Best 3 French Peppermint Cookies With Chocolate Ganache Recipes

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the milk, and mix on low until combined. The cookie dough will be thick.
• Roll balls of dough, a little less than 1 Tablespoon each (about 1 inch balls), and roll each into remaining 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar. Place dough balls onto a large lined baking sheet. Using your thumb or the end of a spatula (see post above), make an indent into each cookie. If you find that the balls are cracking when you make an indent, use your hands to push back together. (Some cracks are bound to happen as the cookies expand in the oven- see my photos. No worries there!)
• Chill the shaped cookies for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or 1 hour in the freezer (or up to 4 days in the refrigerator). Cover them if chilling for longer than 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove chilled and shaped cookies from the refrigerator. Divide between both baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2-3 inches apart. This recipe yields about 30 cookies, so you'll have a 3rd batch with only a few cookies on the sheet.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set. The cookies will still look and feel a little soft. Remove from the oven. The indents will have lost some shape or have puffed up, so use the end of a spatula to make an indent again into the warm cookies.
• Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling with ganache.
• Place chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil- that's too hot!) Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Stir in the peppermint extract. Taste and add another drop if desired. (It's potent so don't go overboard!) Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before spooning into cookies.
• Spoon 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of ganache into each indentation. I fit about 3/4 teaspoon into each. Sprinkle ganache with crushed candy canes. Ganache will thicken inside the cookies and set on the tops after a few hours, but will still be creamy when you bite into the cookies.
• Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

PEPPERMINT FROSTED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the milk, then the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky and tacky. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
• Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
• Scoop and roll dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. Arrange 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. The cookie dough is certainly sticky, so wipe your hands clean after every few balls of dough you shape.
• Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren't really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
• Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, heavy cream/milk, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste. Beat in a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. I usually add a little less than 1/8 teaspoon. And, if desired, beat in another drop of peppermint extract.
• Top each cookie with frosting. Garnish frosting with crushed candy canes. Frosting doesn't dry completely, but will set after several hours. Carefully stacking frosted cookies is fine after that.
• Cover and store cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

FRENCH PEPPERMINT COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Move rack to the bottom of oven and preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Line baking sheets with aluminum foil.
• Whisk egg whites and 1/4 cup white sugar in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water until smooth. Whisk cream of tartar and peppermint extract into egg mixture and beat until foamy. Gradually whisk confectioners' sugar into mixture, beating until egg white meringue holds stiff peaks.
• Scoop about 1 tablespoon of meringue per cookie and gently transfer to the prepared baking sheets; use spoon to shape the meringue cookies into football shape with 2 gently pointed ends.
• Bake cookies on bottom rack of the preheated oven until dry on the outside but still slightly soft in the centers, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool completely before removing from baking sheets.
• Melt chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until melted, stirring until smooth. Gradually mix cream into chocolate until mixture is thick but not pasty; stir 1 teaspoon white sugar into chocolate ganache until sugar has dissolved. Dip cookies in ganache. Place dipped cookies atop a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy. Let cookies set; refrigerate leftovers.