HOW TO MAKE IT :
INSTRUCTIONS
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner and set aside. Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature by either leaving out for 1 hour or by microwaving the (unwrapped) cream cheese in increments of 5-10 seconds until soft and separately microwaving the butter for 5 seconds, flipping to the other side, and microwaving for another 5 seconds. Be careful to not melt or overly soften either ingredient.
- CREAM BUTTER: In a large bowl fitted to a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and optional peppermint extract. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: Add in the dry pudding mix and brownie mix. Beat to combine. (The dough will be extremely thick and takes a while to get a dough to form. This is intended. Just keep mixing and it will all come together even though it seems like it won’t.)
- ADD-INS: Coarsely chop the peppermint bark candy. Stir in the chopped peppermint bark, chocolate chips, and optional white chocolate chips.
- FORM DOUGH BALLS: Measure each cookie dough ball to be a full 2 tablespoons of dough (43 grams). Knead the dough ball to get the chocolate chips to stick into the dough and then roll it into a ball. Shape dough balls into wide, thick discs about 2 inches wide and 1/2-inch thick. You should get about 28-30 cookies from this batter. Place 6-8 cookies on the prepared cookie sheet, giving cookies ample room to spread.
- BAKE: Bake each batch for 10-14 minutes. Slightly under-baking these cookies gives them an awesome taste and texture like ultra fudge-y brownies, so err on the side of slightly under-baking. Remove from the oven. Sometimes the edges have a tendency to leak out; simply use the back of a spoon or metal spatula to press the edges in towards the center of the cookie right out of the oven. If desired, add some additional chocolate chips and/or chopped peppermint bark on top of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Note 1: While we like these cookies best hot out of the oven and the same day they are made, they will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.
Note 2: If you love these cookies warm as much as I do, you can put a cooled cookie in the microwave for 8-10 seconds ?
Note 3: If you won’t be eating all the cookies right away, I recommend freezing the unbaked cookie dough balls. No need to thaw when baking, simply add 1-3 minutes to the baking time.
