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These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are a festive holiday recipe that everyone loves. They are naturally gluten-free (because they’re flourless!), and they also happen to be vegan and paleo-friendly for those who are following special diets. But you can’t tell just by tasting them!
These mint chocolate cookies remind me of a chewy brownie in cookie form. Kind of like the chocolate crinkle cookies I grew up eating– you know, the ones that are covered in powdered sugar?
This chocolate peppermint cookie recipe is better because it’s entirely grain-free, vegan, and naturally sweetened. You’ll use almond butter instead of flour, similar to my popular almond butter cookies!
(Note: this recipe is naturally sweetened until you add in dark chocolate chips and crushed candy cane pieces on top. I love making these cookies look as festive as possible, but feel free to leave them out if you are strictly watching your sugar intake.)
I am normally not a fan of candy canes, but a few crunchy flecks on each cookie really takes these over the top. They’re perfect for serving at a holiday party!
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How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
These healthier chocolate cookies are a quick one-bowl recipe. Just stir together the flax egg (you can use a real egg if you prefer), almond butter, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and a few other ingredients, and then the cookies are ready to scoop and bake.
I like to sprinkle a bit of crushed candy cane on top for a festive look, but you can leave that off if you’re avoiding added sugar. These cookies need to cool completely on the pan, so be patient. They will be very soft to the touch when they are hot from the oven, but they firm up as they cool.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup creamy raw almond butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 crushed candy cane (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a large bowl, stir together the ground chia seeds and water. This is your "chia egg." (You can use a real egg if you'd rather skip this.)
- Add the almond butter to the chia seed mixture, along with the coconut sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, peppermint extract, and vinegar. Stir well until a thick and uniform mixture is created. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, if using, then drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the lined baking sheet. Use your hands to gently flatten each cookie.
- If you'd like to add the crushed candy cane pieces to the top, sprinkle them on generously before baking. They will melt in the oven and then re-harden when cooled for a crunchy peppermint-flavored topping.
- Bake the cookies at 350ºF until the cookies have slightly spread and the tops look dry, about 9 to 12 minutes. The cookies will still be very soft to the touch, so it's important that you let them cool on the pan for at least 20 minutes before trying to move them to a wire cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.
- These cookies can be stored uncovered at room temperature for up to 3 days, but for best shelf life keep them in the fridge or freezer. They should last up to two weeks in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer. If you don't eat them all before then!
Video
Nutrition
Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Nutrition (per cookie with the added chocolate chips): Calories: 119, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 12g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
- If you don’t want to use a flax or chia egg, you can most likely use a real egg to replace it, but the texture will be slightly different. (Usually it’s drier.)
- I also assume that you could use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version, but you might need to adjust other ingredients since sunflower seed butter is more bitter in flavor.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! And if you make a modification, please let me know what you tried and how it worked out. We can all benefit from your experience!
Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite holiday cookie? Gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies are my other favorites!
Family time recipe:
My little one and I made these (she loved the chemical reaction) but eith some not so creamy almond butter and real egg with chips and crushed candy cane; they turned out pretty darn good!! My little one has been sneaking them and coming to confess after the fact when she needs help cleaning her face and hands! Dont think they will make it a week! Crunchy but chewy and full of mint’n chocolate flavour-yum!! Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t have much to say except these are awesome! They were super easy to make and delicious. I also made the chocolate crinkle cookies and they were equally amazing – an fyi since they are similar. 🙂
I never leave reviews but these were amazing!!! I used a flax egg (to avoid grinding up chia seeds) and roasted almond butter and decreased the sugar a bit. They were a huge hit with our family and friends and no one could believe they were flourless. I cooked for 11 min and left to rest as instructed. Perfect. Thank you!!
These cookies wer a BIG hit at our family Christmas meal. I will be making them again!!!
These are absolutely delicious And the flavors are perfect! Now it’t my go-to dessert recipe. Thank you!
yummy I love mint and chocolate!! I may just have to make these for a cookie exchange party I’m going to 🙂
These look amazing! What can I substitute for the almond butter and still remain Paleo?
These cookies have become our family’s new favorite!! They have the perfect texture of crispy on the edges and chewy on the inside. Who knew that a grain free cookie could be so good?! Does anyone know of a source for organic candy canes or hard peppermint candies that are truly minty? The crunchy candies on top really make this over-the-top. Thanks Megan for another great recipe.
I made these today for a party. They were a hit! I didn’t have peppermint extract so I subbed
With vanilla and puts crushed candy canes in batter! PERFECTION!!!
LOVE this recipe and have made many times. I omit the chocolate chips, since I never have them, and use monkfruit sugar for the sweetener. Reminds me of a healthy version of the Girl Scout cookies.