Chocolate Peppermint Cookies- gluten-free, top 8 allergen free
The holidays bring all kinds of memories and nostalgia. One beautiful thing about this time of year is that each of us has our own memories and nostalgia that differ from others, but we all have it. No matter what this time of year brings up for you, we are here to ensure it is safe and delicious. All of our recipes are created to ensure you can share your gluten-free, top 8 allergen free food knowing your loved ones will love them too. You can bake up batches of cookies from our blog this holiday season and take them to any event and be proud of your creation.
One memory and food that holds so much nostalgia for me is the combination of chocolate and peppermint. I grew up in the Seattle area, and each Christmas my parents would buy one box of mint Frango’s. If you didn’t grow up in the Northwest, you may not know what these little bites of perfection are. They are chocolates that are fudgy with the perfect amount of mint that came in cute octagon shaped boxes. Frederick and Nelson department store was the original creator of these little bites of perfection. After they closed, the Frango’s lived on through various department stores that purchased the business.
I wanted to be able to pass on a recipe just as chocolatey and minty, delicious, and safe for you to enjoy. Cookies are such a simple and easy thing to make and take to events, so I figured I needed to make a peppermint chocolate cookie recipe just in time for the holidays. Head on over to grab our Rustic Scoop™ Cookie Mix so you can make these and enjoy them as much as we do!
Ingredients
¼ Cup Cocoa powder
¾ Cup Shortening
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Flax eggs (2 Tablespoons flax meal + 6 Tablespoons hot water), or 2 whole eggs
⅔ Cup Chocolate chips or Mint chips
½ teaspoon Peppermint extract (use only if you don’t add peppermint toppings or mint chips)
Toppings
-Peppermint red and white striped Hershey Kisses if you can eat them
-Crushed candy cane, we love Hammond’s Peppermint Stirrers as they don’t contain corn syrup or red dye, Yum Earth also has a great Organic, dye free option as well
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening until it is smooth. Butter can be used, but we much prefer shortening. Coconut oil will not work. Next add the vanilla and flax egg or whole eggs with the shortening and mix on medium speed until they are well combined. Then slowly add the contents of one Rustic Scoop™ Cookie Mix and cocoa powder, mix until well combined. After the dough is well combined, mix in the chocolate or mint chips and peppermint extract if using it.
Using a medium cookie scoop (or 1.5oz weighed), place dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets leaving 1 inch between cookies. Gently press your dough down just until the dough on top is flat. Place your cookie sheet with dough balls into your freezer for 10 minutes. If you used the flax eggs, bake for 14-16 minutes on 350°F or until golden on top. If you used whole eggs, bake for 12-14 minutes on 350°F or until they are golden on top. The cookies will be a bit fluffy when you take them out of the oven, but will settle. When you take the cookies out of the oven, leave them on the pan for about 5 minutes until they settle. Then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack until they are cool to the touch. If you eat them too early (tempting I know) they will fall apart easily.
If you want to use either of the toppings, add them once the cookies are nearly cool. Gently press the Hershey’s kiss in the center of the cookie. If you do this too early, they will melt. If too late, it will be hard to get them to stay on the cookie, timing is everything. ;)
If you are going to use the crushed candy cane or peppermint stirrers, crush up well. We use a ziplock bag, wrap it in a towel once, then use a mallet to crush. Sprinkle as much candy on top as you want then gently press into your cookie so they don’t fall off. Enjoy!