Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

These Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are so easy to make (made with a boxed cake mix) and are a great way to use up those candy canes!

I’m slowly starting to put away all our Christmas decor and getting everything organized. We seem to have a ton of leftover candy canes this year. (Funny, I don’t remember buying them- but they’re everywhere…) The kids have been sneaking them upstairs to the playroom and I’ve come across a few half eaten candy canes stuck to the floor and table. After that last discovery, I gathered up the rest of the candy canes and threw most of them out.

Of course, if I told the kids I threw them away, the crying and whining would never end. So I decided to throw together a quick batch of cookies to use up “the rest of the candy canes.”

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Now, isn’t a chocolate cookie made with candy canes better than a plain ol’ candy cane? Of course it is! (And yes, I used all your candy canes to make these cookies… wink, wink.)

I used a Cake mix as a base for these cookies, so they couldn’t be any easier to throw together. By the last cookie sheet full, I’d perfected the candy cane application method for the prettiest looking cookie.

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Even though I am not the biggest fan of candy canes, these cookies are mighty-fine tasting!

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Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (Adapted from Duncan Hines.)

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines, this is what the box looks like.)
2 large eggs (if making with kids, be sure to use a pasteurized egg product, like this one.)
1/2 cup butter, mostly melted
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup crushed candy canes, divided (plus bit more for final garnish- if desired.)

Candy Cane crushing tips: Break canes by hand into pieces. Place in a semi-durable plastic baggie. (Like a freezer bag.) Place bag on gutting board and crush with a blunt object. (Bottom of a cup or a hammer.)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla.
3. Stir in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup crushed candy canes.
4. Drop a scant tablespoon of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with a generous amount of crushed candy canes.

5. Set the timer for 12 to 14 minutes (I start with 12.) At about 8 minutes, open the oven and sprinkle a bit more candy canes over the top of the cookies as desired. (Rotate cookie sheets if needed.)

6. Let cookies cool for about two minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with a bit more crushed Candy Cane if desired.

For best results: 1. Make sure cookie dough is chilled (cooler than room temp- if you used hot melted butter you may want to put the dough in the fridge for about 10 to 20 minutes. 2. Using cooled cookie sheets should result in a less flat cookie. 3. If baking on a very dark pan, consider reducing the cooking temp by about 25 degrees.

Enjoy!

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