Some of my favorite cookies have come from carefully testing an idea, but these Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies began with a pile of leftover candy canes.

I had crushed candy canes left over from a Christmas hot chocolate bar, and I didn’t want to throw them away. I looked at them and thought, I might as well try putting them into a cookie.

That little experiment turned into one of my favorite Christmas cookies. The rich chocolate, dark chocolate chips, peppermint flavor, and crunchy candy cane pieces taste like Christmas in every bite.

It’s also a perfect example of how some of my bakery-style cookie recipes begin with the simplest ideas.

I even have one family who orders these Candy Cane Cookies on repeat every Christmas.

How My Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies Came to Be

The first time I made these cookies, I didn’t mix the crushed candy canes into the dough. Instead, I rolled the outside of each chocolate cookie in them.

They tasted good, and the red-and-white candy made them look festive. There was just one problem. As the candy canes melted in the oven, the outside of the cookies could become very sticky.

The next time I made them, I tried something different.

I mixed the crushed candy canes right into the chocolate dough, then pressed just a few pieces onto the outside along with the dark chocolate chips. That gave the cookies the peppermint crunch I loved without covering the entire outside in melted candy.

And that is how these Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies became part of my Christmas Cookie Collection.

Why We Love These Candy Cane Cookies

There is a lot going on in one cookie, but the flavors work beautifully together.

The cocoa creates a rich chocolate cookie, the dark chocolate chips add pockets of melted chocolate, and the peppermint and vanilla extracts give the dough plenty of flavor.

Then there are the crushed candy canes.

I love the crunchy candy cane bits scattered throughout every cookie. They add a festive peppermint flavor and a texture that makes these Candy Cane Cookies different from an ordinary chocolate peppermint cookie.

If you’re as much of a chocolate-and-mint fan as I am, my Hidden Mint Peppermint Patty Cookies take that combination in a completely different direction, with two little peppermint patties tucked inside each giant chocolate cookie.

The white chocolate chips are optional. They add a pretty contrast and a little extra sweetness, but the cookies are still delicious without them. You can also drizzle the cooled cookies with melted chocolate if you want to dress them up for a Christmas cookie tray.

My husband loves these cookies frozen. I have caught him on more than one occasion sneaking one right out of the freezer.

I am the opposite. I like my Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies warm, when the chocolate is soft and the middle is still wonderfully chewy.

Either way, they don’t last very long at our house.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen large cookies or 6 dozen regular-sized cookies.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups brown sugar (789 grams)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (189 grams)
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup margarine, melted
5 large eggs (approximately 253 grams)
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (110 grams)
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour (1,272 to 1,412 grams)
3 to 4 cups dark chocolate chips, divided
1 cup white chocolate chips, optional
3 cups crushed candy canes, divided
Milk, only if needed
Melted chocolate for drizzling, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you’re baking at an elevation above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter, melted margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
Beat in the eggs, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
Add the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and 6 cups of flour. Mix until a soft cookie dough forms. Add more flour as needed. If the dough becomes too dry, mix in milk one tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky.
Stir in 2 to 3 cups of dark chocolate chips, the optional white chocolate chips, and 1 cup of crushed candy canes. Reserve the remaining chocolate chips and candy cane pieces for decorating the tops. You may not need to use all of them.
For large Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, use a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop and combine two scoops of dough to create a ball weighing approximately 5 ounces.
Press a few additional dark chocolate chips and crushed candy cane pieces into the top of each dough ball. Try to keep the candy on top instead of near the bottom edges, where it is more likely to melt onto the pan.
Arrange the dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between them.
Bake the large cookies for 16 to 18 minutes. The outside should be set while the middle remains soft.
Let the cookies rest on the pan before moving them to a cooling rack. Once cooled, drizzle them with melted chocolate if desired.

Bake One Christmas Cookie First

My best advice with almost every giant cookie recipe is to bake one cookie before filling an entire pan.

Start with 6 cups of flour. Assemble one 5-ounce Chocolate Candy Cane Cookie, add the chocolate chips and candy cane pieces to the top, and bake it.

Then take a look at it.

Did it spread too much? Add a little more flour to the remaining dough.

Did it hold its shape while developing a lightly crisp outside and a soft, chewy middle? Leave the dough alone.

I’ve learned that my dough doesn’t always need exactly the same amount of flour from one batch to the next. One test cookie gives me a chance to adjust the dough before baking the rest of the batch.

It also lets you see how the candy cane pieces behave in your oven. If pieces placed near the edges melt onto the pan, keep the remaining candy closer to the tops of the dough balls.

Cookie Size, Baking Time, and Altitude

At lower elevations, I recommend starting at 350°F. I bake at just over 4,000 feet, where I’ve found that 325°F works well for my giant cookies.

The 5-ounce Candy Cane Cookies usually need 16 to 18 minutes. If you make regular-sized cookies, begin checking them after 12 minutes. Depending on their size and your oven, they will generally need about 12 to 14 minutes.Try not to wait until the centers look completely firm before taking the cookies out. They will continue to set as they rest on the hot pan. Overbaking can take away the soft and chewy middle that makes these cookies so good.

Crushing Candy Canes Without a Huge Mess

Place the unwrapped candy canes in a sturdy zip-top bag, press out the extra air, and close it securely. Put that bag inside a second bag, then crush the candy with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet.

I like having a mixture of small pieces and finer peppermint crumbs. The small pieces create those wonderful crunchy bits, while the finer candy spreads the peppermint flavor throughout the dough.

You don’t need to turn all of the candy into powder. Part of what makes these Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies so pretty is seeing little red-and-white pieces on top.

If you’d rather skip the crushing, you can also find pre-crushed candy cane pieces at some grocery and craft stores during the Christmas season.

Storing and Freezing Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Once the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. If you stack them, place parchment or wax paper between the layers, especially if you added a chocolate drizzle.

These Candy Cane Cookies also freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.

My husband would tell you there is no need to warm them at all. Apparently, the freezer is simply his personal Christmas cookie jar.

I prefer mine warm. When I want to reheat a frozen cookie, I put it directly into a cold oven, then turn the oven to 350°F. Depending on the size of the cookie, I warm it for about 8 to 12 minutes. This brings back that warm, soft center without using the microwave.

If you are arranging several kinds of cookies for a party, King Arthur Baking has some helpful suggestions for creating a holiday and Christmas cookie platter with different flavors, shapes, and textures.

More Cookie Baking Tips

For more of the things I’ve learned through years of baking big, thick cookies, read my Tips for the Perfect Cookie for help with flour, spreading, texture, baking times, altitude adjustments, and more.

Explore More Bakery-Style Cookie Recipes

These Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are one of the recipes I look forward to bringing back at Christmastime, but there are plenty more to discover. Browse all of my bakery-style cookie recipes for giant cookies, stuffed cookies, family favorites, seasonal creations, and plenty of unexpected flavor combinations.

A Christmas Cookie Born From Leftovers

It still makes me smile that these Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies started with leftovers from a hot chocolate bar.

I wasn’t trying to create a cookie that people would request year after year. I was simply standing in my kitchen at Christmastime, looking at a pile of crushed candy canes and wondering what I could do with them.

Now these Candy Cane Cookies have become one of those recipes I look forward to making every Christmas. One family waits for them each year, my husband sneaks them from the freezer, and I still think they taste best warm from the oven.

Sometimes a recipe doesn’t begin with a perfect plan. Sometimes it begins with a bowl of leftovers and the thought, I wonder if this would taste good in a cookie?

In this case, it absolutely did.

Making every house feel a little more like home.