Ultra soft and gooey chocolate peppermint cookies that are undetectably vegan, lower in sugar, dairy free, and can be gluten free! With an elegant chocolate dip, these vegan Christmas cookies are a fudgy dream! Originally published in my cookbook, Baked With Love!

Super Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

The fudgiest chocolate peppermint cookies EVER

I am actually obsessed with these chocolate peppermint cookies. I don’t mean to play favorites, but these cookies definitely are in my top 3 favorite vegan Christmas cookies of all time.

They’re so fudgy and gooey, and basically taste like a brownie in cookie form with a kick of peppermint. Essentially Christmas in a cookie.

Not to mention, these double chocolate fudgy cookies are entirely vegan, dairy free, lower in sugar, and can easily be made gluten-free.

Plus, they’re designed to be easy. That’s right. If you’re a first time cookie baker, these Christmas cookies are certainly for you.

chocolate peppermint cookies

The recipe is actually from my new cookbook, Baked With Love, a cookbook that features over 110 vegan and allergy-friendly treats and desserts.

This cookie recipe certainly speaks to the other creations in that book; if you love these vegan chocolate peppermint cookies, then you’ll definitely love the cookbook!

Ingredients & equipment needed for these peppermint cookies

As I mentioned above, these vegan chocolate peppermint cookies are the definition of straightforward and easy. I wanted this recipe to be very approachable. There’s not even any baking soda in there! I KNOW!

For these vegan holiday cookies, you’ll need:

  • Flour: you can use all purpose or gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
  • Cacao powder
  • Coconut sugar: if you don’t have coconut sugar, not to worry; just use regular!
  • Vegan butter: you can also use softened coconut oil here if you’d like to keep this recipe nut free. There are also some amazing nut free vegan butter brands out there!
  • Unsweetened applesauce: this replaces the egg in the recipe
  • Vanilla extract & espresso powder: just flavor enhancers that I highly recommend!
  • Chocolate chips
  • Vegan peppermint candy

That’s it! Now you can add in a bit of dairy-free milk (any kind will do) here if the dough is not mixing well enough, but you’ll only need a tablespoon or two of that.

vegan peppermint cookies with chocolate dip

Now for the equipment, I again wanted to keep these cookies very approachable (as with every single recipe in my cookbook!).

You’ll only need the following:

  • Hand mixer or stand mixer: you can easily make these cookies with a hand mixer; in fact, that’s how I do it!
  • Whisk
  • Large & medium bowls
  • Cookie scoop
  • Rubber spatula: my favorite tool for mixing the dough. It makes it so easy!
  • Large baking sheet

The full ingredient measurements and instructions are found down below in the recipe card, but in the next section, we’ll go over some tips for how to make these chocolate peppermint cookies taste and look undetectably vegan!

How to make vegan chocolate peppermint cookies that don’t taste vegan!

This is my all time favorite part of every recipe. Revealing the magic to how these chocolate peppermint cookies can look and taste anything but vegan.

Again, the full directions are down in the recipe card, but here’s a general walk through!

1. Whisk the dry ingredients

This includes the flour and cacao powder. Definitely use a whisk here, as you want the two evenly distributed throughout.

Then set this mixture aside for the next step!

2. Cream the vegan butter

You’ll also add in there the coconut sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Keep creaming the mixture until the coconut sugar is evenly distributed throughout.

Then you’ll add in the dry ingredients next.

3. Add in the dry and fold it into the wet mixture

Simply add in the whisked flour and cacao powder here and use the rubber spatula to fold the mixture into the wet ingredients until it forms a dough.

You can also use a bit of dairy free milk here, as mentioned, to help with the consistency.

vegan cookie dough

4. Fold in the chocolate chips + peppermint candies

If you can’t find vegan peppermint candies, not to worry; you can also swap in a bit of peppermint extract to create the same flavor effect!

peppermitn candies in chocolate cookie dough

I use a medium cookie scoop for this part, but you can also use a tablespoon measurement and roll about 1.5 tablespoons worth of dough.

First you’ll scoop the dough, and then you’ll roll it between your palms. This part is crucial, as that’s what gives that beautiful rounded and clean look to these cookies.

Then place the peppermint cookie dough onto the baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly spread.

