Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies – Perfect for the Holidays
These chocolate mint sandwich cookies are perfect for Christmas! Make them as sandwich cookies, or try them as double dipped chocolate mint cookies. For that extra dark cocoa flavor (Oreo style), make them with black Dutch processed cocoa powder
These chocolate mint sandwich cookies are one of the boys’ favorite holiday treats. I use a star shaped cookie cutter to dress them up a little, but you could use any cookie cutter shape you like. A round glass works fine, too.
Growing up on the family farm, every Christmas season my mom, my sister and I would bake crazy amounts of cookies. Everyone in the extended family got cookies, plus we’d make a big gingerbread creation.
Gingerbread houses, barns, churches, Santa’s Workshop, log cabins – you name it, it probably came out of mom’s kitchen over the years. I wish I had taken more pictures back in the day, as I can’t remember all of them anymore.
Those days are gone, but my sons and I still make some treats for the holidays. Now there are some less sweet options in the mix, like coconut macaroons and Homemade Mounds or Almond Joy Bars.
There’s still satisfaction basking from scratch that can’t be matched by opening a tube of pre-made dough. I think that’s the most important thing to pass down from generation to generation.
How to Make Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies – Step by Step
This cookie dough is tender, so it works best to chill it overnight. When I’m in cookie baking mode, I like to mix up several types of dough one day and refrigerate them overnight. Then I then do all the baking and decorating the next day.
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (homemade vanilla extract is great if you have it)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
FILLING:
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 3 drops green food coloring, optional
Directions
*Remember to plan for chilling time. Chill for 4 hours or more before baking.
To make the cookies:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Wrap finished dough in plastic wrap or place in sealed contain and refrigerate overnight.
Unwrap dough and roll out 1/8-in thick on parchment paper or reusable parchment paper.
Cut shapes with star cutter or cookie cutter of choice. Make sure to leave a gap of at least 1/4 inch (1 cm) between cookies, as they will grow slightly during baking.
Bake at 325° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are set. Place on wire rack to cool completely. I really like my big 14.5″x20″ grid cooling rack for this. It’s large enough to hold an entire pan of cookies plus additional cooled cookies around the edges.
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To make the filling:
Combine powdered sugar, butter, milk extract and food coloring (if desired). Beat with a stand mixer until smooth. Spread icing on half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.
For faster filling, I place a ziplock bag in a large glass and scoop the icing in. Then I clip off a corner of the bag to use it as a decorating tube.
I set out half the cookies, and divide the icing between them. That way I don’t run out of icing, or put too much on one cookie.
Yield: 6-7 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
Variations
Skip the filling – Turn these into chocolate mint wafer cookies instead of a chocolate mint sandwich cookies. Skip the filling, and instead add 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract to the dough along with the vanilla extract.
Chocolate-dipped chocolate mint cookies – For a double dose of chocolate, after cookies are baked, dip them in chocolate coating.
Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Dip half of each cooled cookie into melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is set.
Dipping is easier with chocolate mint wafer cookies, but if you’re feeling bold you can try it with the chocolate mint sandwich cookies. Substitute white chocolate or dark chocolate chips, and decorate with sprinkles or a chocolate swirl for a fun finish.
Oreo™-style cookies – If you’d like the extra dark look of Oreo™ cookies, use a Black Dutch Processed Cocoa powder. Black Dutch Processed cocoa powder is extremely dark in color, so much so that you use it as black food coloring.
Do you have a favorite holiday baking tradition? I’d love to hear about it.
PrintChocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies
Delicious chocolate cookies wrapped around a light peppermint filling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 9-11 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6–7 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: dessert
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk
For the filling
- 1–1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 to 3 drops green food coloring, optional
Instructions
To make the cookies:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add to the butter mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
- Wrap finished dough in plastic wrap or place in sealed contain and refrigerate overnight.
- Unwrap dough and roll out 1/8-in thick on parchment paper or reusable parchment paper. Cut shapes with cutter of choice. Make sure to leave a gap of at least 1/4 inch (1 cm) between cookies, as they will grow slightly during baking.
- Bake at 325° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are set. Place on wire racks to cool completely.
To make the filling:
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, milk extract and food coloring (if desired). Beat until smooth. Spread icing on half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.
Notes
Variations
Skip the filling – Turn these into chocolate mint wafer cookies instead of a chocolate mint sandwich cookies. Skip the filling, and instead add 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract to the dough along with the vanilla extract.
Chocolate-dipped chocolate mint cookies – For a double dose of chocolate, after cookies are baked, dip them in chocolate coating.
Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Dip half of each cooled cookie into melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is set.
Dipping is easier with chocolate mint wafer cookies, but if you’re feeling bold you can try it with the chocolate mint sandwich cookies. Substitute white chocolate or dark chocolate chips, and decorate with sprinkles or a chocolate swirl for a fun finish.
Oreo™-style cookies – If you’d like the extra dark look of Oreo™ cookies, use a Black Dutch Processed Cocoa powder. Black Dutch Processed cocoa powder is extremely dark in color, so much so that you use it as black food coloring.
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This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie grew up in the kitchen, learning baking and home cooking from her momma. At age 15, she and her mom and two sisters created Irene’s Custom Cakes & Catering. Cooking and baking was her summer job through most of high school and college.
Last updated in 2023.