Delicious Peppermint Meltaway Cookies: Your Ultimate Guide to Holiday Baking

Embrace the festive spirit with enchanting Peppermint Meltaway Cookies – a truly delightful treat that promises a unique melt-in-your-mouth texture paired with an explosion of rich, refreshing peppermint flavor. These aren’t just any cookies; they are the quintessential Christmas peppermint cookies, designed to bring joy and a buttery sweetness to your holiday celebrations. From their delicate crumb to their vibrant peppermint glaze, every bite is a testament to simple elegance and festive cheer. Perfect for sharing with loved ones or indulging in a quiet moment, these meltaway cookies embody the warmth and magic of the season.

The universal appeal of these homemade peppermint cookies lies in their incredible versatility and effortless charm. Whether you’re planning a grand holiday gathering, searching for a heartwarming homemade gift, or simply craving a sweet escape, these cookies fit every occasion. Crafted with just a few accessible ingredients, this recipe transforms basic pantry staples into an extraordinary seasonal delight. They capture the very essence of the holidays, making them a cherished tradition in many homes and a must-try for any baking enthusiast.

What Exactly Are Peppermint Meltaway Cookies?

As their name beautifully suggests, Peppermint Meltaway Cookies are designed to literally dissolve in your mouth, leaving behind a harmonious blend of flavors. The cookie base itself is exquisitely soft and boasts a subtle, yet distinct, peppermint flavor that is both invigorating and comforting. This delicate foundation is then crowned with a thick, sweet glaze, generously speckled with crushed peppermint candies, adding a delightful crunch and an intensified burst of minty freshness. It’s a symphony of textures and tastes that makes these cookies truly unforgettable.

For home bakers and dessert connoisseurs alike, these particular meltaway cookies represent an opportunity to elevate your holiday baking repertoire. The meticulous balance between the cooling sensation of peppermint and the rich creaminess of the cookie creates an unparalleled taste experience. Each batch is guaranteed to impress, making them a highly sought-after treat during the holiday season. In my own family, these have become a beloved holiday staple, eagerly anticipated and savored by all. We adore baking these for our family and friends, and they consistently receive rave reviews. This holiday season, I wholeheartedly encourage you to try this recipe and discover the incredible taste of these festive treats for yourself!

Why You’ll LOVE These Amazing Peppermint Cookies

There are countless reasons to fall in love with these easy and elegant peppermint cookies, especially during the bustling holiday season:

• Simple, Accessible Ingredients. This recipe prioritizes ease without sacrificing flavor. You’ll find yourself reaching for common pantry staples like powdered sugar, all-purpose flour, and rich butter. These foundational ingredients are expertly combined to create that signature melt-in-your-mouth experience. The star flavor, peppermint extract, is readily available in the baking aisle of any major grocery store, ensuring that you can whip up these festive treats with minimal fuss and no specialized shopping trips.
• Straightforward, Beginner-Friendly Steps. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary journey, the instructions for these meltaway cookies are designed to be clear, concise, and incredibly easy to follow. Each step is broken down, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable baking process. There are no complicated techniques or elaborate equipment required, making this an ideal recipe for anyone looking to bake impressive holiday cookies without feeling overwhelmed.
• Generous Yield for Sharing (or Indulging!). With every batch yielding a generous two dozen cookies, you’ll have an abundance of these delightful Christmas peppermint cookies. This makes them perfect for sharing with neighbors, gifting to teachers, bringing to holiday potlucks, or simply stocking up your own cookie jar to enjoy throughout the week. The ample quantity ensures there’s enough to spread holiday cheer and satisfy everyone’s sweet cravings.

Peppermint Meltaway Cookie Ingredients

Crafting the perfect Peppermint Meltaway Cookies begins with understanding the role each ingredient plays in achieving their signature texture and flavor.

