Gluten-Free Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Gluten-Free Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies will make your cookie dreams come true! They make perfect Christmas cookies and taste so scrumptious, especially with the extra chocolate drizzle.
Say hi to my new friends – these Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Also known as candy cane cookies, or your new favorite Christmas cookies. These guys are easy to make, cute as a button, and absolutely delicious.
I’m a chocolate chip cookie fanatic and have made so many versions of them over the years. We have the classic paleo chocolate chip cookies, the cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookies, the mocha chocolate chip cookies, and so many others.
These Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are the new kid on the block, but they’re a standout. They have all the chewy, chocolatey goodness as a traditional chocolate chip cookie, with the addition of candy cane pieces, mint-flavored chocolate, and a chocolate dip. Let’s get into it!
How to make Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies!
These start off the same way as all of my other chocolate chip cookie recipes – that is, with a combination of coconut oil and coconut sugar! They’re whisked until combined, and then we add in a flax egg (or a regular egg) and vanilla extract.
For extra peppermint flavor, you can add a bit of peppermint extract here as well! If you’ll be using regular chocolate (not mint flavored), I’d recommend adding the peppermint extract to make sure your cookies are nice and minty.
Next, you’ll stir in the blanched almond flour, baking soda, and salt until a dough forms. Then, time for your chocolate! You can opt for traditional chocolate chips OR go for a chopped chocolate bar, which is usually my preference unless I’m feeling lazy.
I used a mint-flavored chocolate bar to amp up that minty flavor! This is the mint chocolate bar that I used. You can also stir in some chopped candy cane pieces for an extra festive touch.
You’ll want to let the dough chill for a bit at this point. This will help prevent your cookies from spreading too much, so they’ll stay thick and puffy. Once they’re chilled, you’ll bake them off and let them cool a bit.
How to garnish your candy cane cookies
NOW – you can be done here, or…you can gild the lily and make them even CUTER. And if there’s ever a time to gild the lily, it’s the holidays!!
You can opt to drizzle some extra chocolate on top OR dunk the cookies into chocolate. You could also do both for a variety of ~looks~.
Top them all off with some crushed candy canes and voila. You are a holiday cookie MASTER.
The resulting Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Candy Cane Cookies if you prefer, are:
- Soft & chewy
- Melt-in-your-mouth
- Just pepperminty enough
- Loaded with chocolate
- Perfect for the holidays
- Great for sharing with loved ones
You’re going to love these festive treats! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Sending lots of love to you this holiday season!
If you love these cookies, check out these recipes too:
- Chocolate Peppermint Pie (Gluten-Free + Vegan)
- Peppermint Brownies (Gluten-Free, Paleo + Vegan)
- Easy Chocolate Peppermint Fudge (Gluten-Free, Paleo + Vegan)
Gluten-Free Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Gluten-Free Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies will make your cookie dreams come true! They make perfect Christmas cookies and taste so scrumptious, especially with the extra chocolate drizzle.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ½ cup (100g) refined coconut oil softened, similar in texture to softened butter
- ⅔ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 1 large egg or flax egg, room temperature (see Notes for flax egg instructions)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2¼ cups (220g) blanched almond flour
- 1 cup (6 ounces) chopped dark chocolate, use mint chocolate for extra flavor
- ¼ cup crushed candy canes
To garnish
- 3 ounces melted dark chocolate
- Crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Mix together the coconut oil and coconut sugar until smooth. Add the egg or flax egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Stir until smooth.
- Add the almond flour, salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate and crushed candy canes.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to 48 hours). You don’t NEED to refrigerate the dough if you don’t have time, but it’s recommended for the best flavor and texture.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a cookie scoop (using this size will give you 12 cookies, using this smaller size will give you about 20) to form cookies and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; press down slightly. Bake for about 10 or until golden brown around the edges.
- Once cooled, garnish the cookies with chocolate and candy canes, if desired. You can drizzle the chocolate over the cookies, or dip the cookies into the chocolate (or a combination of other). To dip the cookies, put the melted chocolate into a small bowl and dip half of each cookie in the chocolate. Once garnished with chocolate, sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Notes
For the flax egg: mix 1 tablespoon flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water and let gel for 10 minutes before using
Keywords: chocolate peppermint cookies, healthy christmas cookies, vegan cookies, peppermint cookies
Awesome for the gluten-free and vegan crowd. We enjoy making gluten free fudge, so may have to give this one a try sometime. These look beautiful and it’s hard to go wrong with chocolate chip anything. Happy Holidays and thanks for the great recipe.
So thrilled they were a hit, Ryan! Thanks so much for the feedback and happy holidays!
Made these to take over to my sister in laws house today. They came out amazing, used a regular egg and did not chill the dough. The texture was perfect, just the right amount of chewiness. No one could believe they were gluten free!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks so much for sharing.