These Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are like eating mint chip ice cream in the form of a warm, buttery, gooey cookie. They’re crisp on the edges while perfectly tender and chewy in the center. They are SO easy to make, and perfect for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, or any random Tuesday! Originally posted February 24, 2015.
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
I totally forgot Truman at home when I was heading out somewhere today. I got halfway to where I was going before I realized I had left him napping. Here’s the part where I rush home right?
Nah. I figured Truman could use some lessons on independence anyway. I mean, our house is pretty baby proof, right? He can deal.
Just kidding! I’m not a monster! But I really did finish my (very short) errand before heading home. In my defense, Truman was asleep the whole time, so he didn’t miss me. Idle Parent of the Year Award right here guys.
People who know my kids are always going on about how laid back and “easy” they are. They just don’t really demand as much attention as some kids. (I know I’m going to get major payback come the teen years). I think that if my kids lived thousands of years ago, they would have been eliminated by natural selection by now. I would be out picking berries or something, set my baby down somewhere, and forget about them because they are so quiet.
My sister was saying one time that natural selection is probably the reason toddlers are so adorably cute. After the 15th tantrum in a row, the ugly ones were removed from the evolutionary cycle, or in other words strangled by their frazzled mothers.
The result? Completely non-strangle-able children. With duckfaces to boot.
Mint forever
Do you guys love Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? True confession here…it’s not my favorite. I LOVE mint, but I hate the teeny tiny pieces of waxy chocolate. Why don’t they make Mint Fudge Swirl Ice Cream? Or how bout just MINT? I would love that.
Anyway, these cookies are perfect for me because I get All The Mint, minus waxy chocolate, plus gooey melty darkness. WIN. The secret for extra chocolate is to chop up half the chips. That way you get big pockets of chocolate with the small pieces adding the flavor throughout the cookie.
Ingredients For Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here’s what you’re going to need!
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Peppermint extract
- Green food coloring
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Kosher salt
- Dark chocolate chips. Semi sweet is fine too!
What brand of mint chocolate is best?
Good news, you don’t need any special mint chocolate to make these cookies! All you need is a little peppermint extract and some dark chocolate. And make sure you are using peppermint extract, not mint extract! Say no to toothpaste cookies!
How to make Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are SUPER easy to make. Here’s the basic idea:
- Beat together butter and sugar.
- Add in some eggs, peppermint extract, and food coloring.
- Add in dry ingredients.
- Add dark chocolate chips, half of them chopped.
- Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour.
- Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.
Now that you’ve got the basic overview, let’s talk details!
First things first, cream your butter and sugar together. Take a couple minutes to do this, let the chemistry happen! We’re not just doing this part for fun. You really need to beat for a couple minutes to get enough air beaten into your butter and sugar.
How to make chocolate chip cookies chewy
Keeping cookies chewy has a lot to do with the level of fat in your cookie dough. More fat = more chewiness. This recipe calls for lotsa butter (fat) and even an extra egg yolk, hold the white please.
This extra egg yolk brings in tons of flavorful moisture in addition to some extra fat, so don’t skip it. I know it’s kind of annoying to split an egg, but you won’t be annoyed once you bite into the center of your unbelievably gooey and chewy cookie!
Once your eggs are mixed in, you’ll add in the peppermint extract (peppermint! Not regular mint! Say no to toothpaste cookies!) and a few drops of green food coloring. Don’t go too wild, you can always add more. And keep in mind that the green color will intensify the longer it’s in the dough.
Once you’ve added in the flour and dry ingredients, it’s really important not to over beat your cookie dough. When the flour is mostly mixed in (but not all the way), add in your chocolate, scrape down the edges, and mix it the rest of the way. You can see in the photo below that I totally had lots of flour still on the edges when I added in my chocolate. The less beating, the better! Make sure you scrape down the sides, but the minute the flour streaks are gone, stop!
I also really love to chop half of my chocolate chips into itty bitty shards to get chocolate flavor in every single bite. So good!
How Long To Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Once the dough is done and you have chosen NOT to eat all of it straight out of the bowl, bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes, or until BARELY starting to brown on the edges.
How To Make Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies Softer?
No over-baking!! The most important thing to remember for soft and chewy cookies is not to leave them in the oven too long! You will bake all the moisture and softness right out of them, no matter how much fat and moisture you add to your dough.
The centers should be mostly matte be (not -shiny) when you take them out, but a little shine is okay. No more shine in the center than a surface area about the size of a quarter. Tap the edge of the cookie with your finger. It should feel a bit firm. Knowing when to take cookies out of the oven takes a bit of practice, but don’t stress! You can do this!
Now for some general FAQ to help you get the BEST Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies of your life!
Tips for Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Use high quality chocolate
- Beat the butter and sugar together very well
- Don’t over beat the dough after adding flour (it will make your cookies tough)
- Chill the dough to help the flavors deepen, and to help your cookies bake up tall and not flat.
- Don’t over bake!
Why Are My Mint Cookies Flat?
Nobody wants a mint chocolate pancake. We want a gorgeously TALL, chewy, small mountain of a mint cookie. There are a few techniques that help us get there:
- Chill the cookie dough.
- Preheat your oven all the way (cold dough hitting a hot oven helps cookies not to melt flat.)
- Shape the dough balls into an egg shape, instead of a ball shape, and balance it on the end. This will help them stay tall in the middle while baking.
- Use the “spoon trick” as described in my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Basically, use a spoon to smoosh the edges of the cookie toward the center when they are JUST out of the oven. This manual shove helps the centers of the cookies stay fudgy, and gives the cookies that perfectly tall, round shape.
How To Make Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies Fluffy?
Fluffy is not really what we are going for with this cookie. Fluffy cookies could also be called cakey, and we don’t want fluffy cake. We want chewy cookies. Homemade cookies are crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. They puff up only slightly. Here’s what you need to remember:
- Don’t overmix the dough after adding flour, so that your cookies are nice and tender.
- Shape the dough balls into an egg shape and bake them on end (this makes them ultra fudgy in the centers
- DO NOT over bake! It dries out your cookies!
- Seal the cookies in an air-tight container as soon as they’ve cooled to keep them soft and chewy.
And that’s a wrap! These would be super fun to make for St. Patrick’s Day coming up! The bright green makes them so festive.
These cookies are also very popular at Christmas time. You could try changing it up by adding red food coloring to half the dough, and green to the other half. That would be so cute!
More recipes to love!
- Mint Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies << Can’t be bothered to make these individually? Make one big one.
- Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies << These are so festive for Christmas!
- 30 Minute Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies << The classic, the best.
- Thin Mint Mint Cookies << You read that right, use the Girl Scout Cookies for the ultimate cookie
- Fudgy Mint Chocolate Brownies << Maybe you know it as a BYU staple. Either way – legit!
- Perfectly Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles << My absolute fav.
- The Softest Peanut Butter Cookies of Your Life << For real.
- Soft and Chewy Andes Mint Cookies << A classic!!
- Candy Lasses << These are some of my favorite cookies of all time!
- Easy Mint Chip Sweet Rolls from Crazy for Crust
- Mint Chip Brownie Ice Cream Squares from Glorious Treats
- Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge from Sally’s Baking Addiction
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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, or more to taste
- 10 drops green food coloring
- 3 & 1/4 cups flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces dark chocolate chips, divided (semi sweet chips are fine!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line one or more baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat on medium for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs + yolk, peppermint extract, and food coloring.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and combine until the flour is not quite incorporated.
- Add half of the chocolate chips to the dough.* Chop the other half coarsely, with a knife or in a food processor.
- Add the chopped chocolate to the dough, and mix until just combined.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for about an hour.**
- Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to form balls of dough and shape them into a long oval shape (not a ball shape, think more egg shape). Place them on the cookie sheet (the tall way) lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. These are very large cookies, I only did 8 cookies per pan.
- Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes, or until BARELY starting to brown on the edges. The centers should mostly be not-shiny when you take them out, but a little shine is okay.
- Let cool 5 minutes on the pan, then remove to a cooling rack.
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
I’m back with my parents for quarantine and have been making these cookies like once a week (some clear stress-baking LOL). This is an AMAZING recipe!! I made them with the tartar and without and didn’t notice much of a difference, but I’m no professional, so what do I know? Haha! Thank you for the great cookie idea! Will definitely take this recipe back for my college roommates.
So glad you are enjoying the recipe Hannah! Mint cookies ftw! Hope you and the rents are staying safe during quarantine!
