Peppermint Mocha Shortbread Cookies

These peppermint mocha shortbread cookies are just like the coffee house drink but in chewable form. Put some on your Christmas cookie trays to take them to the next level!

Buttery chocolate shortbread with a hint of mocha goodness topped with chocolate and peppermint.  The combination makes for the most delicious peppermint mocha shortbread cookies. They are great dipped in a cup of coffee or on a Christmas treat tray.

I know plenty of people who are gaga over pumpkin spice lattes. You know the kind. August rolls around and they anxiously await the announcement that they are coming and they run to the coffee shop the first day they are available.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll very happily drink one if you’re bringing it to me. It’s rude to say no to delicious things after all.

But that is not the flavor I’m anxiously awaiting. Nope, peppermint mocha has the key to my heart! To be honest though, I rarely make it to coffee shops.

Life is busy and when it’s not busy I’d rather be in jammy pants than coffee shops. Just me? Oh boy, I’ve probably said too much again!

But that doesn’t mean I don’t want those flavors. I’m no barista and coffee is normally had black around here, so I’m not sure I could recreate the drink.

However I can turn it into a cookie! And while I’m laying it all out there, I’d rather chew my calories anyway! 😉

Now that we’re done with the part where I tell you way too much about myself. Let’s learn a bit more about what we’re really here for, cookies!  We start with a chocolate shortbread base and add just enough coffee extract to give them that deep mocha flavor. 

Imagine that buttery shortbread bite full of chocolate and coffee flavor. As if that wasn’t good enough, I took chocolate frosting I like to use for spreading on stackable cookies and added a couple more drops of coffee extract.

Smooth some over the cooled shortbread and sprinkle with some crushed candy canes for a festive and out of this world delicious treat.

I just loved the crumb of the shortbread with the rich creamy frosting.   The candy canes are both a festive decoration and the perfect way to add a hint of peppermint flavor without taking it too far. 

You want it to be there and delicious without punching you in the face.

If you like these coffee house inspired treats, you may also like dark and delicious mocha chip cookies. Or maybe coffee and cream sponge cake is more your style.

For a different twist on cookies, try chocolate chip cookies made with lard. Or maybe you’ll like dark chocolate cut out cookies.

5 from 5 ratings

Peppermint Mocha Shortbread Cookies

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Author: Carlee

Servings: 36 Cookies

These peppermint mocha shortbread cookies are just like the coffee house drink but in chewable form. Put some on your Christmas cookie trays to take them to the next level!

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Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 30 minutes mins

Total: 55 minutes mins

Equipment

• KitchenAid  5-Qt. Stand Mixer 
• Bench Scrape

Ingredients 

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Mocha Shortbread Cookies

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ▢ ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coffee extract
• ▢ 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 pinch salt

Mocha Chocolate Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup chocolate chips
• ▢ 1½ Tablespoons butter
• ▢ ¼ cup milk
• ▢ 1½ cups powdered sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon coffee extract
• ▢ 1 candy cane crushed

Instructions 

Cookies

• Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add coffee extract and beat until combined.
  1 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon coffee extract
• In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, powdered sugar, flour and salt until combined and free of clumps.
  ⅓ cup cocoa powder, ⅔ cup powdered sugar, 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 pinch salt
• Gently mix dry mix into butter. Beat until just combined.
• Bring dough together with your hands, kneading it a bit if you need to in order to get it into a cohesive ball. Place it on a large sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into a log about 1½-2-inch in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour but up to a few days.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Slice dough into disks about ¼-inch thick.
• Bake for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie tray and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mocha Icing

• In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, butter and milk. Be sure to stir constantly and remove from heat once the chips and butter are melted.
  ½ cup chocolate chips, 1½ Tablespoons butter, ¼ cup milk
• Whisk in the powdered sugar and coffee extract until smooth.
  1½ cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon coffee extract
• Spread over cooled cookies while the frosting is still warm. Heat it back up a bit as you go if needed to keep it a good spreading consistency.
• Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy canes over the top while the frosting before it sets.
  1 candy cane

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 50mg | Sugar: 8g

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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