Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
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Published Dec 09, 2021, Updated Feb 08, 2023
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These chocolate peppermint cookies are soft, chewy and topped with crushed candy canes for the perfect holiday treat. They’re flourless, naturally sweetened and come together quickly in just one bowl!
I know some people hate the combo of chocolate and mint, but I’ve always loved it. While I’ll gladly eat mint chip ice cream all year long, chocolate peppermint treats are the perfect flavor pairing for winter! So obviously I had to create a recipe for chocolate peppermint cookies this holiday season.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s made in just one bowl! Yay for minimal dirty dishes.
- Super easy to make – it’s the perfect recipe to involve your kids with.
- A delicious combination of peppermint and chocolate.
- Can be made in advance and frozen until you’re ready to enjoy!
Ingredients Needed
This cookie recipe is flourless, grain-free and vegan so we’re replacing the eggs, butter, sugar and flour you’d find in a traditional recipe with almond butter, maple syrup and a flax egg.
- drippy almond butter – I used Wild Friends almond butter but any brand will work. Just make sure the almond butter is drippy and that the ingredients are just almonds and salt. I would imagine these cookies will turn out just fine with another nut or seed butter, but the flavor might be slightly different.
- flax egg – to make a flax egg just mix 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons water and set aside to allow the mixture to gelatinize. If you don’t need these cookies to be vegan, you can also use one regular egg. I’ve tested these cookies with both a flax egg and regular egg and both versions turned out perfectly!
- maple syrup – the natural sweetener in these cookies. I haven’t tried, but you should be able to swap for a different liquid sweetener like honey or agave if needed. I also have tested these cookies with coconut sugar and I preferred the maple syrup version better. The cookies made with coconut sugar were more crumbly and dry than with the maple syrup.
- unsweetened cocoa powder – the main source of chocolate flavor in these cookies!
- baking soda – helps the cookies rise.
- salt – if your nut butter has salt, you can skip this!
- vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer.
- peppermint extract – a must for chocolate peppermint cookies!
- chocolate chips – I used Lily’s chocolate chips because they are low in sugar and calories!
- peppermint candies or candy canes – for the peppermint candy topping! If you’re not a fan of the peppermint candy topping or don’t have any on hand you can skip them. These cookies are still just as delicious without the candies on top!
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
These cookies are surprisingly super simple to make! In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and peppermint candies. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie batter and place it on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Leave about 1 ½ inches between each cookie and press down the cookie slightly before baking. Don’t press them down too much as they will spread! Bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes.
While the cookies bake, place the unwrapped peppermint candies or candy canes in a plastic bag and use the back of a wooden spoon or a rolling pin to crush the candy into small bits. When the cookies are done baking, remove them from the oven and immediately sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the cookies. Let cool completely before diving in!
Tips for Success
- Make sure you use drippy almond butter as this is one of the only sources of liquid in the cookie dough!
- To make these cookies vegan use a flax egg. If they don’t need to be vegan, a regular egg will work great.
- Make sure you flatten the cookies slightly, but not too much before baking as they do spread a little during baking.
- If you’re using the peppermint candy topping, sprinkle the crushed candy on the cookies immediately after removing from the oven. This will ensure that the heat melts the candy a bit so it sticks and doesn’t fall off.
pro tip! Don't mix the peppermint candies into the batter before baking otherwise you'll end up with a gooey, sticky mess! Trust me, it happened to me when testing this recipe.
How to Store Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
After allowing the cookies to cool completely, store them in an airtight container. They will keep 3-5 days at room temperature, up to 1 week in the refrigerator and can be frozen for longer storage. I recommend storing in between layers of parchment paper to keep the peppermint candies from sticking!
More Minty Treats
- Easy Peppermint Bark
- Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie
- Homemade Thin Mints
- Thin Mint Protein Balls
- Avocado Ice Cream
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
- Healthy Sugar Cookies
- Almond Crescent Cookies
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Almond Butter Espresso Cookies
- Almond Flour Cookies
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cardamom Cookies
- Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Lemon Almond Flour Cookies
- Almond Cookies
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Oatmeal Scotchies
Be sure to check out my full collection of healthy Christmas cookies as well as all the cookie recipes here on EBF.
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup drippy almond butter, I used Wild Friends
- 1 flax egg, or one regular egg
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt, skip if your nut butter has salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips, I used Lily's
- a few peppermint candies or candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a large bowl combine all ingredients, except for the chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop out the cookie batter using a small/medium cooking scoop or a Tablespoon and place on baking sheet giving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Press cookies down slightly.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- While cookies are baking, crush your peppermint candies or candy canes by placing unwrapped candies in a plastic bag, using the back of a wooden spoon to crush the candy into small bits.
- Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over cookies.
- Let cookies cool completely before touching or removing.
Video
Notes
- Almond butter: I would imagine these cookies will turn out just fine with another nut or seed butter, but the flavor might be slightly different. Just be sure it’s a natural and drippy nut butter.
- Maple syrup: I tried these with coconut sugar and they turned out, but the cookies were more crumbly and dry than with the maple syrup so I don’t recommend replacing this with a granulated sugar. Honey should work if you don’t need the cookies to be vegan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these for my book club holiday gathering and not only did they demolish them – but everyone wanted the recipe! These are ah-mazing!
Thanks for another great recipe, Brittany!
Amazing cookies! Not too sweet, not too minty, not too chocolaty. Everything was absolutely perfect! Making these for every holiday party this year! Thanks for sharing <3
Happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies, Patricia! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Love these! I modified by leaving out the chocolate chips and melting an Andes mint on top instead. People never guess these are gluten free and I make them any time of the year.
OH! That sounds delicious, Emily! Thank you so much for sharing. I am glad to hear that you are loving this recipe. I appreciate your star rating + review. It means so much to me.
I have made these multiple times! Hands down my favorite cookie recipe!!! The amount of peppermint is just right and they are so moist and chocolatey! I love too that they are a healthier dessert!
AH YAY! I am so glad that you are loving this recipe, Tanya. Thanks for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me.
These were just what I hoped for! I will absolutely make again. I used sunflower seed butter instead of almond but otherwise stuck to recipe as is. They stayed a bit soft and crumbled somewhat easily compared to a normal cookie. Which I figure is normal for a cookie without flour. Thanks for an all around great v/gf/df recipe!
WOO! I am pumped to hear that you are loving this recipe, Roxy. Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me.
Just made these and they are fantastic! Honestly was not expecting the texture to be as good as it was! They baked great in the oven and are thick, fluffy and chewy all at the same time. Will definitely be one of my favorites from now on!
WOO! All the best textures in one cookie. I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Taylor. Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!