Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies {12 Days of Sugar – Day 5}

These Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie. A soft, buttery sugar cookie studded with crushed candy cane and topped with a peppermint buttercream. They just scream Christmas!

♡ 12 DAYS OF SUGAR. . .DAY 5  ♡

I knew I wanted to do some kind of sugar cookie for this year’s 12 Days of Sugar because they are one of my favorite cookies to make for any holiday. Peppermint is always the first flavor that comes to my mind when I think of Christmas baking, so I knew I wanted to come up with a peppermint sugar cookie.

I think this might be one of my new favorite sugar cookies. Maybe it’s because they remind me of my mom’s homemade buttermints with their soft, buttery texture. Or maybe it’s because they have buttercream on top and it’s no secret I’m a frosting lover.

Whatever the reason, I’m excited to be sharing them in this year’s 12 Days of Sugar.

These are simple to make and can be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to frost them. You could also freeze them in Ziploc bags and then pull them out of the freezer a few hours before you need to frost them.

Can I leave the peppermint extract out of the buttercream?

Yes, of course you can if you’d like to. I wanted the peppermint flavor to be a little bit more obvious, so I added about three small drops of pure peppermint oil to my buttercream.  If you don’t have peppermint oil, use peppermint extract, and start with about 1/4 teaspoon. You can always add more if you want the peppermint flavor stronger, but you can’t take any out if it’s too strong. If you want regular buttercream, then feel free to leave out the peppermint oil/extract. You could also throw in some crushed candy canes in the buttercream in place of the peppermint oil/extract.

Can I use peppermint candies instead of candy canes?

Yes, either one is fine. I actually used half candy canes and half peppermint candies (Brach’s brand) for the cookies in these pictures. Just make sure whatever you use is a “good” peppermint flavor. I think some of those “off brand” candy canes have a weird peppermint flavor that I do not like.

Tips for making Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies:

• Make sure you line your cookies sheets with parchment paper or silpat linters. When these bake, some bigger pieces of the crushed candy cane melt and can ooze out and stick to the pan. Using parchment paper or silat linters will make getting the cookies off the cookie sheet much easier.
• If you want a more intense peppermint flavor in your cookies, you can add some peppermint extract to your dough. Again, start out with less because you can always add more.
• I love these chilled, but they are also delicious at room temperature. You decide how you like best to eat them.
• This makes about 3 dozen cookies, so if you don’t need that many cookies, you can easily half this recipe.

Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: about 3 dozen 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Cookies:

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cream (or milk)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 5 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups crushed peppermint candy cane

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 to 7 tablespoons of whipping cream or half & half (enough to get to the desired consistency)
• 3 to 4 drops of peppermint oil or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (adjust to your liking)
• Additional crushed candy cane (optional)

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Instructions

Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line your cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, oil, both sugars, and whipping cream (or milk), and cream together. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda and cream of tarter. Mix until combined (about 1 minute).
3. With mixer on low, add in flour and mix until combined. Add in the crushed candy cane and mix on low just until candy cane is evenly mixed in.
4. Roll the dough into golf ball-size balls and place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass (about 2 1/2 inches wide) in some granulated sugar and then gently press down on one of the cookie dough balls until about 1/2” thick.
5. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottom is lightly browned (don’t overbake these!). Let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Frost with buttercream once they’re completely cooled.

Frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, add the oil/extract and the cream/milk and increase the speed. Mix until smooth and creamy, adding as much cream (or half & half)  as needed to get the consistency you want.  Continue mixing until frosting is smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Cookies