Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies

Make these cute peppermint pig cookies for good luck in the New Year! Based on a Victorian holiday hard candy tradition, but in cookie form.

Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies

Have you ever heard of The Famous Peppermint Pig?  It’s a Victorian holiday tradition in the form of hard candy molded to look like a pig. The candy is accompanied by a little pouch and hammer so it can be broken it into pieces and shared with friends and family. This tradition has come to symbolize good health, happiness and prosperity. Even though the hard candy pigs are still in production today, I thought a cookie version would be cute, too!

Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies

I purchased the cookie cutter here, but if you don’t have time to order it (or just don’t want to!) you can print the template I made here. Just print the PDF at 100%, cut out the shape and trace it onto heavy card stock (like scrap-booking paper). Then cut the pig shape out of the card stock. Lay the paper piggy onto your chilled, rolled cookie dough and use a small paring knife to cut around the shape. It’s a little more work, but easy enough!

Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies

The icing recipe for this cookie is so easy to make and the decorating is hardly any work at all. The piggy’s eye is a mini chocolate chip (point-side-down) and I used these holiday sprinkles to add holly berry motif at the collar.

Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies
Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies

I decided to stick with the tradition of gifting the pigs in a little velvet pouches (I found a 10-pack here). You can fit about three cookies in the small 6-inch pouches, or you can buy larger pouches to fit more cookies.

Even though these pigs aren’t the hard candy version, you can still share them with the people you love for good luck in the coming year!


Want more giftable goodies? 

Last year’s fifth day advent recipe was 

Marbled Peppermint Sugar Cookies!

 Marbled Peppermint Cookies

Peppermint Pig Cookies

Heather Baird
Make these cute peppermint pig cookies for good luck in the New Year! Based on a Victorian holiday hard candy tradition, but in cookie form.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
2 hours setting time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 57 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 30

Ingredients
 
 

Cookies

  • 1/2 lb. two US sticks unsalted butter
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons 225g granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 cups 380g all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt

Glaze

  • 2 1/4 cups 260g confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 2 drops red food color
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Decors

  • 1/2 cup 85g mini chocolate chips
  • Holly berry and holly leaf sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Make the cookies: In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until just incorporated. Do not over-mix at this stage, or the cookies may spread while baking.
  • Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix again on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently as needed.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough is formed and there are no longer any streaks of butter in the mixing bowl. The dough will often clump around the paddle attachment while being mixed. This is normal and a good sign that your dough is the right consistency. If your mixture does not come together and is crumbly, add ice cold water 1 tbsp. at a time until the dough clumps. Roll the dough flat between sheets of parchment paper and chill until ready for use, at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Use a 3.75-inch pig cookie cutter to stamp shapes from the dough, or use the printable PDF as a template (see blog post). Transfer the shapes to the prepared pans and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Re-roll dough scraps and repeat process. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely after baking.
  • Make the glaze: Whisk the first four ingredients together and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth. The glaze should be very thick but soft enough to settle into a perfectly smooth surface on the cookie. If the glaze is too thick, add additional milk drops at a time until it becomes the correct consistency. Transfer the glaze to a piping bag and pipe it on the cookies, or gently spoon the glaze neatly onto the cookies.
  • Decorate! While the glaze is still wet, place a mini chocolate chip flat-side-up onto a pig face for the eye. Add holly berries and leaf sprinkles at the neck. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let stand until dry, about 2 hours. Gift peppermint pigs in velvet pouches.
Keyword confectioners’ glaze, holly sprinkles, peppermint extract
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Unknown
Unknown
7 years ago

Aah these are so cute!! The perfect Christmas gift 🙂

Rachael xx.
http://theteacozykitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

Monica
Monica
7 years ago

How adorable and yummy….love the pink color..I love the peppermint marble cookies too…I will be making these for sure.

Unknown
Unknown
7 years ago
Sanidhi
Sanidhi
7 years ago

Nice, Looking so cute.

For Gifts
http://www.mysoregiftsflowers.com/

Unknown
Unknown
7 years ago
Unknown
Unknown
7 years ago
Giselle @ The Busy Spatula
Giselle @ The Busy Spatula
7 years ago

These are TOO CUTE! I love the chocolate chip eyes 🙂

Kelster
Kelster
7 years ago

I was about to making this when I noticed there is no leavening. Is this correct?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
7 years ago
Reply to  Kelster

Yes, that is correct. There is no chemical leaven so the cookie surface is smooth and flat for decorating. Thanks for asking!

Paul Hayes
Paul Hayes
7 years ago

So much cuter than the hard candy version, nicer to eat … and none of the crazy smashing!

Shannon
Shannon
4 years ago

Heather can these be frozen with the icing on? Thanks!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
4 years ago
Reply to  Shannon

I have never frozen these, but the icing dries hard like royal icing. I think you could without issue.