I give you the excellent, Peppermint Mocha Candy Cookies! This recipe is a twist on the No Bake Chocolate Candy Cookies that are one of my favorite dessert treats, and has been since I was a kid!
Minty, chocolaty, fresh, filled with yummy oatmeal, all in a praline-like candy! And a perfect festive treat for any Christmas cookie exchange or holiday dessert table.
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Mom’s recipe
This was one of my favorites that my mom made.
She always made lots of tasty things. From dinner to dessert. She was (and is) a great cook! I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love to eat what she made.
These are not the typical no bake cookie with peanut butter that you see most of the time.
No, these are special!
These No Bake Peppermint Mocha Candy Cookies are candy – like a chocolate praline than like a boring ol’ cookie.
You simply must try them!
And, with about 5 minutes worth of work, why wouldn’t you just go jump in the kitchen right now and whip up a batch of these!
My guess is that you have all the ingredients for them in your kitchen right now!
Try all my Candy Cookie flavors
I’ve had lots of fun experimenting with the flavors of these No Bake Candy Cookies. Here are my creations and twists from the original Chocolate Candy Cookie that my mom made when I was a kid, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Candy Cookies, Vegan Coconut Candy Cookies, and Pumpkin Spice Candy Bites.
Dark Cocoa
I like the {affiliate link} special dark cocoa for these candy cookies.
Special dark 100% cacao is a blend of natural and dutched cocoas. If you don’t have the darker cocoa, the lighter stuff will also work just fine.
What’s the difference, you ask. Well…
The lighter the cocoa’s color, the stronger the flavor. And the darker the color, the mellower the flavor.
You know those cookies, the best-selling chocolate sandwich ones, and how dark they are. That’s due to the ultra-Dutched cocoa that they use.
Want to read more about cocoa, the differences, and the uses? Check out my post on Cocoa Powder.
Peppermint Extract
Peppermint extract {affiliate link} is generally made from alcohol, water, and oil of peppermint.
So, it’s watered down peppermint oil, which is why peppermint oil is so strong. And, why you can use so much less peppermint oil than peppermint extract in things.
Peppermint recipes
I think mint is my favorite flavor! I drink mint tea every day. I’d take a peppermint mocha anytime!
If you love mint as much as I do, do yourself a favor, and be sure to check out these recipes for more great flavorful peppermint treats!
York peppermint patty ice cream, Candy Cane Cookies, peppermint magic bars, peppermint brownie sandwich cookies, and peppermint oatmeal sandwich cookies.
Peppermint extract tips
If you don’t use that jar of peppermint extract too often, I thought you may need some tips on how to use it.
So, here goes…
- Stir 2 teaspoons peppermint extract into cookie dough that makes 4 dozen chocolate cookies for some chocolate peppermint cookies
- Add a few drops of peppermint extract to hot cocoa for a peppermint treat
- Peppermint is considered to be one of the oldest medicinal herbs. Add a few drops of Pure Peppermint Extract to a cup of hot water to help soothe an upset stomach
- Add 1 teaspoon extract to cake batter to make a 2-layer cake, try chocolate or vanilla flavored cake
- Use 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract in place of 3 candy canes in any recipe
- Add a few drops extract to a cocktail, a milkshake (think homemade shamrock shake), or a protein shake for a winter twist on a classic
- Mix in some peppermint extract to chocolate bark for a festive treat, then garnish it with lots of broken candy cane pieces
- Add a dash to your tea to make it mint tea
- Shhh, don’t tell anyone you bought a tub of icing, but after you did you can stir a little peppermint extract into it to jazz it up!
- Try adding a small amount to a fruit salad or the dressing over the fruit salad for a minty bump
Recipes to use Peppermint Extract
I’ve had lots of fun experimenting with the flavors of these No Bake Candy Cookies. Here are my creations and twists from the original Chocolate Candy Cookie that my mom made when I was a kid, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Candy Cookies, Vegan Coconut Candy Cookies, and Pumpkin Spice Candy Bites.
Recipe notes
You can drop the cooked batter out of the pan using a large spoon or spatula. Or, you can use a cookie dough scoop to form mounds and let them cool on {affiliate links} silpats or on aluminum foil.
All the pictures you see, I have used a cookie dough scoop. Use a big one for large cookies, or a smaller one for (you guessed it) smaller cookies.
I like the shape the cookie dough scoop makes.
My mom always just scooped them out onto the foil to cool.
There was really no reason to make fancy shaped cookies when they were just gonna be eaten in a few minutes! Lol
For the peppermint candy garnish
If you have some old {affiliate links} candy canes these will work perfectly. Peppermint candies will rock it too.
Take the canes or the candies and unwrap them.
Place the unwrapped candies in a ziptop bag, and bang on them with a large spoon or the bottom of a pan. You don’t have to do it too hard. Just a little crushing will do.
Now you have some beautiful peppermint garnish.
I left the peppermint flavoring light in the cookies themselves to accommodate the extra peppermint flavor from the garnish.
If you prefer to skip the garnish, I would recommend increasing the mount of peppermint extract in the candy cookies to 1/4 of a teaspoon.
Special equipment and ingredients you may need
Peppermint extract
Special dark cocoa
Cookie dough scoop
Silpats or foil
Candy canes
Peppermint candies
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Peppermint Mocha Candy Cookies Recipe
Peppermint Mocha Candy Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal uncooked
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- garnish with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter. Add sugar, milk, and cocoa. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in espresso powder, oatmeal, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Stir to combine. Drop by large spoonfuls onto silpats or aluminum foil or use a cookie dough scoop to form mounds. Garnish with crushed peppermint candies. Allow cookies to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I love desserts with peppermint flavors involved! Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe.