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Super Fun Candy Cane Brookies Recipe

These candy cane brookies are so fun to make and eat – and definitely in my top 10 of favorite Christmas cookie. Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

(See the list at the end of the article for more of my favorite Christmas cookies.)

What is a brookie?

Brookies are a combination brownie and cookie. They have the taste and texture of a brownie but in cookie form, the best of both worlds, really.

Rather than creaming butter and sugar like a cookie, you melt butter and chocolate together with cocoa powder like you do a brownie. This changes the texture and makes for a soft and chewy brownie like cookie.

Fingers holding a chocolate cookie with a bite taken out over other cookies.

What kind of candy canes should we use for baking?

We used gently crushed cherry candy canes, and that was such a fun flavor to include in these. However, chocolate and peppermint always pair perfectly, so use traditional candy canes or cherry candy canes, whichever you prefer.

I will warn you that candy canes melt when you bake them. Do not eat these cookies hot. Let them cool so that you don’t burn yourself with molten sugar.

Candy canes melt completely as they bake, so you do not see them the way you see chocolate chips in other cookies, for example.

If you do not have candy canes, you can use peppermint star candies instead. Use 18-20 peppermint candies in place of the 5 candy canes.

Overhead shot of chocolate candy cane cookies on a wooden board.

How to crush candy canes

This is a perfect job for kids to help you with. Little Miss was in charge of the candy canes.

She placed 5 candy canes into a small plastic bag and used the bottom of a measuring cup to gently crush them until they were chunky. We didn’t want to pulverize them, as we wanted to have the visual and texture of the candy cane and not just the flavor in our brookies.

How to crush candy canes

How to Make Candy Cane Brookies

Stack of 5 candy candy brookies with a red cloth in the background.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

Crush your candy canes first, as described above. Feel free to use traditional or cherry candy canes, as both work well.

In a small, heavy pot, melt the butter, chocolate chips, and cocoa powder over low heat just until most of the chips are melted. Stir regularly, and remove them from the heat before everything melts.

The residual heat melts the rest of the chocolate and ensures that nothing gets too hot when you make the rest of the cookies. If at all possible, do not use the microwave to melt everything.

Add the melted chocolate mixture to a medium bowl with the sugar and cooled espresso (or strong coffee). Test the sides of the bowl to ensure the mixture isn’t too hot, which is shouldn’t be if you remove the chocolate from the low heat before everything melts.

Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between additions. See, this is just like making brownies.

Add salt and baking powder, stirring until fully incorporated, then add the flour. When you have just a few white streaks remaining, add the chocolate chips and candy cane bits.

Use a cookie scoop to place cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets with four rows of three cookies, like you normally do when you make cookies.

And yes, I invested in a cookie dough scoop, and it makes shaping cookies and getting them onto the cookie sheet so much faster. It’s definitely worth picking one up if you don’t have one.

Boy scooping chocolate cookie dough from a stand mixer.

Gently press the tops of your candy cane bookies down with clean hands. You want them about a half inch tall, or you can leave them be and have round cookies at the end.

These brookies don’t spread like so many cookies do. I prefer the texture and shape when I flatten them slightly.

Bake your candy cane brookies in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes before cooling completely because – remember? – we don’t want to burn our mouths on these chewy delicious bites of yum.

Leave them on the cookie sheet for two minutes, then use a spatula to place them on a wire cooling rack to let them finish cooling. This is why you want to prep two cookie sheets so you can rotate them and have them finish baking faster.

Candy cane brookies on a wire cooling rack.

Bookmark this article to make candy cane brookies again!

Fingers holding a chocolate cookie with a bite taken out over other cookies.

Candy Cane Brookies

The perfect dessert - a cross between a cookie and a brownie. These brookies are a perfect holiday cookie with crushed candy canes inside. They are soft and chewy and fudgy and delicious!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 24 brookies
Calories: 155kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup chocolate chips divided
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon espresso
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 5 candy canes crushed

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place candy canes into a small bag. Use a glass to gently crush candy canes until bite size pieces.
  • Over low heat, melt butter in a heavy pan or double boiler. Once melted, add 1/2 cup chocolate chips and cocoa powder, stirring until melted. Add butter/chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl and add sugar and espresso. Beat until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.
    1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon espresso, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs
  • Add salt and baking powder, and mix again until incorporated. Add flour and stir until combined. Add remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and candy canes and stir until just combined.
    1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1 1/2 cups flour, 5 candy canes
  • Scoop cookies onto a baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper.
  • Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until lightly cracked. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cookie rack.
  • Cookies keep three to five days in a sealed container on your counter.

Notes

  • Do not eat these hot. The candy canes melt and you can burn your mouth badly with the molten sugar.
  • We used cherry-flavored candy canes, but either those or traditional peppermint candy canes would be a perfect complement to the fudgy brookies.
  • For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

More of my favorite Christmas cookies:

Stack of five chocolate cookies with text Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.

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5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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