Marbled Dark Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies. These deeply chocolatey, buttery, peppermint-spiked cookies are just as delicious as they are easy to make. They're the perfect Christmas cookies, and the marbled white chocolate peppermint-swirl design makes them almost too pretty to eat.
I got some brand new baking pans, several pairs of the stretchiest sweatpants I could find, and a big bottle of Advil to prepare for the beginning of Cookie Season 2018.
I had to be ready. Last years cookie baking adventure (AKA "Cookiepocalypse") was... well, let's just say that it earned its nickname. During the holiday season of 2017, I came up to the amazing idea to create obsess over the perfect cookies. Not just great cookies-- that simply wouldn't do-- I'm talking truly perfect cookies. Do you know how many batches of testing and tasting it takes to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie? Or the perfect peanut butter cookie? Or the perfect snickerdoodle?
The answer is TOO DAMN MANY. And before last year, "I made too many cookies" is a sentence I never thought I'd say.
I made so many cookies that I gained 12 pounds, basically didn't sleep for a month, and my body ached like I ran back-to-back marathons. I made so many cookies that my neighbors and friends refused to take home any more because they had eaten too many of my cookies. I made so many cookies that, in the New Year, even thinking about baked goods made my pulse shoot up.
So I feel now about Cookiepocalypse the way I imagine most mothers feel about child birth. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Do I ever want to feel that way again? OH GOD NO.
This all serves to say that I was a little nervous coming into the holidays this year. But then I baked up these Marbled Dark Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies. They took me a total of 25 minutes to make. They were perfect on the first try. And they were insanely delicious.
The flavor is mostly like a thin mint, but the cookie is softer, more tender, and butterier. I made three more batches just to be sure that the results were consistent, so I've been steadily sneaking them between meals (or instead of meals) for the past few days. And I might just make another batch. Because did I mention that they only take twenty-five minutes to make? The dough doesn't need to chill in the refrigerator. They bake in only 5 minutes. And decorating 'em? IT'S A BREEZE. All hail the spritz cookie!
What are Spritz Cookies?
Spritz Cookies are classic German butter cookies that are very similar to shortbread cookies, but with a more tender, enriched dough. Unlike shortbread, the dough contains an egg and is not chilled, which means the cookie winds up with less of a snap and more of a soft, melt-in-your mouth texture.
The name comes from the German word spritzen, which means "to squirt". That might seem strange, but it all makes sense when you realize how these cookies are made: by squirting the dough through a cookie press to create fun and beautiful shapes without needing to use a cookie cutter!
What's a cookie press and how do I use it?
A cookie press (also sometimes called a biscuit press) is a baking tool that's used to extrude cookie dough into special shapes. For these cookies, I used a Christmas tree shape; but stars, flowers, wreaths, leaves, fleur-de-lis, clovers, snowflakes, and plenty of other shapes are all common, as well!
Cookie presses are usually composed of a hollow tube with a plunger press, and fitted with a metal die-cut disc at the end so the cookies come out in your desired shape. A great example would be the Oxo Good Grips Cookie Press, which is, in my experience, one of the easiest and most effective cookie presses to use. I'm actually giving one away in the baking prize bundle on Day 3 of the 12-Day Holiday Giveaway, and I have a write-up about it in the Gift Guide! Check it out here and get yourself one (or if you're feeling lucky, enter to win one at the bottom of the post)!
How to make Marbled Dark Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies
All you need for these Marbled Dark Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies is butter, sugar, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, an egg, flour, dark chocolate cocoa powder, salt, white chocolate melting chips, and red gel food coloring. You're first going to beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add in the remaining wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (which will help ensure that they're evenly mixed and distributed in the dough without over-working it) and then pour the dry mix into the wet mix. Mix until combined and then transfer the dough to your cookie press!
You can press the cookies right onto your baking sheet and they'll stick to the sheet just enough to release from the press. The cookies won't spread very much at all, so feel free to cram them together a bit-- you don't need to leave much space.
Bake them for 5 minutes at 375 degrees F, and they'll be good to go. I like to let mine cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Then all that's left to do is the marble dip!
How do I do the marble dip?
The marble dip comes together even quicker and easier than the cookies do!
First, melt your white chocolate baking melts in a microwave safe bowl according to the package directions. Then, squeeze a zig-zag (or swirl, or dots-- whatever you prefer) of the red gel food coloring on top of the melted white chocolate. Using a toothpick, swirl all around the white chocolate to create a marbled red and white pattern. Grab a cookie, dip one side straight down into the marbled white chocolate, and pull straight up to reveal your peppermint-striped design. Then transfer the cookie to wax paper to dry.
Keep going until all of your cookies have been dipped. You might have to add more food coloring and re-swirl if your design starts to look a little muddled. If it starts to get too pink, simply melt another batch of the white chocolate and continue from there.
Marbled Dark Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies Video
Marbled Dark Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 50 cookies 1x
Description
Adapted from Genius Kitchen
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- White chocolate baking melts
- Red gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and extracts and continue to mix until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually mix into the wet ingredients until well-combined and very dark.
- Add the dough to your cookie press and press onto a cool, ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then allow to cool on the baking sheet for a couple more minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to finish cooling. Repeat until all of the cookies have been baked.
- In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate baking melts according to the package directions. Squeeze the red gel food coloring over the melted white chocolate and use a toothpick to swirl. One cookie at a time, dip one side into the marbled white chocolate mixture to create the peppermint swirl design. Transfer the cookie to wax paper to allow the white chocolate to cool and harden. Continue with the remaining cookies, adding additional gel food coloring and swirling or melting more white chocolate as needed.
- The cookies will keep fresh in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
Donna Speidel says
I want to make these cookies now. But i need a cookie press
Tammy says
These were delicious!! We ended up baking for 6 to 7 minutes. We also drizzled the chocolate instead of dipped. It is a new must have for the holiday season.