About halfway through, if you notice they’re not spreading, you can quickly remove the cookie sheet with your oven mitts on and lightly tap the sheet onto the counter to help the cookies flatten. Then place the cookie sheet back into the oven to finish its baking time.

6. Making chocolate dipped chocolate peppermint cookies

Truthfully, this part is not in the cookbook, but as I was making these, I last minute thought that would create a really elegant look!

Once the cookies have cooled, simply dip them halfway into melted chocolate and sprinkle with extra crushed peppermint candy.

Serve and enjoy!

Can I freeze the dough?

If you need to make these chocolate cookies at another time, not to worry. You can make the dough, then simply form the dough into a flat disk.

Wrap it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and freeze the cookie dough for up to 1 month.

When you’re ready to bake your cookies, simply allow the dough to almost come to room temperature: the dough should be slightly cold, but easily forms an indent if you press into it. This will take about 2 hours.

Then continue rolling the dough into cookie dough balls and bake!

You could even do that process before you freeze them, then simply freeze the dough into cookie dough balls.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Absolutely! These chocolate peppermint cookies were designed to be adjustable for a gluten-free diet if needed.

To make these vegan chocolate peppermint cookies gluten-free, simply swap in a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arther.

chocolate peppermint cookies

I hope you love these vegan Christmas cookies as much as I do! They’re so full of peppermint and chocolatey goodness, they’ll be hard to resist! I’ve already seen a few people share these cookies to Instagram after they made them from Baked With Love, and they look just perfect.

If you make these peppermint cookies, definitely let me know how they go in the comments section below, as well as giving them a rating so that others may find them.

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy holiday cookie baking!

More vegan Christmas cookies to try:

Vegan Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Paleo Vegan Linzer Cookies

Vegan Reindeer Cookies

Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies

The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies

Vegan Snowman Cookies

Vegan Christmas Cookie Tree

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Super Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
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fudgy vegan cookies

Soft and Chewy Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 12
  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: 20 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Ultra soft and gooey chocolate peppermint cookies that are undetectably vegan, lower in sugar, dairy free, and can be gluten free! With an elegant chocolate dip, these vegan Christmas cookies are a fudgy dream! Originally published in my cookbook, Baked With Love!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/3 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour 
  • 2/3 cup raw cacao powder
  • ¾ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ cup vegan butter, softened (see Notes)
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk (if needed)
  • ½ cup crushed vegan peppermint candies (see Notes)
  • ½ cup bittersweet vegan chocolate chips

Chocolate Coating:

  • 1/2 cup bittersweet vegan chocolate chips, melted
  • 1/2 cup crushed vegan peppermint candies

Instructions

  1. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet (at least 17 by 14 inches) with parchment paper. If you don’t have a large baking sheet, you can bake the cookies in batches using 2 medium-sized baking sheets.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour and cacao powder. 
  3. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the coconut sugar, vegan butter, applesauce, vanilla extract, and espresso powder, if using, until creamy.
  4. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture while stirring; continue stirring until the mixtures are well combined and you have a thick and sticky dough. Add the dairy-free milk if needed to help the dough form. Then fold in the peppermint candies and chocolate chips.
  5. Use a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop to form the dough into 20 balls and place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. (If you don’t have a medium-sized cookie scoop, scoop up heaping tablespoons of the dough and form the portions of dough into balls between your hands.)
  6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies have spread slightly.
  7. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
  8. For chocolate dip, dip each cookie halfway into the melted chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
  9. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

  • You can also swap coconut oil for the vegan butter, but I personally prefer the taste of vegan butter in these cookies. I find it makes it fudgier.
  • The espresso powder is optional, but I really do recommend it. It makes these cookies all the more chocolatey! 
  • For nut-free dairy-free milks, I recommend coconut milk or oat milk. (Note: If using oat milk, and you require it to be gluten-free, be sure to buy a brand labeled as such.)
  • There are a few different options for vegan peppermint candies in stores and online. But if you prefer, you can replace the candies with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, adding it in Step 3,  and increase the amount of vegan chocolate chips used in Step 4 to 1 cup.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 192
  • Sugar: 14.3 g
  • Sodium: 9.1 mg
  • Fat: 9.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 27.9 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 2.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 13.6 mg