The dough starts out soft enough to make you wonder how it will hold a round shape, then a short chill makes it firm enough to scoop cleanly. In the oven, the tops stay pale while the bottoms pick up the faintest gold; waiting for a deeply browned top would take these peppermint meltaway cookies past their tender point.
I beat softened butter with powdered sugar until creamy, then mix in the dry ingredients only until a soft dough forms. That gentle approach, followed by a proper chill, gives the cookies their delicate bite instead of the tougher chew you’d expect from a more heavily mixed dough. A thin layer of peppermint icing and finely crushed candy finish each one with a little crunch.
Kitchen Note
Sprinkle on the crushed peppermint while the icing is still wet. Once the surface starts to set, the candy won’t cling as neatly, and you’ll lose some of that even crunch across the top.
Save these peppermint meltaway cookies for a bake with a tender, buttery bite, cool mint icing, and a crisp candy-cane finish.
Why Meltaway Icing Works Better in a Thin Layer
These cookies are tender and delicate, so a thick cap of icing can overwhelm the bite instead of finishing it. I spread just enough icing to cover the surface, leaving the cookie’s buttery texture in the foreground and the peppermint as a bright accent. It also gives the crushed candy a tacky surface to hold on to without burying it.
The icing should be smooth and spreadable, not runny. A thin coat sets into a light finish rather than a sticky, heavy layer, which matters when you’re handling small cookies. Finely crushed candy helps, too: small pieces spread across the surface, while large shards can make each bite uneven and are more likely to fall away.
Think of the topping as a finishing layer, not a filling. The peppermint extract gives the cookie and icing their mint flavor, while the candy adds crunch and a little extra sweetness. Keeping the icing modest lets all three parts come through without turning the cookie into a frosted sugar bomb.
What the Butter, Starch, and Peppermint Each Bring
- Unsalted butter — Softened butter creams smoothly with the powdered sugar and gives the cookies their rich, tender texture. Use butter that yields when pressed but isn’t oily or melted; a dairy-free baking stick works as an adaptation, while soft tub spreads don’t provide the same structure.
- Powdered sugar — Its fine texture blends into the butter without the graininess you’d get from granulated sugar. It’s doing a different job in the dough than a coarse sugar would, so don’t swap in granulated sugar here.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch — Flour gives the dough enough structure to roll, while cornstarch keeps the crumb delicate. A cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend designed for baking is the most practical flour swap; almond flour doesn’t behave like all-purpose flour in this dough.
- Peppermint extract — Extract provides a clear mint flavor in both the cookie and icing. Peppermint oil is much more concentrated and isn’t a direct one-for-one replacement, so stick with extract for a balanced result.
- Milk and crushed peppermint candy — Milk loosens the powdered sugar into spreadable icing, and the candy gives the top its crunch. Finely crushed peppermint candy or candy canes both work; choose pieces small enough to sit neatly on the icing.
From Soft Dough to Set, Minty Tops
Cream the Butter and Sugar Until Smooth
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two 18×13-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. The mixture should look smooth rather than lumpy, with no obvious streaks of butter. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
Mix a Soft Dough, Then Chill It Firm
Add the flour, cornstarch, and fine salt, mixing on low just until a soft dough forms. Stop as soon as the dry ingredients disappear; extended mixing can make a tender cookie dough tough. Cover the bowl and chill the dough until firm, 30–45 minutes. If it still feels too soft to roll into tidy balls, give it more time within that range rather than adding flour.
Shape Even Portions
Scoop the dough into 32 level tablespoon portions and roll each one into a ball. Keep the portions even so the cookies bake at roughly the same pace. Arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, leaving room for the dough to settle as it bakes. The dough should be firm enough to handle without sticking heavily to your palms.
Bake Until Set, Not Deeply Browned
Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 10–12 minutes. Look for cookies that appear set, with bottoms that are lightly golden; the tops don’t need to brown. If the edges are taking on too much color, pull the sheet at the earlier end of the baking window. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ice and Finish with Peppermint
Whisk the remaining powdered sugar with the remaining peppermint extract and milk until the icing is smooth and spreadable. Spread a thin layer over each completely cooled cookie, then sprinkle with the finely crushed peppermint candy. Leave the cookies undisturbed for 20–30 minutes, until the icing sets. Icing warm cookies can make the topping run and slide instead of resting in an even layer.
Easy Ways to Adapt the Peppermint Finish
A Smooth Top Without Candy Crunch
Leave off the crushed peppermint candy and spread the icing as usual. The cookies will still have mint flavor from the extract, but the finish will be smooth rather than crunchy and a little less sweet.
Gluten-Free Meltaways
Replace the all-purpose flour with the same volume of a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend that includes xanthan gum, and keep the cornstarch in the dough. The cookies may feel a little more delicate, so handle the cooled rounds gently when moving them to the rack and adding icing.
Dairy-Free Cookies and Icing
Use a firm, unsalted dairy-free baking stick in place of the butter and an unsweetened plant milk in the icing. Choose a baking stick rather than a tub spread, which contains more water and can make the dough harder to handle. The result keeps the minty finish but may taste slightly less rich than the butter version.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Refrigeration isn’t needed. Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; chilling them firms the butter and makes the texture less tender.
- Freezer: Freeze the baked cookies before icing in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then add the icing and candy; the candy topping can become sticky after freezing.
- Reheating: These are best served at room temperature, and reheating isn’t necessary. Heat can soften the icing and make the peppermint topping slide.
Questions That Come Up When Baking Peppermint Meltaways
Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of the peppermint extract.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt; mix on low just until a soft dough forms.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough until firm, 30–45 minutes.
- Scoop the dough into 32 level tablespoon portions and roll them into balls.
- Arrange the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 10–12 minutes, until the cookies look set and the bottoms are lightly golden.
- Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, and milk until smooth and spreadable.
- Spread a thin layer of icing over each cooled cookie.
- Sprinkle the cookies with the crushed peppermint candy.
- Let stand for 20–30 minutes until the icing sets.
