Mini Brownie Cookies sandwiched together with a cool peppermint frosting. These fudgy and festive cookies are rolled in crushed candy cane for extra minty flavor and that delicious candy crunch!
Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies
It’s official. You all love brownie cookies…and brownie sandwich cookies. Two of my most popular recipes here on the blog are brownie cookies! I don’t blame you. There’s something exciting about a cookie made with brownie batter. A brownie in cookie form? Yes, please!
These Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies are just like my other well-loved brownie cookie recipe, except I swapped the peanut butter frosting for a simple peppermint buttercream (a rendition I was hoping some of you would try when I first posted them to Instagram!). These cookies are everything you want in a holiday cookie: indulgent, tantalizing, and familiar (who doesn’t love a chocolate + peppermint combo in December?). Bake these up this week – or really, any week this Winter – and take them to whatever small gathering you’ll be at. I promise you that whoever you’re with will be delighted by these cookies!
Some of the Ingredients + Substitutes:
- Chocolate chips work wonders in my brownie recipes – they produce the best, crackly top (for my recipes!). So of course I use them for these cookies. I haven’t tried these cookies with baking chocolate or chocolate bars, but I know that only chocolate chips work in the original brownie recipe I based these cookies off of. In other words, just use the chocolate chips 😉
- Olive oil is the go-to oil in our house. If you prefer something more neutral, avocado oil would be a great substitute. Vegetable oil or light olive oil will work as well.
- Eggs whip up to add height to these cookies. As of now, I don’t have any egg replacers for you – sorry! 🙁
- Sugar helps create that classic crackly brownie top. I like to use unrefined cane sugar to help balance the richness of the Dutched cocoa powder. You can use coconut sugar (which tastes less sweet) or regular white granulated sugar.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular, natural cocoa powder. You can use regular cocoa powder if it’s all you have on hand, but your cookies won’t be as rich or chocolatey.
- Peppermint extract is added to the frosting to get that perfect (and light) minty flavor. Two things to note: do NOT use mint extract, and if you’d like your cookies to be even more pepperminty, you can use it in place of the vanilla extract in the cookies.
- Plant-based butter and milk are what I use in the frosting since they’re dairy-free. Feel free to use regular butter and whatever milk you’d like!
- Powdered sugar is necessary for the frosting. Don’t even try to make this a healthy cookie. Real talk. Just use the powdered sugar and enjoy your cookies!
Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies
Mini brownie cookies sandwiched together with a cool peppermint frosting! These fudgy gems are rolled in crushed candy cane for a delicious, festive crunch - perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
Brownie Cookies
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla (or peppermint) extract
- 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (like Hershey's Special Dark)
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Peppermint Frosting
- 1/4 cup plant-based butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tsp plant-based milk
- 3 candy canes, crushed (for rolling)
Instructions
Make the Cookies
- Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and olive oil. Heat in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until chips are melted and smooth; set aside.
- In a stand (or hand) mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick, fluffy, and light in color, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add the melted chocolate mixture and gently mix with a large spoon until everything is combined.
- Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a large spoon until totally combined - your dough will be very sticky, like a thick brownie batter.
- Allow the dough to sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to stiffen up enough for you to scoop and roll the dough balls.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookies, 12 at a time, 1 Tbsp in size (.6oz) onto one of the baking sheets. Roll each dough ball smooth and evenly space them on the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies at 350°F for 5-6 minutes or until the centers no longer look wet. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.
- While the cookies bake, prepare the next batch of dough balls on the second baking sheet. Continue until all cookies are baked, being sure to only use a cooled baking sheet each time.
Make the Frosting + Assemble
- In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and peppermint extract. Beat in the powdered sugar. Finally, beat in the milk 1 tsp at a time until the frosting comes together. You want it to be smooth enough to pipe but thick enough to hold its shape.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip (I used a Wilton 1A tip). Assemble the cookies by piping an even layer of frosting onto one cookie and then sandwiching it with another.
- Immediately roll the edge of the cookie in crushed candy cane. Continue until all cookies are sandwiched.
- Store cookies on their side (like how macarons are stored) in an airtight container at room temperature.
Did you make this recipe?
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