Will this recipe work with mint extract instead of peppermint extract? How much of a difference will there be in taste? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sandy! I haven’t tried it with mint. It might taste a little more toothpaste-y. Definitely start with a small amount and taste the dough!
My son loves anything Mint Chocolate. I will have to make these for him. He will totally be so excited.
I hope he loves them! Enjoy!
I want to make a cookie pie/pizza using this recipe what should I do differently or how do I alter the directions? Please advise soon as possible. Thank you
Hi Connie! Here is the skillet cookie version of this recipe: https://thefoodcharlatan.com/mint-chocolate-chip-skillet-cookie-recipe/ Enjoy!
Hi Food Charlatan – Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. You have a great talent. My printer is now stacked with many of your recipes, which I need to pick up before my husband gets to the printer!!
I love these cookies! My then 11 year old daughter first found this recipe and made them when she was home during winter break. I brought them to work and everyone devoured them, I’m about to make them again for the Christmas bake sale next weekend at church, I’m salivating looking at the photos.
As for the reviewer comment stating food coloring is really bad. They are all regulated by FDA for food grade and go through a lot of testing to confirm it’s safe for human consumption. FDA would pull it from the market, if there was compelling evidence of coloring causing harm to people.
Hi Maryellen, I’m so glad you and your daughter are enjoying the cookies! They are a Christmas classic! And I’m glad you are finding other recipes to enjoy too, that is awesome. Let me know what else you try! Thank you so much for commenting!
These are excellent cookies. The batter freezes well too.
Great tip Debb! I love freezing cookie dough too. Then you always have some on hand! Thanks for the comment :)
Food colouring is really bad for you – especially for kids.
All things in moderation I say! :)
If you are worried about it, then just do not make it with the food coloring. Just a suggestion. :)
I’ve made these 3 times. Everyone loved them in my Christmas goodie bags, so I made them again for Christmas dinner with my Grandma and they were gone by the end of the night. The 3rd time, I was impatient and didn’t want to wait for the butter to thaw, so I used butter shortening. TERRIBLE IDEA! The dough turned out awful, super crumbly. I had to fix it by adding an egg and some water and now they just fall apart. These are amazing cookies when you follow the directions haha.
Ahh so sad Jessica! I’m glad you chimed in, now I will know that you can’t use that as a substitute! Thanks for commenting, better luck next time!
Curious if I’m using pure peppermint oil (Young Living), do you know how much? Would you think it would be less? Thanks!
Hey Allison! I’ve never tried this with peppermint oil, so you will have to do some experimenting!
Hi! thank you for all your very nice receipes you share with us. I’m making the Mint Chocolate chips cookies and I want to know if I can make them in a different size. Yhank’s again
Hi Alonso! Thank you for reading the blog! :) Absolutely, you can make these cookies any size you want, just lower the baking time and keep an eye on them. They are done when the shine on top is nearly gone.
Hi, May I use regular chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips? Or is very important the dark chocolate-mint combination?
Thank’s
Hey Alonso, any kind of chocolate will work great!
what if i dont use cream of tartar. will that affect it? whats an alternative?
Hey Steve! Cream of Tartar helps activate the baking soda, I haven’t tried making them without it. They also add a bit of tart flavor that I love in these cookies. Let me know how it goes if you make it without!
I love mint also. If you can get Mayfield ice cream, try the Peppermint Stick ice cream. It is seasonal (around Christmas) and is a flavor from my childhood many, many years ago. I have tried every other peppermint ice cream that I have seen. but none are as good as the Mayfield.
Ooh okay I will check it out Ann! Thanks for the recommendation!
Purdy’s mint meltie ice cream. Lordy. It will change your life 👌
This recipe looks delicious! I grew up with my mom making these: http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?id=1057 if you’re looking for something new. Thanks for posting !
Okay I looked up Purdy’s, I need this in my life!! Where do you get the ice cream?? Even searching online it was hard to find! And thank you for the recipe, I will have to try it out!
When I took my first taste, I thought I wasn’t crazy about these cookies. Once I set aside my preconceived idea of what a chocolate chip cookie “should” taste like, I became crazy about the minty addition to the standard. A whole new concept! These will be made again, and again!
Hey Pat, I’m so glad you came around to the minty side!! I’m obsessed with it! I’m so glad you tried them out. Thanks for letting me know! I love hearing conversion stories like this ;)