Peppermint mocha cookies recipe

In addition to holiday music in department stores and colored lights adorning houses everywhere, there’s one more sign of the season that always causes a lot of excitement: The arrival of elaborate peppermint drinks at coffee shops. Peppermint mochas are popular for a reason the minty addition of the season’s iconic candy to your daily pick-me-up elevates it to full holiday status. To enjoy these flavors in another Christmastime favorite cookies we paired a rich mocha-flavored cookie with a peppermint frosting. But rather than adding a mere sprinkling of espresso powder to our chocolate cookies, we incorporated a whole half cup of brewed espresso. This gave the cookies a real jolt while also providing moisture to the rich, cakey cookies. We topped off these cookies in equally bold fashion, amping up a simple butter-and-sugar frosting with peppermint extract and adding a red food coloring. We could have stopped there but couldn’t resist finishing these cookies with one last bit of festive flair: crushed peppermints. Once the cookies are frosted, sprinkle them immediately with the crushed peppermint candies; if you let the frosting dry, the candy won’t stick. Once frosted, the cookies are best served within 1 day.