Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies: A Festive Holiday Treat

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies are the epitome of holiday baking! These buttery, crunchy, and sweet delights are perfect for adding a touch of festive cheer to your Christmas celebrations.

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to embrace the joy of holiday baking! Festive cookies have a magical way of enhancing the holiday spirit, filling our homes with warmth and delicious aromas.

I absolutely adore crafting Christmas cookies, cakes, and dessert loaves infused with classic winter flavors like ginger, molasses, and of course, peppermint. These flavors evoke memories of holidays past and create new traditions to cherish.

Looking for more festive recipes? Skip to these sections:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Can you freeze Shortbread Cookies?

Shortbread cookies provide the ideal blank canvas for holiday creativity. While delicious on their own, transforming them into festive treats is incredibly simple. Cut them into charming winter shapes, generously dip them in rich chocolate, and sprinkle a generous helping of peppermint candy. Voila! Instant holiday cheer!

Simple Shortbread: A 3-Ingredient Cookie Recipe

I’m a huge fan of shortbread cookies because they are incredibly simple and easy to make. This recipe requires only three basic ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry: butter, powdered sugar, and flour. That’s it!

These three humble ingredients combine to create a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a subtle sweetness that perfectly complements the chocolate and peppermint. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and versatility. You can easily customize it with different extracts, spices, or toppings to create your own signature holiday cookies.

Ingredients for Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy

Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Baking Sheets

Step-by-Step Instructions for Perfect Shortbread Cookies

1. Cream the softened butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. This step is crucial for achieving the perfect texture.
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Ensure that the powdered sugar is fully incorporated for a smooth and consistent dough.
3. Gradually mix in the flour until the dough is crumbly. Be careful not to overmix, as this can result in tough cookies.
4. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the dough is essential for preventing the cookies from spreading during baking.
5. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Make sure your oven is properly preheated for even baking.
6. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut out festive shapes, such as snowflakes, stars, or Christmas trees. Alternatively, you can simply cut the dough into squares or rectangles using a pastry cutter.
7. Carefully transfer the cut-out cookies to ungreased baking sheets.
8. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 18-22 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Keep a close eye on the cookies to prevent them from burning.
9. While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted and smooth.
10. Once the cookies have cooled slightly, dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, coating it evenly.
11. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermint candy bits over the chocolate-covered cookies.
12. Let the chocolate set completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Can You Freeze Shortbread Cookies?

Absolutely! Shortbread cookies are perfect for making ahead of time and freezing. However, it’s essential to freeze the cookies without the chocolate and peppermint. This will prevent the chocolate from blooming or becoming discolored during freezing.

To freeze shortbread cookies, place them in single layers inside a freezer-safe airtight container, with a sheet of parchment paper between each layer. This will prevent the cookies from sticking together and ensure that they maintain their shape and texture.

When you’re ready to serve the cookies, simply thaw them at room temperature. Then, melt the chocolate, dip the cookies, and sprinkle with peppermint candies. This way, you can enjoy fresh, festive cookies whenever you desire!

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

• Use High-Quality Ingredients: The better the butter and chocolate, the better your cookies will taste.
• Don’t Overmix the Dough: Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough cookies. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
• Chill the Dough: Chilling the dough is crucial for preventing the cookies from spreading during baking.
• Use Parchment Paper: Lining your baking sheets with parchment paper ensures that the cookies won’t stick and makes for easy cleanup.
• Don’t Overbake: Overbaked cookies will be dry and crumbly. Bake just until the edges are lightly golden brown.
• Let the Chocolate Set Completely: This will prevent the chocolate from smearing when you handle the cookies.

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Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

By Marlynn Schotland

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 22 minutes mins

Chill time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 7 minutes mins

Servings: 80 cookies

These festive shortbread cookies are buttery, crunchy, sweet treats for the holidays!

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1-½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• ▢ ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy

Instructions 

• Cream the softened butter in a stand mixer.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix until well blended.
• Mix in the flour until the dough is crumbly.
• Shape into a disk, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Once chilled, roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to cut into festive shapes. Or, simply cut into squares or rectangles using a pastry cutter.
• Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes. Edges will be just slightly golden brown when ready.
• While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments until fully melted. Dip each cookie into the chocolate. Sprinkle peppermint candy bits over the chocolate.
• Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator until the chocolate has slightly hardened.

Notes

Makes approximately 60-80 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. The snowflake cookie cutters I used for the cookies pictured here are about 2.5 inches in diameter, and combined with cutting half of the dough into regular squares, the recipe makes exactly 80 cookies for me. If you use larger cookie cutters, the recipe will yield fewer cookies. 

MAKE AHEAD & FREEZE: You can make the shortbread cookies and freeze them before adding the chocolate and peppermint. Place baked and cooled shortbread cookies in a freezer safe, airtight container in single layers, with parchment paper or wax paper between each layer. When you are ready to serve, thaw the cookies at room temperature. Then melt the chocolate, dip cookies in the chocolate and sprinkle with peppermint candy bits. 

Nutrition

Calories: 62kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 14mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 2g,