These Levain Bakery-Style Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are a holiday favorite in the making: massive six-ounce chocolate cookies loaded with peppermint chips, white chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate for an ultra-fudgy, gooey bite.
I couldn’t resist sharing these right away. As a peppermint lover, I fell hard for the combo of rich chocolate and cool peppermint—these landed at the top of my favorites list. Despite their dramatic size, they’re surprisingly simple to make and rely on a few technique tweaks to recreate that Levain-style texture.
What sets these cookies apart is how they stay tender and gooey despite being so large. A few key ingredients and methods make all the difference:
- Cake flour: Using cake flour keeps the crumb light and tender. If you substituted all-purpose flour entirely, the cookies would be denser and more scone-like. Cake flour balances the heft from the cookie size.
- Cornstarch: A small amount of cornstarch adds softness and chewiness to the cookie crumb—my secret weapon for tender cookies.
- Short chill time: The dough chills briefly (about 20 minutes) to improve flavor and reduce excessive spreading without making the dough overly firm.
- Generous mix-ins: This recipe uses a very large amount of mix-ins — intentionally. Lots of chips add flavor and help maintain structure so the cookies don’t spread flat while still staying gooey inside.
For the best results, follow these baking tips:
- Shape: Form the dough into loosely packed, rough balls rather than smooth, tight scoops. The craggy texture contributes to the signature Levain look. For accuracy, weigh each ball to about 6 ounces on a digital scale.
- Size and spacing: Because each cookie is large, bake only four dough balls per sheet, placing them about 3 inches apart and staggered to allow even heat circulation. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack.
- Do not overbake: These cookies should be slightly underbaked and very gooey inside. Bake 8–12 minutes depending on your oven; test-bake one cookie to find your ideal time. The exterior should look set but the interior will finish as the cookies cool on the sheet.
- Bake one sheet at a time: For consistent results, bake a single sheet at a time rather than multiple sheets concurrently.
The combination of fudgy chocolate and cool peppermint is irresistible—these Levain-Style Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are truly swoon-worthy.
Levain Bakery-Style Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups Andes peppermint baking chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cold cubed butter and granulated sugar on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase to medium for 30 seconds, then to medium-high and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 30 more seconds.
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Add the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and peppermint extracts, scraping the bowl as needed. Add cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, all-purpose flour, and cake flour. Mix on low until combined, then fold in the Andes peppermint chips, white chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. Using a digital scale, portion loosely packed dough balls to 6 ounces each. Make the balls slightly tall to reduce spreading. Place four per sheet, staggered, about 3 inches apart.
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Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 8–12 minutes, until the exterior looks set but still slightly dull. Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before cutting or serving—the cookies finish setting as they cool. Keep remaining dough refrigerated between batches.
Notes
I’m in love with how fudgy, gooey, and peppermint-forward these cookies are—I think you will be too.
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley