Why It Works
- Using refined coconut oil in addition to butter keeps the dough firmer at the start of baking.
- Dutch-process cocoa gives the cookies deeper color and smoother chocolate flavor by eliminating the acidity of natural cocoa.
- Briefly freezing the rolled dough firms the fats in the dough so the cookies cut cleanly and hold their shape when baked.
There’s undeniable holiday magic in the combination of peppermint and chocolate—the cool jolt of mint against deep cocoa feels instantly wintry. These sandwich cookies take that familiar pairing and turn it into something polished but playful: a whipped peppermint buttercream flecked with crushed peppermint candy sandwiched between crisp-edged chocolate shortbread cookies that stay tender with every bite. They’re festive and perfect for parties and holiday cookie swaps.
Making the Perfect Chocolate Sandwich Cookie
Anyone who’s ever eaten a sandwich cookie knows the classic pitfall: The cookie is so crisp it snaps in half the second you bite in, sending the filling squishing out the back. A great sandwich cookie needs balance—a clean snap at the edges with just enough give in the center so your teeth sink through without collateral damage.
This recipe comes from our colleague Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, who set out to engineer exactly that texture: a chocolate cookie that bakes up sharp-edged and tidy but never dry, brittle, or overly crunchy. She starts with Dutch-process cocoa, which gives the cookies their deep color and smooth, rounded chocolate flavor. Because it’s been treated with alkali, Dutch-process cocoa is less acidic than natural cocoa, making it taste more balanced in a cookie.
A strategic blend of butter and refined coconut oil gives the cookies their crisp edges and tender bite. The butter brings richness, but it also contains water, which can lead to puffing and less-defined edges. So to ensure this doesn’t happen, the butter is balanced with refined coconut oil, which behaves more like shortening: It’s firm, water-free, and melts cleanly, helping the cookies hold their shape while still baking up tender. It’s important to use refined coconut oil here, since unrefined (or virgin) coconut oil retains coconut aromas that would compete with the chocolate and peppermint flavor.
The dough comes together by creaming the fats with sugar until light, then adding the egg yolk, cream, and extracts before the dry ingredients are mixed in just until combined—a step that prevents excess gluten development and keeps the cookies tender.
Rolling the dough between sheets of parchment paper prevents sticking, eliminating the need to dust the surface with extra flour. Too much flour can dry out the dough, toughen its texture, and mute the chocolate flavor. Because the dough softens quickly, briefly freezing the rolled sheet is essential—it firms the dough just enough so the cutter can punch through cleanly. That chill also helps the cookies hold their sharp edges once they hit the heat.
Half of the cookies get a small cutout—a classic linzer-style “window”—while the remaining rounds stay whole for the bottoms. The dough is sturdy but still tender, so the inner cutouts lift out easily (a toothpick helps if needed). Once baked, the cookies should cool completely so the frosting can set properly.
A Peak Holiday Frosting
The filling is a classic American-style buttercream whipped until fluffy and smooth. Butter forms the base, beaten with powdered sugar and just enough cream to keep the texture pipeable without making it loose. Vanilla rounds out the flavor, and a small amount of peppermint extract brings a frosty finish.
Finely crushed soft peppermint candies are folded in at the end, adding small pops of mint and a bit of welcome crunch.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Claire Spollen
A Sparkly Finish
Once the cookies are fully cooled, the whole rounds get a layer of peppermint buttercream piped onto their flat sides. The cut-out cookies are then gently pressed on top, creating a sandwich with a window of buttercream in the center. A light shower of crushed peppermint is optional, but it adds a sparkle that fits the season.
As the cookies rest, the chocolate layers soften slightly against the buttercream while holding their crisp edges, giving each sandwich a balanced bite of deep cocoa and cool mint. The buttercream spreads easily and stays put, so the cookies bite cleanly rather than squishing apart. It all adds up to a cookie with the right amount of holiday flair—festive enough for any holiday party.
This recipe was developed by Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.
