Buttermint Cookies are so supremely soft, delicious and creamy! There are a few “secret ingredients” in the batter to make them extra rich and delicious!
I have a hardcore obsession with creamy, buttery peppermint. I’m not talking about a peppermint hard candies, although they’re all well and good. I’m talking about the combo of rich white chocolate mixed with cool peppermint. It’s an over the top sweet combo that I generally only indulge in for one month a year.
Is your mind blown at my self control?
Full disclosure, it more about seasonal aspirations than restraint…mint feels like winter just the same as pumpkin feels like fall. It’s all very basic, actually.
What’s not basic are these cookies. They are loaded with deliciousness in the form of cream cheese, pudding mix, white chocolate and crushed minty candies. Oh and butter. I did these right, you see.
Which brings me to the name…I’ve called these Buttermint Cookies because the flavor reminds me so much of those sweet pastel-colored candies that I adore.
There are some epic baking ingredients happening up in here. Cream cheese makes these cookies rich and thick…pudding mix amps up the vanilla flavor while giving them a gorgeous texture and the crushed mint bits add pepperminty flavor but also bits of subtle crunch throughout. So much to love here.
Oh and I also used a smidge of this…
It’s Pure Peppermint Extract. My favorite is Nielsen-Massey.
I bought my candies already crushed, but you could simply buy peppermint hard candies and work out some of your stresses crushing them with a rolling pin.
The dough comes together very easily, and there is no chill time necessary and I pressed white chips on top before I baked them so they are just as pretty to look at as they are to eat. It’s all in the details.
They’ll bake up thick and beautiful…
I used a thin steel baking sheet lined in parchment paper to bake them. If you use a thick or insulated baking sheet your cookies not not spread and stay very tall. The type of baking sheet you use really matters when your cookie baking!
These cookies definitely deserve a coveted spot on your holiday baking list!
Print
Peppermint Cream Cheese Pudding Cookies
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg, plus 1 yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (3.4 ounce) Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup crushed peppermint candies
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Add in the brown sugar, egg, yolk, the vanilla and peppermint extracts, baking soda, salt and dry pudding mix. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and mix in the flour until just incorporated.
- Finally stir in the peppermint candy and the white chips.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets 2- inches apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers are just set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
You can make these cookies smaller, using a medium cookie scoop as well. Bake them for 8-10 minutes.
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I made these for Christmas 2019. They have a great flavor. The only problem I had was they spread badly. I know all the “tricks” for non-spreading cookies – in fact, I baked some from frozen balls in the freezer. The only thing I can think of is that I used too much peppermint chips. I used Atkinson’s Mint Twists Crushed, but I decided to weigh by grams – I used 65 grams of chips as 1/2 cup. My next batch will be 50 grams of chips (and may not wait til Christmas to make them again). As usual, I had to add 3 minutes on the baking time (as with any cookie I make).
Please note, they tasted delicious as frozen balls with 1 minute added for baking. That’s how I made my cookie platters this year. I made all ahead of time and froze in balls. Easiest cookie platters I have ever made!
I made these for a baking competition and I won! I made sure to send the recipe to everyone after so that they can make them for themselves if they want to. I had to add about 3 minutes to the baking time for mine, maybe my oven isn’t as hot as it should be. My white chocolate chips also browned if I put them on top before baking, so instead I added them to the top of the soft cookies after they came out of the oven 🙂
CONGRATS!! So happy you liked them, and great feedback!
I made these yesterday after seeing them on Instagram and they turned out pretty good. I forgot to buy the peppermint extract when i was at the shops but i’m glad i did because i think it would be too much with the extract. The cooking time was definitely longer than the recipe says, one ice cream scoop size cookie needed about 15 minutes in the oven (i did have a thicker tray though i think). They also didn’t look as pretty because the candy cane chunks melted and went all over the tray. I would definitely make these again, my workmates loved them. i liked how they had a nice chewy texture and the flavour combination was amazing.
These looks scrumptious! Question. Can I replace the brown for white sugar? I’m wondering if using white will give a better contrast against the red/pink for that snowy look.
Not trying to change your recipe because it sounds amazing as is.
Just wondering why you chose brown sugar in lieu of white. Does it yield a different texture or flavor you prefer?
THANKS!!
*on my list to make for brunch this year!!*
I made these with gluten free flour last night. AMAZING!!!! This is the first recipe I have found where I could not tell much difference between gluten free and AP flour. Thank You!!!
oooh! Love that feedback!
I have made these twice now and both times they seem to have a flour aftertaste. I am using a hand mixer since I don’t have a stand mixer. All other directions are followed exact. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the flour taste?
I would maybe guess it’s the flour you are using? I have run into an issue in the past where my flour left a very “floury” aftertaste. It was a strange thing that I have only encountered a few times. I switched to a new bag (different brand) of flour and it was fine! Also…it isn’t always the brand, sometimes it’s just an off bag.
Oh my – I have never made a cookie off a blog that turned out as great as these!! So, so delicious. Thank you for creating this recipe! Can’t get over how good they are, and the cookie dough was also amazing. Have I conveyed my love yet?
HA! SO glad you made them and liked them!!
If I stick them in the fridge do you know how long they will keep?
airtight for 5 days 🙂
Is there anything else you can use to replace the peppermint?
I don’t like peppermint, is there something else to use in place? I was thinking maybe chopped up sour balls?
Thanks
You could try that! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!