Marbled Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies
Buttery peppermint spritz cookies made from one dough split into vanilla and cocoa halves, then loaded into a cookie press together for a marbled swirl. An easy no-chill Christmas cookie with an optional red-swirled white chocolate dip.
Servings 60 cookies
Ingredients
For the Base Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (2 sticks, 226 g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract pure peppermint, not mint
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (281 g)
For the Chocolate Half
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-process or dark
- 1 tablespoon milk plus 1 teaspoon more if needed
For Dipping (optional)
- 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers
- 1 drop red gel food coloring
- 2 candy canes frozen 30 minutes, then crushed
Instructions
Make the Doughs
- Chill 2 or 3 bare metal baking sheets in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth.
- Beat in the egg, peppermint extract and vanilla. On low speed, add the flour in two additions and mix just until no dry streaks remain.
- Remove half of the dough to a plate. Add the cocoa powder and milk to the dough left in the bowl and mix on low until evenly brown and as soft as the vanilla half. Do not chill either dough.
Press and Bake
- Pinch off walnut-size pieces of each dough and drop them into the cookie press barrel, alternating colors. Attach a wreath, flower or star disc.
- Press cookies 1 inch apart onto a cold, bare, ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 6 to 8 minutes, until set and matte and the pale parts are just golden at the edge.
- Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Rinse, dry and re-chill the sheet between batches. Reload the press in the same alternating pattern.
Dip (optional)
- Melt the white chocolate wafers. Add one drop of red gel coloring and swirl once or twice with a toothpick.
- Dip one edge of each cooled cookie, lift straight up, and set on wax paper. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and let set completely.
Notes
- Clean marble: Keep the dough pieces walnut size and never knead the two colors together, or the swirl turns muddy.
- Sheets: Use cold, bare, light-colored metal sheets. Parchment, mats or grease keep the dough from releasing.
- No press: Add 1 tablespoon milk to each dough and pipe rosettes with a ½-inch open star tip onto parchment. Freeze 10 minutes and bake 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make ahead: Refrigerate the doughs up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before pressing.
- Storage: Plain cookies keep airtight 1 week, dipped cookies 5 days. Freeze undecorated cookies up to 3 months.