For the Cookies, You Will Need:

• Butter: You will need 1 cup of softened unsalted butter. Butter is the heart of these cookies, providing an unparalleled richness and contributing significantly to their delicate, tender crumb. Softened butter creams beautifully, incorporating air for a light texture.
• Powdered Sugar: Use ½ cup of powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar). Unlike granulated sugar, powdered sugar dissolves more completely into the dough, resulting in a remarkably soft, almost crumbly texture and a subtle, refined sweetness.
• Peppermint Extract: Adding ¾ tsp of pure peppermint extract is crucial for infusing the cookies with their vibrant, refreshing flavor. Be sure to use a good quality extract for the best taste.
• All-Purpose Flour: The base and structure of these delightful cookies are built with 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour. It provides the necessary gluten to hold the cookies together while allowing the other ingredients to create that signature melt-away sensation.
• Cornstarch: The secret ingredient for that ethereal, melt-in-your-mouth texture! Adding ½ cup of cornstarch to the dough works by interfering with gluten development, creating cookies that are incredibly tender, almost lighter than air, and truly deserving of their “meltaway” name.

For the Glaze, You Will Need:

• Powdered Sugar: You will need 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar, which forms the smooth, sweet base of our dreamy peppermint glaze. Its fine texture ensures a silky, lump-free finish.
• Milk: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk (dairy or non-dairy works). This is used to adjust the consistency of the glaze, ensuring it’s thin enough to drizzle beautifully over the cooled cookies but still thick enough to coat them evenly without being too runny.
• Peppermint Extract: Use ¼ tsp of peppermint extract to perfectly flavor the glaze, enhancing the overall minty profile of the peppermint meltaway cookies.
• Crushed Peppermint Candies: A generous sprinkle of crushed peppermints over the top of the glazed cookies serves as both a festive decoration and a textural delight, adding a pleasant crunch and an extra burst of mint. While you can crush your own candy canes, pre-crushed peppermints are often available in the baking section around the holidays, making preparation even easier.

How to Make Peppermint Meltaways: A Step-by-Step Guide

Making these delightful Peppermint Meltaway Cookies is a straightforward and enjoyable process. Follow these simple steps for perfect results every time:

Prepare the Cookie Dough

Begin by combining the softened butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric handheld mixer, beat these ingredients together until the mixture becomes wonderfully light, fluffy, and creamy. This creaming process is vital for incorporating air, which contributes to the cookies’ signature delicate texture.

Next, gradually add in the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Mix again on low speed, just until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated and a soft, cohesive dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tougher cookies.

Chill the Dough for Perfect Texture and Flavor

Once your dough is ready, cover the mixing bowl or transfer the dough to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the dough to chill for a minimum of 1 hour. This chilling step is absolutely crucial for several reasons: it allows the flavors of the peppermint and butter to meld and deepen, resulting in a more pronounced and harmonious taste. More importantly, chilling solidifies the butter within the dough, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking, ensuring they maintain their shape and achieve that amazing depth of flavor and perfect meltaway texture.

Baking Your Peppermint Meltaway Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; this prevents sticking and ensures even baking. Set them aside.

Remove the chilled cookie dough from the fridge. Scoop out approximately 2 teaspoonfuls of dough for each cookie and gently roll them into smooth balls. Place these dough balls onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each to allow for slight spreading.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges appear lightly golden. Keep a close eye on them, as ovens can vary. The cookies will still look pale in the center, which is exactly what you want for that signature soft texture.

Once baked, allow the peppermint meltaway cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. They are quite fragile when warm, so this brief cooling period helps them firm up. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before glazing. Handle with care to prevent breakage.

Creating the Irresistible Peppermint Glaze

While your cookies are cooling, prepare the vibrant peppermint glaze. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk until the mixture is completely smooth and free of lumps. If the glaze appears too thick, add the second tablespoon of milk, a tiny bit at a time, until you reach a consistency that is thin enough to drizzle elegantly over the cookies but still opaque enough to provide a good coating. You want a consistency that slowly drizzles off your spoon, not runs like water.

Once the cookies are completely cool, proceed to drizzle the prepared glaze generously over the tops. Immediately after glazing each cookie, sprinkle the crushed peppermints over the top. This ensures the peppermint pieces adhere beautifully to the wet glaze. Serve these festive cookies immediately and savor every delicious, melt-in-your-mouth bite!