If you're a chocolate lover like me, you MUST try these Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies! It's the perfect combination of dark chocolate, melty chocolate chips, and a hint of peppermint. Oh, and did I mention that the texture is an absolute dream?! They have a slight crisp on the outside, and the inside is soft and chewy. Plus they’re healthier than a traditional Cookie recipe! Filled with simple ingredients like almond flour, raw cacao powder, coconut oil, and organic coconut sugar. Perfect for anyone who is gluten-free, dairy-free, or Paleo! I also share some simple swaps below on how to make them keto-friendly.
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What makes these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Healthier?
You’d never know these Chocolate Chip Cookies are lower in sugar, and filled with simple whole food ingredients like organic cacao powder, almond flour, and eggs! I never sacrifice taste or texture when making my healthier treats!
🍴Recipe Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- Almond Flour - My favorite almond flour brands are Bob’s Red Mill, and Blue Diamond. Both have a finely ground blend that doesn’t come out clumpy! Make sure it’s almond FLOUR and not almond MEAL. They have completely different textures.
- Cacao Powder - You can use traditional cocoa powder, but I like cacao powder because it’s less processed and more NUTRIENT DENSE. TerraSoul is one of my favorite brands – great quality, and great price!
- Baking Soda & Salt
- Chocolate Chips - Since I’m dairy-free I like to use vegan chocolate chips. I personally love the brand Pascha – they make high quality chocolate that’s dairy-free and soy-free. The 85% dark chips are my favorite because they’re sweet but not too sweet! They also have a 100% cacao option that is great for anyone who is sugar free.
Wet Ingredients
- Eggs - Room Temperature
- Coconut Sugar - You can also substitute with Lakanto golden monkfruit.
- Melted Coconut Oil - I have not tested this recipe with butter or ghee, but I believe it would work! (They might expand a little more when you bake them.)
- Peppermint Extract - See FAQ section for how to swap with Peppermint Essential Oil.
🍴Recipe Instructions
Making the Dough
- Start by adding the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Use a whisk or fork to blend until fully combined. (Make sure to remove any flour clumps.)
- Next add your eggs, coconut sugar, and peppermint extract into a separate mixing bowl. Use a whisk or hand mixer to blend. Then add in your melted coconut oil and blend until fully combined. (Make sure it's not too hot!)
- Slowly start to add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold it in. The dough should become very thick and sticky.
Chilling the Dough
- Transfer the bowl into the refrigerator to cool for 1-2 hours. (Or overnight.) If you chill the dough overnight, cover the bowl or wrap it up.
Baking the Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Roll the cookies into 18 even sized balls. Add 6-9 onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Once they're lined up, gently press them down into disc shapes. Don't flatten them out too much - they will spread out as the bake. (If you want to add extra chocolate chips on top, press them in now!)
- Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Let the cookies set on the tray for a couple minutes, then transfer them to a metal cooling rack. Once they're cooled to room temperature, transfer them to a plate.
Cookie Size Tips
You can make them whatever size you want, but just know that they will not expand too much in the oven! For this batch, I made them slightly bigger. You can certainly make them smaller if you’d like, but remember they will cook a bit faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily make this recipe sugar free by swapping the coconut sugar for Lakanto Monkfruit. (I love their golden monkfruit.) You can also find sugar free chocolate chips that use monkfruit/stevia or you can get 100% cacao chocolate chips!
Yes! If you don't like peppermint, or you don't have any on hand, feel free to skip that step! They also make a delicious double chocolate cookie!
Peppermint essential oil is much more concentrated than the extract. If you choose to use the oil, I would only use 4-5 drops. (Be careful when adding it in!) You also want to make sure that you're using food grade essential oils that are PURE, and not mixed with other oils. If the oil doesn't have nutrition facts, it's not meant to ingest. Personally I use Doterra, but any quality oil will work! *affiliate link*
I wouldn't recommend not chilling the dough at all because the dough is very sticky. At MINIMUM let it chill for 30 minutes, but 1-2 hours is best. (You can even let it chill overnight!)
