I know lots of people love gingerbread for the holidays, but to me peppermint is the flavor of Christmas. These decadent chocolate peppermint cookies start with a thick fudge chocolate cookie loaded with chocolate chips. These are serious bakery sized cookies topped with peppermint buttercream frosting and crushed candy canes. These perfect Christmas cookies are totally over the top and delicious!
If you're looking for more amazing holiday desserts, check out my gluten free chocolate peppermint cake or my collection of all the best gluten free christmas cookies.
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Why You'll Love These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Decadent: A rich double chocolate cookie topped with peppermint frosting is exactly what the holidays need. These cookies are large and decadent, almost like a Crumbl cookie (but better!).
- Simple: The dough uses just few simple ingredients and produces a perfectly soft, chewy cookie.
- Allergen Friendly: The recipe is gluten free, dairy free and nut free as written.
Ingredient List
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - This recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill brand 1-to-1 flour blend. If you use another flour blend, I highly recommend you weigh the flour to get a more consistent result.
- Dutch Process Cocoa - I opted for Dutch Process cocoa powder in this recipe to give a deep, rich chocolate flavor. You can also use Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Hershey's is my favorite brand and it's gluten free.
- Baking Powder - This leavening agent is help these cookies that thick and soft.
- Baking Soda - Baking soda is reacting with brown sugar and cocoa powder in this recipe to help the cookies spread.
- Salt - A little salt helps balance the flavors, don't be tempted to skip it.
- Sugar - White sugar also helps the cookies to spread and provides sweetness to help balance the cocoa powder.
- Brown Sugar - This helps to keep the cookies soft in the center plus the molasses provides a little extra richness to the cookie.
- Oil - This cookie is made with oil instead of butter, which creates a rich almost fudge-like texture. These cookies stay perfectly soft for days thanks to the oil. I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil but you can use whatever light flavored cooking oil you prefer.
- Egg - Just a single egg is needed here. If you want to make these egg free, I'd recommend using a flax egg or an egg replacer.
- Vanilla - Helps to sweeten the flavor of these chocolate cookies.
- Non-Dairy Milk - Just a little milk is used here to moisten the dough. The milk helps to keep the outside of the cookies from getting to crunchy. If you're not dairy free, use regular milk in the same measure.
- Allergen Free Chocolate Chips - I've used Nestle Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips here. Enjoy Life would be another great option.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - use dairy milk in the same measure.
- Make it Vegan - Use a single flax egg to replace the egg in the recipe.
- White Chocolate - Replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips for a fun twist.
How to Make Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
This cookie dough is very easy to make and does not require a mixer. It does need some chill time though - trust me, it is way better when chilled!
STEP 1: Combine gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together until well mixed and set aside.
STEP 2: Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil to a large mixing bowl. Whisk well until it resembles wet sand.
STEP 3: Add the egg, vanilla and milk to the sugar mixture. Whisk again until smooth.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold together with a spatula until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
STEP 5: Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough and continue to fold the dough until they're evenly incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours up to overnight.
STEP 6: Once the dough has been chilled, scoop it into dough balls approximately ¼ cup size. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches spacing. Then bake!
How to Make Peppermint Frosting
These cookies are topped with a simple peppermint buttercream frosting. For the frosting you will need the following ingredients:
- Vegan Butter - I used Country Crock Plant Butter for this recipe. Any vegan butter will work as long as it is the stick type and not margarine. You can also replace vegan butter with vegetable shortening but you may need to add a little extra milk to loosen the frosting. If you're not dairy free, use dairy butter in the same measure.
- Vanilla and Peppermint Extract - Just a little of each to provide flavor for the frosting.
- Powdered Sugar - Sugar combines with butter to create this American buttercream frosting.
- Non-Dairy Milk - Milk is used to loosen the frosting just a little to make it easier to spread on the cookies. If you're not dairy free, use regular milk or heavy cream.
- Gel Food Coloring - I frosted my cookies with red frosting, but that is optional. You can use white or any other color you like!
STEP 1: Beat the butter with an electric mixer until it's smooth and creamy.
STEP 2: Add the vanilla and peppermint extract and beat about 30 seconds more to incorporate.
STEP 3: Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix it on low speed until it's incorporated.
STEP 4: Add the milk to the partially mixed frosting. Stir until the milk is incorporated, then move the mixer to high speed and beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Note: If you want to add food coloring now is the time to add it in.
Storage
There is no need to refrigerate these cookies as buttercream frosting is okay to store at room temperature. The cookies are nicer to eat when served at room temperature and will last up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
These cookies will also freeze well for about 3 months. However, if you want to freeze them, I would not add the frosting and candy until after they are thawed out as candy canes don't do well in the freezer.
More holiday recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 ¼ Cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- ½ Cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ⅔ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
- ¼ Cup Non Dairy Milk
- 1 Cup Allergen Free Chocolate Chips
For the peppermint frosting
- ½ Cup Vegan Butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoons Non Dairy Milk
- Red Food Coloring
- Candy Canes
Instructions
- Combine the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.1 ¼ Cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ½ Cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Add the brown sugar, white sugar and oil to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until it resembles wet sand.⅔ Cup Light Brown Sugar, ⅓ Cup Sugar, ½ Cup Olive Oil
- Add the egg, vanilla and milk to the sugar mixture. Continue to whisk until it's a smooth mixture. (There will be a little bit of grainy-ness from the sugar, but it should be like a thick liquid)1 Egg, 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla, ¼ Cup Non Dairy Milk
- Add the dry ingredients. Fold them in with a spatula.
- Once the dry ingredients are partially incorporated, add the chocolate chips. Continue to fold until they are evenly mixed in and all the dry ingredients are incorporated.1 Cup Allergen Free Chocolate Chips
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to overnight).
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the cookie dough into dough balls about ¼ cup in size. It should make 12 dough balls. Place them on the baking sheet placed about 3 inches apart. I baked 6 on each baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes or until the edges are just set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the peppermint frosting:
- Add the vegan butter to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until the butter is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl.½ Cup Vegan Butter
- Add the vanilla and peppermint extract and beat about 30 more seconds.½ teaspoon Vanilla, ½ teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, stirring on the lowest speed until it's incorporated.2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Add the milk and stir again on low speed until the milk is incorporated. Then move the speed to high and beat for about 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.1 ½ teaspoons Non Dairy Milk
- Mix in food coloring if using.Red Food Coloring
- Frost each cookie with a generous portion of frosting. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting around. Sprinkle the cookies with crushed candy cane pieces.Candy Canes
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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