I absolutely love mint, especially when you put it with chocolate. So when I started thinking about creating a giant chocolate mint cookie, I knew I wanted to try hiding York Peppermint Patties right inside the middle.

These peppermint patty cookies turned out even better than I hoped. They’re rich and chocolatey with dark chocolate chips, plenty of mint flavor, and two little peppermint patties tucked inside each extra-large cookie.

They’ve become one of my favorite cookies I’ve created.

They’re also exactly the kind of over-the-top bakery-style cookie recipes I love creating, with something unexpected hiding inside.

Of course, I say that about several of my cookies. It really depends on what mood I’m in. LOL.

The Inspiration Behind My Hidden Mint Cookies

These cookies were actually inspired by another chocolate mint cookie my family loves. That cookie is much smaller and more bite-sized, and I’ll be sharing that recipe in another post.

When I decided to create my extra-large version, I didn’t want to simply make the other cookie bigger. I wanted something with a little surprise inside.

That’s where the peppermint patties came in.

Each of these giant peppermint patty cookies has two mini York Peppermint Patties hidden inside the chocolate cookie dough. Then I add dark chocolate chips and pieces of another peppermint patty on top.

When you break one open while it’s still warm, you find that soft chocolate and mint center hiding inside.

That’s probably my favorite part.

A Chocolate Mint Cookie That Makes Me Think of Christmas

There’s something about chocolate and mint that always makes me think of Christmas.

Maybe it’s the peppermint. Maybe it’s because chocolate mint treats seem to show up everywhere during the holidays. Whatever the reason, these peppermint patty cookies feel like a Christmas cookie to me, even though there’s absolutely no reason you can’t make them any time of year.

I have another chocolate peppermint cookie recipe that’s amazing in a completely different way: my Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies. Apparently I have room in my life for more than one favorite chocolate mint cookie.

Hidden Mint Peppermint Patty Cookies Recipe

Print This Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup margarine, melted
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon mint extract
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, leveled (possibly more if needed)
3 cups dark chocolate chips
Mini York Peppermint Patties for the centers
Additional York Peppermint Patties for topping

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter, margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and mint extract until everything is well combined.
Gradually add the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. I recommend starting with 6 cups of flour and adding more as needed.
Stir in the dark chocolate chips.
Using a large 4-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out two scoops of dough for each cookie. The finished cookie dough ball should weigh approximately 5 ounces.
Gently flatten the dough and place 2 mini York Peppermint Patties in the center.
Bring the cookie dough up and around the peppermint patties, completely sealing them inside. Make sure there aren’t any openings where the filling can escape while baking.
Press additional dark chocolate chips and 1 York Peppermint Patty, cut into fourths, onto the top of each cookie.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet with plenty of room between them.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 16 to 18 minutes. If you’re baking at an elevation above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a few more dark chocolate chips and broken pieces of peppermint patties into the tops, if you’d like.

This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen extra-large cookies or 4 dozen regular-sized cookies.

A Few Things to Know Before Baking Peppermint Patty Cookies

I make these cookies extra large, usually about 5 ounces each. 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 extra-large cookies.

I’ve learned that my cookie dough doesn’t always need exactly the same amount of flour from one batch to the next, so I recommend starting with 6 cups rather than adding all 7 cups at once.

Bake one cookie and see what it does.

If it spreads too much, add a little more flour to the remaining dough. If it holds its shape and gives you that slightly crisp outside with a soft, chewy middle, you’re good to go.

If the dough becomes too dry, add milk just 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.

For smaller peppermint patty cookies, use less dough and tuck just one mini peppermint patty into the center. You’ll also need to reduce the baking time.

If You Prefer to Weigh Your Ingredients

For some of the larger ingredients, these are the weights I use:

Brown sugar: 789 grams
Granulated sugar: 189 grams
Eggs: 253 grams
Unsweetened cocoa powder: 110 grams
All-purpose flour: 1,272 to 1,412 grams

I don’t usually weigh the remaining ingredients because they’re easy enough for me to measure.

Don’t Forget What’s Hiding Inside

One thing to keep in mind when you’re assembling these cookies is that the peppermint patties need to be completely surrounded by cookie dough.

After placing the two mini patties in the center, pinch the dough together and look around the entire cookie. If you can see peppermint patty anywhere, cover that spot with a little more dough.

You want the mint center to stay hidden until someone breaks open the cookie.

That’s part of the fun.

Storing and Freezing Peppermint Patty Cookies

Once the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container.

These peppermint patty cookies also freeze beautifully. I love having giant cookies tucked away in the freezer because I can pull out just one or two whenever we want them.

When I want to reheat a frozen cookie, I put it directly into a cool oven and then turn the oven to 350°F. Depending on the size of the cookie, I let it warm for about 8 to 12 minutes.

Starting with a cool oven gives the cookie time to warm gradually as the oven heats. With these cookies, that means the chocolate gets soft again and the peppermint patty hidden inside warms up too.

I never microwave my cookies. I much prefer reheating them in the oven because I like the texture so much better that way.

If you’re storing unbaked homemade cookie dough, USDA guidance recommends refrigerating or freezing it rather than leaving it at room temperature. And because homemade cookie dough contains raw eggs and untreated flour, it shouldn’t be eaten raw.

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 Hidden Mint Peppermint Patty Cookies are just one of the giant cookies I’ve created with a little surprise tucked inside. You can browse all of my bakery-style cookie recipes for more stuffed cookies, chocolate-loaded favorites, seasonal creations, family recipes, and unexpected flavor combinations.

One of My Favorite Chocolate Mint Cookies

I was excited about these cookies before I ever put the first pan in the oven, but I was even happier when they turned out better than I’d imagined.

The dark chocolate, mint extract, chocolate chips, and hidden peppermint patties all work together exactly the way I’d hoped.

They’re big. They’re chocolatey. They’re minty. And there’s that little surprise waiting in the middle.

I still can’t tell you which of my cookie recipes is my absolute favorite. Ask me one day and I’ll probably give you one answer. Ask me again when I’m craving chocolate and mint, and I’ll tell you it’s these.

And I’m perfectly fine with having that many favorites.

Making every house feel a little more like home.