Irresistible Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars: Your Ultimate Holiday Baking Guide

Get ready to infuse your holiday season with the vibrant cheer and refreshing flavor of Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars! These delightful treats are a true celebration, transforming classic sugar cookies into convenient, shareable bars. Each square is baked to perfection, then crowned with a luscious layer of sweet white chocolate and a festive sprinkle of crushed peppermints. It’s an easy cookie bar recipe that delivers a lovely, refreshing peppermint flavor, making it absolutely perfect for all your Christmas baking needs and holiday gatherings.

Making these peppermint sugar cookie bars is an incredibly smart way to prepare a large batch of festive treats without the extensive effort typically associated with individual cookies. Forget the tedious process of rolling out dozens of dough balls and rotating multiple pans through the oven; baking cookies in bar form is always a more streamlined and efficient approach. You’re going to fall in love with the simplicity and incredible taste of these peppermint cookie bars, especially once you experience the creamy melted white chocolate and crunchy peppermint candies on top!

What Exactly are Peppermint Cookie Bars?

Peppermint cookie bars are a delightful twist on traditional sugar cookies, infused with the invigorating essence of peppermint extract and often colored a vibrant, festive red. Imagine a soft, chewy sugar cookie base, baked in a single pan for ultimate convenience. This rich, buttery cookie is then generously topped with a smooth layer of melted white chocolate, creating a beautiful contrast in both color and flavor. Finally, a generous sprinkling of crushed peppermint candies adds a delightful crunch and an extra burst of minty freshness. Every single bite offers a perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and minty notes, making them as appealing to the eye as they are to the palate. With such a wonderful medley of wintery flavors, these cookies are ideal for serving alongside a warm mug of hot cocoa, enhancing the cozy holiday experience.

Key Ingredients for Peppermint Cookie Bars

Crafting these festive cookie bars requires a few simple, high-quality ingredients that come together to create magic:

• All-Purpose Flour: We’ll need 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This forms the structural foundation of our cookies, providing the perfect balance of chewiness and tenderness. Make sure to measure your flour correctly – spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, rather than scooping directly, to avoid adding too much.
• Salt: Just 3/4 teaspoon of salt is essential. Salt plays a crucial role in enhancing all the other flavors in the dough, preventing the cookies from tasting overly sweet and bringing out the rich, buttery notes.
• Baking Powder: A mere 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder is enough to give these cookie bars a slight lift and tender crumb without making them overly cake-like.
• Unsalted Butter: Two sticks (which equals 1 cup) of softened unsalted butter are required. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the exact amount of salt in the recipe. Ensure your butter is properly softened – it should yield slightly when pressed but not be melted or greasy. This is crucial for achieving a light and fluffy creamed mixture with the sugar.
• Granulated Sugar: For that perfect sweet and chewy texture that sugar cookies are known for, we’re adding 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar. It contributes to both the flavor and the beautiful spread and texture of the bars.
• Large Egg: One large egg acts as a binder, holding the cookie dough ingredients together and adding richness and moisture, contributing to the overall chewiness.
• Red Food Coloring: To achieve that iconic, festive red hue, good quality red food coloring is a must. We highly recommend using a gel-based coloring, such as Wilton’s Gel-based “no flavor” red. Gel colors are far more concentrated than liquid food colorings, meaning you’ll achieve a deep, vibrant red with less product and, crucially, without imparting an unwanted dye flavor that some liquid reds can have.
• Vanilla Extract: Two teaspoons of vanilla extract provide a warm, aromatic base flavor that complements the peppermint beautifully. Use pure vanilla extract for the best results.
• Peppermint Extract: For that signature minty kick, we only need 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Peppermint extract is potent, so start with this amount and avoid adding too much, as a little goes a long way to infuse a wonderful, refreshing mint flavor throughout the cookie bars.
• White Chocolate Chips: Two cups of white chocolate chips (approximately 8 ounces) will create a glorious, creamy topping for our bar cookies. Choose a good quality white chocolate for the best melting and flavor.
• Peppermint Candies: You’ll want about 8-10 crushed peppermint hard candies. This amount ensures you have enough to sprinkle generously over all the cookies, so every bite delivers a satisfying crunchy texture and an additional burst of cool peppermint flavor. Candy canes also work wonderfully here!

