Peppermint Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Nothing says, “It’s Christmas time” quite like peppermint desserts! These soft sugar cookie cups hold a yummy cloud of peppermint cream cheese frosting! This perfect party confection is sure to impress! Give these to neighbors and friends on goodie plates or enjoy them yourself!

I love this time of year for many reasons, but one very big one being the tasty seasonal treats!

I’m a total cookie and cheesecake fanatic, so I meshed both favorites into one very delightful handheld refreshment! The creamy frosting is to die for and the peppermint baking chips on top make them look so pretty! When it comes to indulgent foods, this is what perfection tastes like!

To me it just wouldn’t be the holidays if we didn’t splurge a little on the sweets. 🙂

And Christmas time certainly wouldn’t be complete without lots of peppermint desserts, am I right? I can’t decide which recipe I like best, these or the Holiday Peppermint Cake Bars I made last year.  You can’t go wrong with either!

I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen no matter what the time of year, but during the holiday season, I might as well camp out there. 🙂 It’s my happy place!

I find so much joy in baking special goodies to give to neighbors and friends with love. I’m sure anyone would love to receive these all packaged up with a beautiful bow, don’t you think?

Here’s a quick photo tutorial on how to make the cookie cups.

You’ll roll the dough into balls so they fit inside a regular-sized muffin tin, then press each dough ball with your thumb so you make a big imprint in the center.  Bake, then immediately after removing them from the oven, use a spoon to gently press down the centers of each.  Allow them to cool inside the muffin tin until you can easily run a knife around the edges and remove them without damaging them.

Peppermint Cheesecake Cookie Cups for Design Dazzle

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 1 c. 2 sticks salted butter, softened
• 1 c. packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Scant 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Frosting:
• 1 stick 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese softened
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp. peppermint extract
• Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a muffin tin with nonstick baking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugars, vanilla and peppermint extract and eggs until well combined. Add in flour, salt and baking soda and mix until combined. Roll into balls that will fit inside a muffin tin with a little extra space around the outside. Press each dough ball down with your thumb so it makes an imprint in the center. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately use a spoon to gently press down the center of each. Allow them to cool for a little while, then gently run a butter knife around the edges to release each one and carefully lift them out. Place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Make frosting by creaming together butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and peppermint extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. Pipe or add a big dollop into the center of each cookie cup. Sprinkle with peppermint baking chips.

I’ll betcha Santa would love to see these on the cookie plate with a tall glass of milk at the ready! Afterall, he works hard, so he deserves the very best. 🙂

These didn’t last long at my house! I hope you enjoy them too!

Merry Christmas! I hope your holiday season is filled with joy and lots of baking!

This post was originally published at Design Dazzle on November 15th, 2016.

I’m so excited to be sharing these today as part of a Christmas cookie exchange with some other blogger friends!