Peppermint Bark Oatmeal Cookies

Peppermint bark oatmeal cookies are recipe #23 of our “24 Days of Christmas” Holiday baking series where I share 24 recipes over 24 days as a virtual advent countdown to Christmas. Christmas is my favourite holiday, especially when it comes to baking, and I think there are endless creations that we can come up with to reflect the holidays. All 24 holiday recipes will be shared across instagram, tiktok and here on the blog where you can print off the full recipe for your baking pleasure!

These cookies are extra special; they are inspired by my cookies and creme cookie and so the base of the cookie dough is combination of butter and cream cheese. We crumble in a homemade peppermint chocolate bark and bake there a tad under so they are extra soft and gooey. These cookies are easy to make, simple to freeze and the perfect little something to bring to your holiday party or office.

You can use any sprinkles you love for this recipe, but my favourite are Christmas jimmy sprinkles because they are soft and done overly bleed in to the dough. Aside from the peppermint bark, all you need is butter, cream cheese, flour, an egg, cornstarch, baking powder / soda and sugar. And your peppermint bark of course!

You can freeze these cookies before or after baking. If freezing them before baking I would recommend rolling in to balls and freezing that way. Alternatively, you can bake them all and then freeze them after once cooled!

The Ingredients

For some, the combination of white chocolate and candy cane in an oatmeal cookie but seem different, but I am not here to share the same old stuff you have seen before! The cream cheese and the cornstarch create an uber soft, chewy cookie and the oats help to hold it all together. We use just one egg yolk in this recipe to maintain the soft, melt in your mouth texture that I love in these cookies.

I use both white and brown sugar in these cookies because they work together to create the perfect texture and consistency. If you have a strong preference for one type of sugar over the other, this recipe is pretty forgiving and you can make substitutes. However, I use the combination of both because the brown sugar provides moisture yet the white sugar embodies the fine, chewy texture we all know and love of a cookie.

Why I Love These Cookies

I personally love a soft, chewy cookie. I am the person eating spoons of the cookie dough when I am making a batch of cookies because I genuinely love cookie dough just as much as a cookie…. and a soft, chewy cookie is just as satisfying to me! The combination of white chocolate and candy cane is an elite pairing, it is sweet and creamy yet has the tang of the peppermint.

Another reason I love these cookies is because of the use of cream cheese and corn starch; both of these ingredients work hard to create a chewy texture while still maintain the shape of the cookie.

Making Ahead of Time

I would recommend making the peppermint bark ahead of time if you can, but making it same day is also completely fine. I would even recommend making a large batch of peppermint bark because lets be honest, you are going to want to snack on some too!

How to Make

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and grabbing your ingredients. You are going to want an electric mixer with a medium sized bowl and a 2 parchment lined baking sheets, one for the peppermint bark and one for baking the cookies
• Start by making the bark! Grab your parchment lined baking sheet (or cutting board). Melt 1 cup of white chocolate, either on the stove in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one.
• Once your chocolate has melted, pour this out on to the baking sheet and use the back of a spoon to even out. Sprinkle the crushed candy cane on top and stick in the fridge!
• In your electric mixer bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese and sugars, mix well until creamed together. Next, add in the whole egg and the extra egg yolk.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and baking powder and then gradually add this to the wet mixture on medium speed until well combined.
• Fold in your oats.
• Break apart your peppermint bark using your hands and then add to the electric mixer on medium speed which will continue to break the pieces up smaller.
• Scoop out 2 tbsp sized balls of cookie dough and put 8-10 evenly on your baking tray. The cookie dough will spread slightly while baking, if you have a cookie shaper I would recommend using this! Or the mouth of a wide glass.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven; allow these to cool completely and enjoy!