peppermint bark sandwich cookies
Peppermint everything!
It didn’t occur to me until a few minutes ago, actually, that I’m sharing two peppermint chocolate treats in a row. I’m not mad about it, and hopefully neither are you, because the combination is epic and I have poor planning skills so I beat a concept to death until I have far too many recipes lined up with similar flavor profiles.
I mean what.
I visited a coffee shop I adore a couple weeks ago, and along with my cappuccino bought a temptress of a sandwich cookie. Two soft, chocolatey cookies filled with a minty buttercream. I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I figured I should try to make my own version.
Which, folks, is what these babies are.
Plop these on your cookie tray and they’ll be gone in minutes. They’re cute and easy, and a fun little project to involve your kids in if they’re old enough to not slobber all over the goods. And if they do, welp, hope you ain’t sharing them.
Honestly, might be hard to share them anyway.
What’s Better Than a Cookie?
A stuffed sandwich cookie.
These chocolate cookies are not unfamiliar to FMG – the base is the same as my Lil Monster cookies. They’re soft and sweet tempting on their own, so if you sneak one or two sans the finishing frosting, I wouldn’t blame you.
Start by creaming butter with brown sugar and regular sugar, then whip in a couple eggs and some vanilla. Next: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, instant espresso, and salt. Mix until just combined.
Scoop tablespoon sized portions of dough and roll into balls. Place on a big parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove the baking sheet and slap it like you mean it against the countertop. Return to the oven for a few more minutes until the edges are set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes or so, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Butter(cream) Me Up
When the cookies are totally cooled, time to pipe those babies.
I’ve found that mixing the butter with the vanilla extract and peppermint extract first helps the flavors distribute more evenly. I’m not sure if that’s scientifically correct, but hey, works for me so why not.
Do such on low speed, then add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time to incorporate. I also start with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to thin out the buttercream. Crank that speed up and whip until soft and fluffy. You may need a couple more hits of heavy cream to get the right texture.
Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip (or, as I do, go naked-tipped). Flip one cookie to its flat side, then pipe frosting into the center. Fit a second cookie of a similar size on top. Repeat with your remaining cookies and frosting.
For garnish, I like a light sprinkle of crushed candy canes, or peppermint bark if you have it. So cute, right?
I should note that I made my sandwich cookies rather large, for photographic effect, but you can scale them down to, say, Oreo size in order to make more if you’re serving them to a crowd. The big sandwich cookies are a real nice treat, though, if you just need to sit and chow down on a super indulgent treat.
Sometimes, you do need that, you know.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More for your cookie tray:
Chocolate Dipped Bourbon Peanut Butter Cookies
Salted Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Espresso Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Biscoff Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
peppermint bark sandwich cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp instant espresso
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- crushed candy canes, for garnish
peppermint buttercream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking soda, and salt. Beat until just combined.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon sized portions of dough and roll into a ball. Set on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and tap firmly on the counter to flatten the cookie tops. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes longer until the edges are set. Let cool on the baking sheet.
- When the cookies are completely cooled, make the buttercream. In a bowl, beat the butter, vanilla, and peppermint extract on low speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Crank the speed to high and whip until very soft and fluffy. If needed, add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time to loosen the frosting.
- Use a piping bag, with any tip you'd like (I used no tip), swirl the buttercream onto the bottom of one cookie. Gently press a similarly sized cookie on top to make a sandwich. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes, as desired.
