Thick, soft gluten-free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are the best cookies for this Christmas season! Filled with chocolate and peppermint goodness, these sweet and minty cookies are an easy must-have for any cookie tray.
Has a pregnancy ever changed your taste buds?
Weird way start to this post, huh?! Bear with me 😉
I used to not like chocolate peppermint… at all. And then, I got pregnant with my daughter (which was my second pregnancy). Completely opposite to my first pregnancy where I ate everything in site, this time around I was sick constantly for the first several months.
But, I HAD to eat! Or I felt worse. So I shoveled some granola bars, crackers and toast down and called it good. One weekend I stayed at my parents house, while my husband was working out of town, because I needed help taking care of my 2 year old son while I was so sick.
Lo and behold, my Mom only had gluten-free chocolate peppermint granola bars. Yuck. But, I tried one anyway. And, somehow it wasn’t too bad! So in between the plain buttered toast and crackers I started to scarf down chocolate peppermint granola bars too.
At some point my nausea got better, but my newly found love for chocolate peppermint didn’t change. I still surprise myself every year when I order a Peppermint Mocha from a coffee shop (and think to myself, who am I?!).
My daughter, who’s now 2, is a big chocolate peppermint fan herself (go figure). And yes, she loves buttered toast and crackers too 😉
These gluten-free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are a must-have for me now, every Holiday season! They’re soft, brownie-like cookies filled with peppermint flavor. You can decorate them a few festive ways too, so they’re perfect for any Holiday cookie tray or cookie exchange.
Here’s what you need to know for sweet cookie success…
First, always start with softened butter (or coconut oil). If your butter is entirely melted then your cookie dough will be too soft and your cookies will spread too quickly in the oven, resulting in thin cookies.
If you want your cookies to look like the ones pictured, use a stick of softened butter.
Second, be sure to stir your cocoa powder into your flour enough so you don’t have tons of cocoa powder clumps throughout. I like to use a whisk for this. Alternatively you can sift your cocoa powder through a fine mesh strainer as you add it to the mixing bowl.
If your cocoa powder isn’t de-clumped then you can end up with actual chunks of dry cocoa powder in your cookies after they bake. Not so yummy!
Can you use another type of sugar in these cookies? You can use coconut sugar instead (of both the white and brown sugars) but the cookies will be a little less sweet then.
I do not recommend substituting with maple syrup or honey in this recipe.
Can I make these cookies dairy-free? Yes. Instead, use coconut oil or a butter alternative stick (like Earth Balance or Country Crock Plant Butter) and use dairy-free chocolate chips.
And what about peppermint and decorating these cookies?
Be sure to use peppermint extract that isn’t expired. Yikes! If you only use peppermint extract once a year (during the Holiday season) you may find your peppermint extract expired. The flavor of expired peppermint extract won’t be as strong, so make sure you have a fresh one.
You can use several different types of baking chips in these cookies (and all will be delicious!). White chocolate chip, milk chocolate chip, dark chocolate chip, and mint chocolate chips would all be delicious. If you prefer a stronger peppermint flavor, I recommend trying to find mint chocolate chips.
After baking and cooling, I like to drizzle a little chocolate across the tops of my cookies for some extra pizzazz that’s still easy. Simply melt some chocolate chips in the microwave (stirring in between every 20 second interval). You can either drizzle it across the tops of the cookies with a spoon or put it into a piping bag and pipe it across the tops.
Then the best part: sprinkle crushed up candy canes on top. Or, you can do some festive sprinkles instead!
You’re left with chocolate peppermint cookies, topped with extra chocolate and festive candy canes or sprinkles. These gluten-free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are seriously the best gluten-free Christmas cookie.
If you, like me now, are craving some chocolate peppermint during the Holiday season, these cookies are an easy way to make something that’ll hit the spot! Bring them to parties, or keep them for yourself at home, these cookies will be gone quickly 😉
After you make these, tell me if you love them too! Leave a comment and/or rating below, and find me on Instagram and tag me in your pic too. I love to see what ya’ll make!
Want more Christmas cookie ideas? Check out my grain-free and vegan Thumbprint Cookies, gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies and Gingerbread Breakfast Cookies.
- 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (or regular flour)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (white, milk, dark, mint)
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 5-6 mini candy canes (or 1 large candy cane), crushed
- sprinkles, optional
-
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 and line two pans with parchment paper. (or spray with non-stick spray).
-
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add your gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with a whisk till everything is mixed together well and there are minimal cocoa powder clumps. Alternatively, add your cocoa powder to the bowl through a fine mesh strainer.
-
In a large mixing bowl add your butter, brown sugar, white sugar and cream them together using a hand mixer. Add your egg, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract and lightly mix them in.
-
Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir them together with a spatula till you have one smooth, consistent cookie dough. Add your chocolate chips to your cookie dough batter and fold them in.
-
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop your cookies onto your pans, evenly spreading them apart (with about 12 cookies max per sheet).
-
Bake them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or till the cookies have set on the edges. They may look a little doughy in the middle still, but they will cook through entirely as they cool.
-
Let them cool before topping them with decor.
-
To a microwave safe bowl, add your 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Microwave them in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, till melted entirely.
-
Drizzle across the tops of your cookies with either a spoon or a piping bag.
-
To a small ziploc bag, add your candy canes and place the bag on top of a cutting board. Using a hammer (or other tool), carefully hammer the candy canes till they're crushed up. (Alternatively, you could buy already crushed candy canes.)
-
After drizzling the chocolate across the tops of the cookies, sprinkle the crushed candy canes and/or sprinkles across. You can either let the chocolate harden at room temperature, or pop the cookies in the fridge to quickly harden it.
-
Devour!
Store these cookies in an airtight container and they will taste best within the first 3-4 days.
Peachy says
Hey! I made this for a cookie competition ar my school! I got best in show and everyone who tried them adored them. 5 out of 5 stars from me!
Colleen says
Will this recipe work with almond flour?
Chelsea Green says
No, it is not a 1-to-1 substitute.
Shannon says
These are phenomenal. I used Bob’s 1:1 GF flour and half the peppermint extract, and they turned out fantastic. My non-GF family members loved them!
Lindsay says
Hi! Can’t wait to make these for Christmas! Can this recipe be doubled? Thanks!
Chelsea Green says
Hi Lindsay. Yes, you can definitely double this recipe!
Anna says
Thank you for an amazing gluten-free cookie recipe! I sprinkled crushed candy cane on the cookies while warm and they slightly melted on top. So good!
Emily Z says
These were so good–and very pretty! My husband said they might be the best cookies he’s ever had. Thank you for sharing!
Vixen says
my gluten intolerant step mum had me make these for her and they were amazing! only reason I give 4 stars is because we all thought that it was a bit much peppermint abstract. they tasted great over all!
Ash says
This cookie recipe is lovely! Usually I find GF cookies taste grainy or floury but these cookies didn’t have that flavor at all. They had great flavor and texture!
Luann Palizzi Foos says
Chelsea, we love these cookies! Thank you for bringing them.
Love,
Mom & Dad Foos
Stephanie says
I’ve made these and OMG, so yummy!!! Defintely making the holiday Christmas cookie list every year!!!
Chelsea Green says
Thank you, Stephanie!! Love hearing this. 🙂