Peppermint Cookies | Vegan & Gluten Free

Peppermint chocolate cookies. By far my favorite Christmas cookie classic, because how could they not be? Peppermint is one of the flavors that I associate most with the holiday season, it’s like candy corn, I only eat it during one particular month of the year, and after that it makes zero sense to me.

So that’s why I have to get as much of it as I possibly can during the month of December – it’s a fleeting asset!

This peppermint chocolate cookie was hands-down voted the best of my Christmas cookie roster this year (yes, we pick favorite children) and that’s because it stays crisp on the edges and chewy on the inside down until the very. last. bite. And they store so well too.

So if you are looking for a gluten free and vegan peppermint cookie, I got you. Now hurry up and make these before December ends and you don’t see another candy cane until 2022.

Ingredients you will need for these vegan & gluten free peppermint cookies

If you are familiar with gluten free and vegan baking, these ingredients should be no surprise (we even get to use our favorite, ~ze flax egg~)

Here’s what you need:

• 2 tbsp flax meal, 17 grams
• 5 tbsp room temperature water
• 1 cup of oats blended into oat flour, 100 grams
• 3 tbsp almond flour loosely packed, 17 grams
• ½ cup rolled oats, 50 grams
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 45 grams
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 85 grams
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 60 grams
• 8 mini candy canes, crushed

How to form and bake the dough for these vegan and gluten free peppermint cookies

• Whisk together the 2 tbsp flax meal and 5 tbsp water to create two flax eggs. Let this sit for 5 minutes or until it is gelatinous.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Then add the coconut sugar, coconut oil, peppermint extract and flax eggs to the bowl and mix until a dough forms.
• Add in the peppermint and chocolate and stir well. Chill the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes, or until your oven is done preheating.
• Scoop the cookies into 8 equal sized balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

A note on the baking process

This is a small batch recipe using only vegan and gluten free ingredients, so the cookies will spread in the oven. And that’s what makes them amazing! But it’s also why I highly encourage you to measure with a baking scale if you can.

When cookie recipes are small-batch, it makes it easier for one small difference in measurements to make a huge difference in results. I’ve listed ingredients in cups and grams, but if you have any doubt, I recommend going by grams first for these peppermint cookies.

How to shape these vegan peppermint cookies

WARNING – peppermint candy is a fickle b***. It will melt in the oven, and that’s part of what creates the chewy, sugary, crispy goodness of the cookie. The downside, is that if the peppermint isn’t fully surrounded by the dough, it can….well it can melt and cause a scene. Like a peppermint crime scene.

Luckily there is an easy fix for this.

Get a round glass or cookie cutter (I personally love these from Amazon) and as soon as the cookies are out of the oven, swirl the cookie cutter around them to encourage them to form perfect cookie circles. Depending on how the peppermint melts, you might have to cut some off the edges, but hopefully not too much.

Once your cookies are the shape you’d like, let them cool and you’ll end up with perfectly round, chewy peppermint cookie circles.

Looking for other cookie recipes?

It’s the holiday season after all! Here are all of my 2021 holiday cookies:

And that’s everything for this vegan & gluten free peppermint cookie recipe!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories, and I’m so excited to see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you!