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These Christmas cookies are my new favorite! They are rich & indulgent but also simple & easy enough for kids to help cook. They have the perfect balance of rich chocolate & bright peppermint.
This recipe is great for beginning bakers – like me! – because it’s straight-forward & simple. But the end result is very pretty, festive, & I’d even say, impressive!
We start out with a box of Aldi’s store brand “Baker’s Corner” Fudge Brownie MIx & add a few things to make them cookies. This cookie dough is very thick & sticky so it might be hard for a younger kiddo to help mix this one, but they can certainly help measure, scoop & dump the ingredients!
Wondering if you can use a different brand brownie mix? Not all brownie mixes are equal but as long as yours is close to 18 oz & includes baking soda, I’m sure it will work just fine!
If your mix doesn’t include baking soda, the cookies will be flat. Be sure to add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the mix if it’s not in there already.
The decorations are a great time to get the kids involved! Put the candy canes in a ziplock bag, wrap it with a towel, & let the kids take turns whacking them up into tiny pieces with a rubber mallet. They can also help dip the cookies in the chocolate & sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.
Instant Espresso is an optional ingredient but I HIGHLY encourage you to use it! It adds depth & richness to the chocolate without adding any noticeable coffee flavor. And if you need another recipe to use some of it up since this one only calls for 2 teaspoons – check out my Salted Caramel Whipped Espresso! It’s insanely good.
I cannot wait to hear what you think about these cookies! Please tell me all about how it goes & what you think of them in the comments! I really appreciate all of your feedback & I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review & comment below. And don’t forget to take a quick pic of your creation & tag This & That on Instagram or Facebook.
Brownie Cookies with Crushed Candy Canes
Ingredients
- 1 18.3 oz box Baker’s Corner Fudge Brownie Mix
- ½ c All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Large Eggs
- 5 T Vegetable Oil1 T Water
- 2 t Instant Espresso optional but highly encouraged
- 1/4 t Salt
- 1 t Coconut Oil
- 1 1/2 c Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 c Crushed Candy Canes I used about 10 mini candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Combine the brownie mix, flour, eggs, oil, water, espress, & salt together in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, mix well. The dough will be thick & sticky.
- Using two regular spoons, scoop the dough out with one spoon & push it off with the other, making small balls or mounds, onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies are ready to come out when the edges look totally dry & the center is mostly dry but still looks slightly moist. This will make for a nice fudgy center.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for a minute or two before transferring to a cooling rack. While the cookies cool, crush your candy canes up in a small plastic bag using a hammer or rubber mallet. Lay out long strips of wax paper for the cookes to rest on after being decorated.
- Once the cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate chips & coconut oil in a small bowl. I put mine in the microwave for two 30 second increments, stirring between; it wasn't fully melted but stirring more did the trick. Don't over-heat the chocolate! Dip the cookies halfway in the chocolate, lay flat on wax paper & sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Let chocolate set by sitting out for a couple hours at room temp or by placing in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Here is the Instant Espresso I use for this recipe.
- If you want to freeze these cookies for later, wait to decorate them until after they have been thawed.
- If your brownie mix doesn’t contain baking soda try adding 1 teaspoon (or if cookies are flat)
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These were delicious, and one cookie is very satisfying. Loved the hint of espresso – it added that special something!