HEALTHIER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

These gluten-free holiday cookies are Made with better for you ingredients but still all the flavour! (+ GIVEAWAY!!)

The key to the perfect cookie in my opinion, is to slightly under-bake them. These healthier double chocolate fudge peppermint cookies are no exception to the rule. If you do like a crispier cookie however, you can bake a couple minutes longer! But I am personally all about an ooey-gooey, soft, dense, fudgey cookie & this one definitely satisfies all those needs!

The ingredients:

Almond flour: I wanted to keep these cookies gluten & grain-free so almond flour is one of the stars of the show! It bakes really well with tapioca flour (another key ingredient).

Tapioca flour: I love using this in my grain-free baking. I find it is a bit of a binder & adds a nice ‘crisp’ to my baked goods. That’s what we’re going for with these…slightly crispy on the outside & fudgey on the inside!

Egg: this binds it together nicely. I haven’t tried flax eggs in this recipe but I want to & I will share the results on here if it works out! If you try them please leave me a comment letting me know how it worked out!

Vanilla & peppermint extract: these are both for flavour purposes. Not a fan of peppermint? No worries! These will still be delicious & work out great without the peppermint extract too!

Coconut sugar: I recently have been using this in a few recipes lately & LOVE the flavour it has. I like it because it does have some added nutrients over table sugar, such as vitamins, antioxidants & short-chain fatty acids. It also has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar, meaning it won’t affect blood sugar levels as much. With all that being said, it is still ‘sugar’ & for that reason should be consumed in moderation, like all sweet things! Coconut sugar not your thing or you’re trying to eat a lower sugar diet? I would recommend using Golden Lakanto in place of the coconut sugar in these cookies. Disclaimer: I haven’t tried this yet, but it is the best alternative I can think of & can’t see it affecting the final recipe too much. I will share my results when I test this recipe with it. If you try it before me, let me know in the comments how it worked out so I can share!

Pink salt: because sea salted chocolate is the BEST.

Baking soda: so we can get these babies to rise.

Unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder: because we want these super chocolate-ey!

Dark chocolate chips: or semi-sweet/milk chocolate if you wanna get real feisty. I like Lily’s chocolate chips for lower sugar or Enjoy Life for allergy friendly/dairy-free! PS: I used a chunky dark chocolate chip & I think it added a nice touch.

White chocolate & candy canes *optional: I dipped these in white chocolate & crushed candy canes. This is totally optional! I think a drizzle of coconut butter would also make these incredible if you want to keep them pretty healthy. If not go for the white chocolate & candy canes!

Lau’s Healthy Life Holiday GIVEAWAY!

PS: Because I am SO grateful for each & every single one of you who makes my recipes I wanted to give back & show YOU some love this holiday season! So until December 12th, everyone who makes one of my recipes & tags me on their IG story (note: if you are private send me a screenshot in my DMs so I can see it!) you will be entered into a giveaway where I am going to pick a winner & send you a fun holiday prize pack! This is going to be done with all of my own money & is just a way for me to say thank you for your support & a small way for me to show my appreciation! Note: the more recipes you make & tag me in= better chances of winning! so let’s get BAKING!!! Just make sure to tag me (@laus_healthy_life) in your story so I can see it & #laushealthyliferecipe!

I cannot wait to see all of your re-creations! I hope you LOVE this recipe as much as I do!

-Lau

Need more holiday baking inspo?

PUMPKIN SPICED KETO DOUGHNUTS
GLUTEN & DAIRY-FREE GINGERBREAD OATMEAL MAPLE BREAKFAST COOKIES
BLENDER PALEO BANANA APPLE GINGERBREAD LOAF
PALEO PUMPKIN SALTED CARAMEL FUDGE BITES

Print Recipe

HEALTHIER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

cookies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Peppermint extract
• 1/4 tsp Pink salt
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 3/4 cup Almond flour *See notes for nut-free option
• 1 Egg
• 2/3 cup Dark chocolate chips the brands I like are linked above
• 1/2 cup white chocolate *optional
• 2 pieces candy canes crushed into*optional

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings cookies Ingredients 1/4 cup butter softened 1/2 cup coconut sugar 1 tsp Vanilla extract 1 tsp Peppermint extract 1/4 tsp Pink salt 1 tsp Baking soda 1/4 cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder 1/4 cup tapioca flour 3/4 cup Almond flour *See notes for nut-free option 1 Egg 2/3 cup Dark chocolate chips the brands I like are linked above 1/2 cup white chocolate *optional 2 pieces candy canes crushed into*optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. With an electric beater or stand mixer (or by hand using a spatula) beat the butter & coconut sugar together.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding the chocolate chips/chunks last, to combine & mix until everything is well incorporated.
4. Let sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
5. Scoop a spoonful of the batter onto your prepared baking tray, topping with a couple more chocolate chips, if desired.
6. Bake for 7-9 minutes, remove from the oven & let cool slightly on the pan for at least 10 minutes. This gives a super fudgey final cookie. If you want a crunchier cookie, bake for 10-12 minutes.
7. Once cooled, melt you white chocolate (if using, you could also drizzle with melted coconut butter) in a double boiler or in the microwave & dip the cooled cookies into the chocolate. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces (if using), & enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*I tested these with gluten-free flour & they worked out well! The texture was slightly different but they were still delicious & fudgey. To make them nut-free, omit the tapioca flour & almond flour, then sub 1/2 cup of gluten-free baking flour. I used the President's Choice All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour blend.