I have not tested it with butter, but I believe it would work well! They might spread out a bit more while baking.
How to store leftover Cookies
You can store your cookies at room temperature in an air tight container to keep them fresh, and to make sure they stay moist! (If you want them more dense, leave them out on the counter to firm up a bit.) After a couple days, I would move the container into the refrigerator to keep them fresh for longer. You can also store the cookies in a freezer bag or air tight container in the freezer! PRO TIP: Frozen cookies are actually really delicious! If you don’t want to bake all of the cookies at once, you can store the dough in the freezer for a rainy day!
More GF/DF cookie recipes!
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Paleo Lemon Cookies
- Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies (Paleo)
- Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe
Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Spatula
- Whisk or Fork
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 + ½ Cups Almond Flour
- ½ Cup Cacao Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3 Eggs - Room Temperature
- ½ Cup Coconut Sugar You can also substitute with lakanto golden monkfruit.
- 3 Tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
Chocolate Chips
- ¼ Cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Start by adding the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Use a whisk or fork to blend until fully combined. (Make sure to remove any flour clumps.)
- Next add your eggs, coconut sugar, and peppermint extract into a separate mixing bowl. Use a whisk or hand mixer to blend. Then add in your melted coconut oil and blend until fully combined. (Make sure it's not too hot!)
- Slowly start to add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold it in. The dough should become very thick and sticky.
Chilling the Dough
- Transfer the bowl into the refrigerator to cool for 1-2 hours. (Or overnight.) If you chill the dough overnight, cover the bowl or wrap it up.
Baking the Cookies
- Roll the cookies into 18 even sized balls. Add 6-9 onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Once they're lined up, gently press them down into disc shapes. Don't flatten them out too much - they will spread out as the bake. (If you want to add extra chocolate chips on top, press them in now!)
- Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Let the cookies set on the tray for a couple minutes, then transfer them to a metal cooling rack. Once they're cooled to room temperature, transfer them to a plate.
Notes
Cookie Size Tips
You can make them whatever size you want, but just know that they will not expand too much in the oven! For this batch, I made them slightly bigger. You can certainly make them smaller if you’d like, but remember they will cook a bit faster.Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make this recipe sugar free and keto-friendly? You can easily make this recipe sugar free by swapping the coconut sugar for Lakanto Monkfruit. (I love their golden monkfruit.) You can also find sugar free chocolate chips that use monkfruit/stevia or you can get 100% cacao chocolate chips! Can I make this recipe without peppermint extract? Yes! If you don’t like peppermint, or you don’t have any on hand, feel free to skip that step! They also make a delicious double chocolate cookie! What's the difference between peppermint essential oil and peppermint extract? Peppermint essential oil is much more concentrated than the extract. If you choose to use the oil, I would only use 4-5 drops. (Be careful when adding it in!) You also want to make sure that you’re using food grade essential oils that are PURE, and not mixed with other oils. If the oil doesn’t have nutrition facts, it’s not meant to ingest. Personally I use Doterra, but any quality oil will work! *affiliate link* What to do when you don't have time to chill the dough - can I still make them? I wouldn’t recommend not chilling the dough at all because the dough is very sticky. At MINIMUM let it chill for 30 minutes, but 1-2 hours is best. (You can even let it chill overnight!) Can I use butter instead of coconut oil? I have not tested it with butter, but I believe it would work well! They might spread out a bit more while baking.How to store leftover cookies
You can store your cookies at room temperature in an air tight container to keep them fresh, and to make sure they stay moist! (If you want them more dense, leave them out on the counter to firm up a bit.) After a couple days, I would move the container into the refrigerator to keep them fresh for longer. You can also store the cookies in a freezer bag or air tight container in the freezer! PRO TIP: Frozen cookies are actually really delicious! If you don’t want to bake all of the cookies at once, you can store the dough in the freezer for a rainy day!Nutrition
After you make these Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe! Your feedback is helpful for me, and for anyone planning to try this recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do! xo Mariah
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The texture is incredible!! Great recipe!