December is cookie month! I love creating some new cookies every holiday season, and these marble cookies are a fun new addition: an easy sugar cookie recipe with swirls of cocoa and minty flavored dough, rolled in granulated sugar and baked until nice and chewy. That’s it!
These cookies are called “marble” for their somewhat countertop appearance. If you love basic sugar cookies, you’ll love these. They just have a little extra pizzazz for your Christmas cookie box!
Equipment needed for marble cookies
Here’s what you will need to make this recipe:
- A stand mixer – I used my KitchenAid stand mixer with the white flat paddle attachment. You can also use an electric mixer if you do not have one.
- 2 large baking sheets – if you only have one, that’s okay, but I find it’s easier to use two. I like the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch ones.
- Parchment paper – very helpful to keep our cookies from sticking. Don’t use wax paper!
- 2 small bowls – we will have chocolate, red and white dough. Let’s keep them separate! (The third dough will stay in the large mixing bowl)
- A cookie cooling wire rack – the easiest way to cool your cookies once you can lift them from the pan.
Ingredients for marble cookies
Here’s what you need to add to your grocery list:
- unsalted butter – we need 2 sticks.
- An egg
- Granulated sugar – for the batter and for rolling the final cookie balls in.
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract – I also like to use vanilla bean paste.
- all purpose flour
- baking powder and baking soda
- salt
- unsweetened cocoa powder – make sure to get unsweetened!
- mint extract – we will put this in just the red dough to give it a nice extra bit of flavor.
- red food coloring – I just used Betty Crocker brand.
Tips for making marble cookies
Here’s a couple of tips to keep in mind.
Freeze the red dough, chill the other two: Because we’re adding food coloring and mint extract to the red dough, it’s going to be a little more wet than the other colors. Stick the red dough in the freezer instead of the fridge and chill for 10 minutes. It will be much easier to work with.
Your red cookies will vary in shade: depending on your food coloring, the cookies may end up being more pinkish than red. If you want a deeper color, add 2-3 more drops of coloring.
Don’t over roll your cookies – Once you twist the dough together into a rope, use your palms to gently roll the dough into a smooth ball. Don’t overwork it though – the warmth from your palms will start to smear the colors together, so be careful.
How to make marble cookies
Let’s make them together!
Step 1
Make the batter. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until creamed, about one minute on medium speed. Then add the brown and granulated sugars and beat them into the butter (on medium speed for 2 more minutes).
Add the vanilla extract and the egg. Beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes until the batter looks incorporated and soft.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two increments, mixing the batter on the lowest setting until just combined. Do not overmix.
Step 3
Color the dough. Roughly split the cookie dough into thirds, placing the other two thirds into a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining one third of dough in the stand mixer, and mix on low until just combined. Scoop out the chocolate dough and place it into a small bowl. You might need to wipe out the stand mixer bowl if it is too brown before making the red dough.
Step 4
Add another third of dough to the stand mixer. Add the mint extract and about 4-5 drops of red food coloring (more or less depending on the strength of your color). Mix on low until well combined and the dough is red.
Chill the cookie dough. Add the chocolate and plain sugar cookie dough bowls into the fridge. Place the red cookie dough in the freezer and chill for 10 minutes – the red dough is a bit softer from the extra liquid so we want it to firm up more.
Step 5
Make the cookies after chilling. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350℉. To make a cookie, take about a tablespoon each of 2 different colors of dough (can be white and red, brown and white, brown and red). Roll each color of dough into 5 inch long ropes. Then press the ropes together and twist them gently so they create a spiral. Then roll that spiral into a round, smooth ball with your palms. Don’t roll or squish it too much!
Step 6
Roll each cookie in granulated sugar before adding to your baking sheet. Space out the cookies at least 3-4 inches apart (about 6 cookies per sheet pan). Bake the cookies in the oven in the middle rack for 11 minutes, or until the edges look just set. The cookies will have puffed up slightly and expanded in size.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to set. Enjoy!
Storage Directions
Once the marble cookies have completely cooled, place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature. Consume within five days or risk them getting stale!
Other recipes
If you liked these marble cookies, check out my other holiday cookies:
Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Peppermint Chocolate Espresso Cookies
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Marble Cookies
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or electric mixer
- 2 cookie baking sheets
- parchment paper
- 2 small bowls to hold our different colors of dough
- 1 cookie cooling wire rack
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 16 tbsps
- 1 egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp mint extract
- red food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until creamed, about one minute on medium speed with the paddle attachment. Then add the brown and granulated sugars and beat them into the butter (on medium speed for 2 more minutes).2 sticks unsalted butter, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the vanilla extract and the egg. Beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes until the batter looks incorporated and soft.1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two increments, mixing the batter on the lowest setting until just combined. Do not overmix.2½ cups all purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- Roughly split the cookie dough into thirds, placing the other two thirds into a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining one third of dough in the stand mixer, and mix on low until just combined. Scoop out the chocolate dough and place it into a small bowl. You might need to wipe out the stand mixer bowl if it is too brown before moving on.2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Add another third of dough to the stand mixer. Add the mint extract and about 4-5 drops of red food coloring (more or less depending on the strength of your color). Mix on low until well combined and the dough is red.2 tsp mint extract, red food coloring
- Add the chocolate and plain sugar cookie dough bowls into the fridge. Place the red cookie dough in the freezer and chill for 10 minutes – the red dough is a bit softer from the extra liquid so we want it to firm up more.
- Make the cookies after chilling. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350℉. To make a cookie, take about a tablespoon each of 2 different colors of dough (can be white and red, brown and white, brown and red). Roll each color of dough into 5 inch wide ropes. Then press the ropes together and twist them gently so they create a spiral. Then roll that spiral into a round, smooth ball with your palms. Don't roll or squish it too much!
- Roll each cookie in granulated sugar before adding to your baking sheet.
- Space out the cookies at least 3-4 inches apart (about 6 cookies per sheet pan). Bake the cookies in the oven in the middle rack for 11 minutes, or until the edges look just set. The cookies will have puffed up slightly and expanded in size.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to set. Enjoy!
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