How to Make Perfect Peppermint Cookie Bars

Follow these simple steps to create your batch of irresistible Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars:

1. Prepare Your Pan: First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with aluminum foil, ensuring that the foil extends over the edges of the pan. This creates “handles” that will make it incredibly easy to lift the entire batch of baked bars out later. Once lined, lightly grease the foil-lined pan with butter or cooking spray to prevent sticking.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisking ensures these dry ingredients are evenly distributed, leading to a consistent texture in your cookie bars. Set this aside.
3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat them together on medium speed until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale in color. This process, known as “creaming,” incorporates air into the mixture, which is vital for a tender cookie.
4. Add Wet Ingredients: Next, beat in the large egg, red food coloring, and both the vanilla and peppermint extracts. Mix until all these wet ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough has achieved a uniform, vibrant red color. Be patient here to ensure the color is even throughout.
5. Incorporate Dry into Wet: Gradually add the reserved flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Beat gently with the electric mixer on low speed, or stir with a spatula, until just combined. It’s crucial not to overmix the dough once the flour is added, as this can develop the gluten too much, resulting in tough cookie bars. Stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks of flour remain.
6. Press into Pan: Spread the cookie dough evenly into the prepared 9×13 inch baking dish. The dough will be thick, so don’t hesitate to use your hands to press it firmly and uniformly into every corner of the pan. An even layer ensures even baking.
7. Bake to Perfection: Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cookie bars are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking, as this can make the bars dry.
8. Apply White Chocolate Topping: As soon as the cookie bars come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle the white chocolate chips all over the hot surface. Let them sit undisturbed for about 2-4 minutes. The residual heat from the baked bars will gently melt the chocolate chips.
9. Spread and Garnish: Once the white chocolate chips appear sufficiently melted and glossy, use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread the melted chocolate evenly over the entire top of the cookie bars, creating a smooth, luscious frosting. Immediately after spreading the chocolate, sprinkle generously with the crushed peppermints. Work quickly before the chocolate sets.
10. Cool and Serve: Allow the Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars to cool completely at room temperature until the white chocolate topping has fully set. To speed up this process, you can carefully place the pan in the refrigerator for a short period. Once set, use the foil “handles” to lift the entire block of bars out of the pan. Place them on a cutting board and slice into individual bars. Serve and enjoy your festive, minty creations!

Storage Tips: How Long Do Peppermint Cookie Bars Last?

These delightful peppermint cookie bars are best enjoyed fresh, but they also store remarkably well. For optimal flavor and texture, store any leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature. When stored correctly, they will remain wonderfully fresh and delicious for up to a week. While they’ll certainly still be good after a few days, we always recommend enjoying them sooner rather than later to savor that perfect crisp, chew, and minty freshness.

Can You Freeze Peppermint Cookie Bars?

Absolutely! These cookie bars are excellent candidates for freezing, which makes them perfect for holiday meal prep or for stashing away treats for later. You can keep them frozen for up to 2 months. However, there’s a crucial tip to keep in mind regarding the topping. If you plan on freezing the cookies, it is highly recommended NOT to add the white chocolate and peppermint topping before freezing. While this might sound disappointing, it’s for a very good reason. When chocolate thaws, it tends to “sweat” or develop condensation, which can make it appear streaky or dull. Moreover, as crushed peppermint candies unfreeze, they can become gooey and create a runny, messy display of colors, which can detract from both the appearance and texture of your beautiful bars. To ensure the best eating experience, it’s always best to add the freshly melted white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies just before you plan to serve them.

