Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies

These soft and chewy vegan and gluten free double chocolate chip peppermint cookies are dipped in dark chocolate for a rich, festive holiday cookie you HAVE to make.

I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit how quickly we've devoured these cookies every time we've made them. They're a favorite around here for a few reasons:

1. SO. MUCH. CHOCOLATE. 🙌 There's cocoa powder in the dough, a ton of chocolate chips AND chocolate chunks in the cookies, and they're dipped in dark chocolate after baking.
2. They have just the right amount of peppermint. A tiny bit of peppermint extract in the cookie dough + crushed candy canes on top of the cookie for the perfect amount of crunch and minty flavor in each bite. (No toothpaste-tasting minty cookies here!)
3. They're both vegan and gluten free, but you'd never be able to tell! The texture is spot on. They have an amazing slightly caramelized exterior and a soft, chewy, chocolatey interior that can't be beat.

These are a fantastic allergy-friendly recipe for this year's holiday cookie exchange. You just might want to make an extra batch to account for all of the ones you'll eat before exchanging. 😜

Let's make 'em!

Instructions

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Make the flax "egg": Stir together flax meal and water and let sit to thicken for 15 minutes. 

Cream butter and sugars: Melt the vegan butter. To prevent a mess in the microwave, we suggest doing so in a small saucepan over low heat on the stove. Once melted, add to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add both types of sugar and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until it forms a thick paste. 

Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. 

Add flax "egg", peppermint extract and vanilla to butter mixture and mix until combined. 

Incorporate dry ingredients: Add dry mixture to wet ingredients in a few batches until fully incorporated. Fold in both types of chocolate. 

Portion and freeze dough: Using a large cookie dough scoop (2-3tbsp), scoop out dough and arrange on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes. 

Bake: Bake 5-6 cookies at a time (they spread quite a bit) for 12 minutes. (If baking smaller cookies, bake for 9-10 minutes). 

Let cool, then decorate: Let the cookies cool completely. Melt dark chocolate in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Crush candy canes. Dip (or drizzle) each cookie in chocolate, then top with candy canes. Let chocolate set before enjoying.

Recipe Tips

• Not gluten free? No problem! Substitute the gluten free all purpose flour and the oat flour with 1 ⅓ cups regular all purpose flour.
• Don't skip the chilling. If you do, these cookies will spread a TON and they will be super thin.
• Let the cookies cool completely before dipping in chocolate (to avoid a huge, melty cookie mess). Chill in the refrigerator or freezer if you want the chocolate to set up quickly.
• Pro tip: want those beautiful crinkly edges? Right after you take the cookies out of the oven, use the inside rounded part of a fork to push in the edges of the cookie. Since the cookie spreads a bit in the oven, this helps form those crinkly, delicious edges. Make sure to do it right after they come out of the oven as they set quickly.
  • You can also use a large circle cookie cutter to do this. Right after the cookies come out of the oven, place the cookie cutter around the cookie and swirl it in a circular motion. This creates perfect crinkly edges (and makes the cookie into a perfect circle! I use this trick for photography).

Storage

Store leftover cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week (although you'll probably eat them all before then!).

You can also store these cookies in the freezer for up to 6 months. They honestly taste amazing straight from the freezer!

You can also freeze the cookie dough and bake at a later date. Freeze the dough into pre-portioned balls on a sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to a container or bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

You can bake the frozen dough straight from the freezer – they may just need an extra minute or two in the oven.

More vegan and GF holiday cookie recipes:

• Classic Sugar Cookies
• Raspberry Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
• Easy Peppermint Patties
• Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you make these vegan and gluten free double chocolate peppermint cookies, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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