Can you think of a more classic flavor for winter and Christmas than the chocolate and peppermint combo? There’s no better way to celebrate the season than to make Chocolate Peppermint Sourdough Cookies! They’re delicious, they have the added health benefits of sourdough, and they make amazing and beautiful handmade gifts!

Supplies
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- Large bowl
- Spatula
- Large cookie dough scoop
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard (stirred down)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate chunks for this recipe)
- 4 tbsp. crushed peppermint (or 4 crushed candy canes) (here’s the organic candy canes that I use because they are all natural and have no artificial colors or flavors!)

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, use a spatula to thoroughly stir the brown sugar and soft butter together. Add the sourdough starter discard, egg yolks, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and stir just until combined (be careful not to over-mix the dough). Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed candy canes.
- Using the dough scoop, place 6 scoops of dough onto each baking sheet, spaced out well because the dough will spread when it’s baked. This recipe will make 12 total jumbo cookies.
- Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until the edges are slightly crisp and the center is cooked but still soft. You may choose to bake a little longer for a crunchier cookie.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Substitutions
- You can substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar if that is what you have on hand.
- If you only have unsalted butter, you can use it in place of the salted butter, and then just add 1/4 tsp. additional salt to the recipe.
- If all you have is active sourdough starter, you can use it in the recipe! It may result in a thicker, more cake-like cookie consistency than had discard been used.
- For the chocolate chips, you can use whatever kind that you want. You could sliver up a chocolate bar, use chocolate chunks, or white chocolate chips. You can even get fancy and drizzle melted white chocolate on the baked cookies once they cool down, and immediately sprinkle with additional crushed candy canes for an even more beautiful treat! It makes a great gift to wrap your chocolate peppermint sourdough cookies.

Can I freeze cookie dough?
Yes! You can shape the unbaked cookie dough into balls, and then freeze for later use. You can bake frozen dough straight from the freezer, though it may take a few additional minutes in the oven. I recommend that you let the dough come to room temperature before baking for the most perfect chocolate peppermint sourdough cookies.

How to Make Long Fermented Sourdough Cookies
In order to have a long-fermented sourdough cookie, you will need to make the dough in advance. Simply follow the directions as usual, but then refrigerate the dough for 3-4 days to allow enough time for the sourdough starter to ferment or “sour” the grains. This provides both flavor and health benefits!
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, let the dough sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking.
Chocolate Peppermint Sourdough Cookies
Course: Natural Food12
servings5
minutes16
minutes340
kcalThese ooey gooey chocolate peppermint sourdough cookies are the best treat all winter long! They also make great Christmas gifts, and are perfect for bringing to a Christmas cookie exchange!
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sourdough starter discard (stirred down)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate chunks for this recipe)
4 crushed candy canes (4 tbsp.) (these candy canes are all natural and have no artificial colors or flavors!)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, use a spatula to thoroughly stir the brown sugar and soft butter together. Add the sourdough starter discard, egg yolks, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and stir just until combined (be careful not to over-mix the dough).
Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. - Using the dough scoop, place 6 scoops of dough onto each baking sheet, spaced out well because the dough will spread when it’s baked. This recipe will make 12 total jumbo cookies.
- Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until the edges are slightly crisp and the center is cooked but still soft. You may choose to bake a little longer for a crunchier cookie.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Approximate Nutritional Information (per cookie): 340 calories, 5g protein, 16g fats, 44g carbs, 170mg sodium
- You can use active starter or discard for this recipe.
- Try different combinations of chocolate chips, such as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and/or white chocolate chips
- For a beautiful gift idea, you can drizzle melted white chocolate on the baked cookies once cooled, and immediately sprinkle with additional crushed candy canes. Box them up pretty and tie them up with candy cane twine.
- For long fermented sourdough cookies, refrigerate the dough for about 3-4 days, and then allow to come to room temperature (for about one hour) before baking.