23 Peppermint Dessert Recipes Perfect for the Holiday Season

By Southern Living Editors
Photo: Hector Sanchez
Peppermint desserts are a delicious sign that the holiday season is in full swing. Once peppermint candy canes hit store shelves, we know its time to indulge in our peppermint desserts best enjoyed in the midst of the frosty season. The cool red and white candies—no matter if they're hanging from the Christmas tree as decoration or incorporated into the table settings for holiday parties or Christmas dinner—are quintessential to the joy and happiness of the season. Serve a decadent peppermint dessert after the traditional Christmas spread or bring one to a festive holiday party. Crumble these crunchy hard candies overtop a cake, bake it in a slice of chocolate heaven, or sprinkle it over a cool ice cream dessert. Our favorite cool peppermint recipes show the many ways to use peppermint candies in desserts, drinks, and holiday gifts. No matter which way you choose to incorporate peppermint into your Christmas confections, these delicious peppermint desserts will have guests grabbing for more than one.
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Chocolate-Peppermint Candy Cupcakes

Recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Candy Cupcakes

Dress up classic cupcakes by adding chopped pieces of homemade white chocolate-peppermint bark. The combination of chocolate, vanilla, and peppermint is always a crowd pleaser.

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Peppermint Brownie Tarts

Recipe: Peppermint Brownie Tarts

Refreshing peppermint-chocolate frosting tops this decadent and fudgy brownie tart. Garnish with crushed peppermint candy canes.

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Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Photo: Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Harget

Recipe: Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Fill inexpensive metal containers from crafts stores with Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies for a gift your neighbors and friends will love.

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Chocolate-Mint Cake

Recipe: Chocolate-Mint Cake

This rich holiday cake is a show-stopper that will become a family holiday classic recipe. Don't be tempted to substitute peppermint extract for the peppermint oil used in this recipe. Peppermint oil, available from cake-supply stores, has an intense, highly concentrated flavor like that found in chocolate-covered peppermint patties.

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Triple Mint Sundaes

Beau Gustafson

Recipe: Triple Mint Sundaes

Top store-bought peppermint ice cream with hot fudge sauce for a party-perfect sundaes by serving. Serve in mint julep cups for an elegant and minty presentation.

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Peppermint Patty Frappés

Photo: Jennifer Davick/Styling: Buffy Hargett

Recipe: Peppermint Patty Frappés

Crushed peppermint patties add chocolate minty freshness to these creamy milkshake-like drinks. Make Grown-up Frappés by decreasing the milk and adding crème de cacao.

3 Ways to Serve a Frappé:

Black-Bottom: Pour chocolate fudge shell topping into frozen glasses.

Sparkly: Dip rims of glasses in warm hot fudge topping; sprinkle with crushed peppermints.

Spiked Whipped Cream: Sweeten whipping cream with crème de cacao instead of sugar.

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Milk Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

Photo: Jennifer Davick/Styling: Buffy Hargett

Recipe: Milk Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

As if milk chocolate morsels and peppermint candies weren't perfect enough a mixture, we added rich cream-and-mint-filled chocolate sandwich cookies and salty pretzel sticks to our peppermint bark. This recipe is great for giving as gifts, but be sure to save a few pieces as a holiday treat for yourself.

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Red Velvet Peppermint Cake

Tina Cornett

Recipe: Red Velvet Peppermint Cake

Transform a classic red velvet cake into a festive holiday dessert by adding peppermint extract to the rich cream cheese frosting and garnishing the cake with peppermint candies.

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Fudgy Chocolate Malt-Peppermint Pie

Recipe: Fudgy Chocolate Malt-Peppermint Pie

A layer of peppermint ice cream tops a rich crust in this pie.

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Chocolate-Peppermint Swirl Sandwich Cookies

Photo: Victori Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Swirl Sandwich Cookies

These adorable cookie sandwiches will spruce up any dessert table this Christmas.

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You Can't Go Wrong With Peppermint During the Holidays

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Triple Mint Cookies

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Triple Mint Cookies

These brownie-like bites are filled with mint flavor and make more than two dozen cookies for your biggest Christmas crowd.

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Chocolate-Mint Whipped Cream Cake

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Chocolate-Mint Whipped Cream Cake

This stunning layer cake is pretty enough for the dressiest Christmas party of the season.

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Peppermint Divinity

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Peppermint Divinity

Making this vintage candy recipe should become a Christmas tradition for you and your kids or grandkids.

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Chocolate Ganache Thumbprints with Crushed Peppermints

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Chocolate Ganache Thumbprint Cookies with Crushed Peppermints

The kids will love to make these fun thumbprint cookies on an afternoon when they're off school.

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White Chocolate-Peppermint Blondies

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: White Chocolate-Peppermint Blondies

This festive bar recipe has a high yield, so everyone on your Christmas list can get a few.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake

This dreamy ice-cream cake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert.

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Peppermint Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Peppermint Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting

How gorgeous is the pink buttercream layer on this festive cake?

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Mint-and-White-Chocolate Milk Punch

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Mint-and-White-Chocolate Milk Punch

This wintry drink recipe will be a mainstay cocktail on your holiday bar.

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Chocolate-Peppermint Crackle Cookies

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Crackle Cookies

We think Santa would be thrilled to see these crackle cookies by the tree on Christmas Eve.

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Christmas Buttermints

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Christmas Buttermints

We'll have a tray of these pretty vintage candies out for guests all holiday season.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Micah Leal

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our Test Kitchen's secret for keeping cookies crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside? Adding a bit of corn syrup to the batter.

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Peppermint Pinwheels

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Peppermint Pinwheels

For a super-festive cookie tin, swap out red and green food coloring in your batches.

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Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake

This decadent cheesecake can be made up to two days in advance, which makes it the ultimate make-ahead dessert for the busy holiday season.

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