To do this, simply bake and cool the plain peppermint cookie bars. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil before freezing. When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw the bars at room temperature. Then, you can easily melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, heating them in 30-second intervals and stirring well between each interval until smooth and creamy. Drizzle or spread this freshly melted chocolate over the thawed bars and sprinkle with freshly crushed peppermints. This method ensures your cookie bars look and taste as fresh as the day they were baked.

Expert Tips for Perfect Peppermint Cookie Bars

• Measure Accurately: Especially with flour, precise measurement is key. Too much flour can lead to dry, crumbly bars. Use a kitchen scale for the most accurate results, or the spoon-and-level method.
• Softened Butter is a Must: Don’t skip the “softened” part for your butter. Cold butter won’t cream properly with the sugar, leading to a denser cookie. Melted butter will make your dough greasy and spread too much.
• Don’t Overmix: Once you add the flour, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough, dry cookie bars instead of tender, chewy ones.
• Achieve Vibrant Red: As mentioned, gel food coloring is superior for color saturation without thinning the dough or adding unwanted flavor. Start with a few drops, mix, and add more until you reach your desired shade of festive red.
• Crushing Peppermints: For perfectly crushed peppermints, place the candies in a sturdy zip-top bag, remove excess air, and then gently crush them using a rolling pin, meat mallet, or the bottom of a heavy pan. Aim for a mix of fine dust and small pieces for varied texture.
• Even Spreading: For a uniform bake and easy slicing, ensure the dough is spread evenly in the pan. Your hands are often the best tools for this!
• Cool Completely: Resist the urge to cut into the bars while they’re still warm. The chocolate topping needs to set fully, and cooling allows the bars to firm up, making for clean, neat slices.

Serving Suggestions & Variations

These Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars are incredibly versatile and can be adapted to suit various tastes or occasions:

• Holiday Cookie Platters: They make a stunning addition to any holiday cookie assortment, standing out with their vibrant color and unique flavor.
• Edible Gifts: Package them beautifully in festive tins or boxes for homemade gifts that friends, family, and neighbors will adore.
• Warm Beverage Pairings: Serve alongside hot cocoa, coffee, or a cozy peppermint tea for the ultimate winter treat.
• Add a Drizzle: For extra indulgence, once the white chocolate has set, you can drizzle melted dark chocolate or milk chocolate over the top for a contrasting flavor.
• Mint Chocolate Chip Bars: Instead of plain white chocolate, consider using mint-flavored white chocolate chips, or even adding a tiny drop of green food coloring to your melted white chocolate for an extra festive touch.
• Different Candies: While peppermints are classic, experiment with other crushed hard candies or even sprinkles for a different look and crunch.

Discover More Delicious Cookie Recipes!

If you loved these Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars, you’ll definitely want to explore these other fantastic cookie recipes perfect for any occasion:

• Classic Christmas Cut Out Cookies
• Spiced Christmas Shortbread Cookies
• Peppermint Fudge Sugar Cookies
• Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
• Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies
• Peppermint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
• Loaded Reese’s Cookies
• Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies
• M&M Halloween Cookies
• Caramel Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Decadent Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies
• Soft M&M Cookies
• Surprise Chocolate Kiss Cookies

On a personal note, we recently installed a new fireplace insert, and it’s been an absolute game-changer! We’d never truly experienced the joy of a working fireplace before, as our previous insert was quite inefficient and rarely used. Now, with the snow falling outside, we’re lighting it daily, and while my family absolutely loves it, our dogs have taken their affection for it to an entirely new level!

It’s genuinely hilarious to watch them deliberate between their two favorite spots: curling up on Mom’s lap or basking in the warmth of the fireplace? That decision was never a tough one before, but now, it’s a daily internal struggle for them! Ha! It’s these little moments of comfort and joy that truly make the holiday season special, much like sharing a batch of these wonderful Frosted Peppermint Cookie Bars.