If you love my salted brownie cookies, you’ll adore this Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookie variation. These fudgy, peppermint-scented cookies have shiny, crackly tops studded with semi‑sweet chocolate chips and pieces of peppermint bark—perfect for holiday baking or gifting to the chocolate‑peppermint fan in your life.
Table of Contents
- Let’s Talk Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions
- The Best Baking Tools
- Here’s How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies!
- How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies
- Recipe FAQs
- Check Out These Other Holiday Cookies!
- Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Let’s Talk Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies
These fudgy peppermint brownie crinkle cookies are a riff on my Salted Brownie Cookies. I reduced the espresso powder slightly and swapped peppermint extract for vanilla to give the cookies a clear peppermint profile. After baking, each cookie is topped with chocolate chips and small pieces of peppermint bark so the bark softens but doesn’t fully melt.
I left out the sea salt flakes on these so the peppermint bark remains the star. The result is a tender, slightly thin brownie‑style cookie with a glossy, crinkled top and festive peppermint flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
These cookies use the same base ingredients as the brownie crinkle cookies: all‑purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, a pinch of salt, eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, unsalted butter, and semi‑sweet chocolate chips.
To convert the base into the peppermint bark version, you’ll also need:
- Peppermint extract: Choose true peppermint extract (not generic “mint”) for authentic peppermint flavor.
- Peppermint bark: About 6 ounces of peppermint bark broken into small pieces to press onto the cookies after baking. I used Williams Sonoma’s original bark, but any peppermint bark will work.
Substitutions
Vanilla extract: If you’d rather not add peppermint extract, use vanilla extract and rely on the peppermint bark for the peppermint notes.
Peppermint bark: Any brand or variety of peppermint bark is fine. You can also use broken peppermint bark‑covered pretzels, cookies, or truffles for texture and flavor.
The Best Baking Tools
Recommended tools: mixing bowls, hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, small saucepan for melting chocolate and butter, 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons), baking sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats, and a cooling rack. A round cookie cutter or small mug is helpful if you want perfectly round cookies right out of the oven.
Here’s How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies!
This is an overview—see the recipe card below for exact measurements and step‑by‑step instructions.
Prep first. Measure ingredients, break the bark into small pieces, and have your baking sheets ready. Once the batter is mixed, scoop and bake immediately for the best shiny tops.
Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. The cocoa powder and espresso powder get added to the melted chocolate and butter.
Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vegetable oil, and peppermint extract until combined and slightly frothy. Start this step just before you melt the chocolate so everything is ready to combine.
Melt chocolate and butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the semi‑sweet chocolate chips with the unsalted butter until smooth (about 2–3 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder and espresso powder.
Scoop and bake. Using a 1½ tablespoon scoop or two spoons, place dough mounds 1½ inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake at 350ºF for 8–10 minutes. The cookies will spread and develop a shiny, crackled top.
Top with chocolate chips and peppermint bark. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, press 3–4 semi‑sweet chips and several small pieces of peppermint bark onto each warm cookie so they soften but don’t completely melt.
Cool and enjoy. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack to cool almost completely. They’re wonderful warm or at room temperature.
How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies
Cookies will spread during baking, so for uniform, slightly thicker cookies, try this quick tip right after they come out of the oven:
- Leave the cookies on the hot baking sheet immediately after removing them from the oven.
- Place a circle‑shaped cookie cutter (or a mug/small bowl slightly larger than the cookie) over each warm cookie.
- Rotate the cutter in a circular motion for 5–8 seconds to coax the cookie into a smooth round shape.
Use an oven mitt to steady the baking sheet—the pan will be very hot.
Recipe FAQs
These brownie crinkle cookies naturally spread and are on the thinner side. If you want thicker, uniform cookies, use the round cutter method described above immediately after baking.
Bake the cookies and freeze them if needed. This batter is best baked immediately after mixing rather than refrigerated for later.
Yes. The batter is thinner than typical cookie dough but still scoopable; it will look like blobs on the sheet before baking.
Key tips: have all ingredients measured and ready, bake the cookies immediately after mixing, and aim for the shorter side of the baking window (often 8–9 minutes) to preserve the glossy, crackled surface.
Check Out These Other Holiday Cookies!
Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Dipped Graham Cracker Cookies
Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Peppermint Bark Brownie Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup All‑Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 Large Egg Yolk, room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Peppermint Extract
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Semi‑Sweet Chocolate Chips, plus extra for topping
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder (optional)
- 6 oz Peppermint Bark, broken into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a mixer with the paddle or using a hand mixer, beat the eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and peppermint extract on medium‑high until well combined and slightly frothy.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the semi‑sweet chocolate chips with the unsalted butter until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and espresso powder.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. The batter will be thin but scoopable.
- Using a 1½ tablespoon scoop or two spoons, place dough mounds about 1½ inches apart on prepared sheets.
- Bake 8–10 minutes at 350ºF, watching closely for a shiny, crackly top.
- Remove from oven and immediately press broken peppermint bark pieces and a few chocolate chips onto each warm cookie. Optionally, shape cookies with a round cutter while still soft.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack to cool almost completely. Store in a sealed container at room temperature up to 2 days.
Notes
Peppermint bark used in this recipe was Williams Sonoma in the original tin, though any peppermint bark will work.
This recipe is adapted from my Salted Brownie Cookies recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary based on specific ingredients used.