Be like me and make them in July! Whenever you make them, do make sure to let me know how they turned out and to post any questions or thoughts that you make have in the comments below and I’ll do my best to get right back to you. I wish you all an amazing start to 2020 and a year full of sweetness of every kind! Happy baking!
You forgot the instructions as to when to add the peppmint and vanilla extracts.
The texture on these crinkles is so light, soft and pillowy. It’s worth the 5 hours of chilling time. So good!
My final result turned out more like a batter than a dough. Is this normal? The flavor is delicious!