November 23, 2022

Gluten-Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies

These Gluten-Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies can be great on their own or made a little extra special if you dip them in melted peppermint white chocolate. It’s the dream team of holiday flavours and I’m all for it!

To me nothing beats a fudgy chocolaty sweet treat. Especially if I can hold it in one hand and eat it while I’m buzzing around the house working on my holiday to-do list. This cookie is very much like having a brownie that’s set just enough to hold itself together. The hint of peppermint extract in the batter gives this cookie a slightly cooling effect. Plus it also has my favourite part of a brownie, the shiny, flaky topping you get when you mix your brownie batter just right.

Note: You can easily make these cookies without the peppermint or even replace it with another flavour. Orange zest would work beautifully or even a teaspoon of almond extract.

Why you need this Gluten-Free Peppermint Brownie Cookie recipe in your life:

You don’t really need a reason to have chocolate in your life but this gluten free chocolate peppermint cookie recipe is your excuse to treat yourself and the people around you this holiday season.
They. Are. Easy. The holidays are such a busy time and when it comes to baking, sometimes we just need a easy, quick recipe that doesn’t involve rolling, resting, decorating, etc. Nothing better than mixing these up in 15 minutes and eating them warm out of the oven.

Ingredients

list of the ingredients needed to make these Gluten-Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies:

Chocolate. I love the mix of milk and 70% chocolate in these cookies. It gives us the perfect amount of sweetness while also packing a punch of cocoa flavour.
Unsalted Butter. Butter makes everything better. Really it does. Butter in this recipe will provide flavour while also giving the cookies a pump of moisture.
Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar. The mixture of sugars has to do with flavour and moisture, but also how much we want our cookies to spread. I’ve found that this ratio gives the cookies a lovely caramel flavour while making sure they don’t spread too much.
Whole Eggs. Whole eggs are needed so our Gluten Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies have a strong structure.
Gluten Free Flour Blend. I used my All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend. The recipe for the blend can be found here. In a pinch I will often use Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend. If you are new to gluten free baking or are unfamiliar with the difference variations of Gluten Free Flour Blends, check out this article I wrote for Food Bloggers of Canada, where I explain how to find the right Gluten Free Flour for you.
Baking Powder. Rise, rise, rise. That’s what baking powder is doing in this recipe.
Kosher Salt. If all you have is table salt you will need to use much less as table salt is much stronger than kosher salt due to the different granule size. Only use about ¼ tsp or a pinch of table salt to ½ tsp of kosher salt.
Peppermint Extract. Not all extracts are created equal. Try to use a high quality extract that isn’t too perfumy. This is also where you can switch out the peppermint extract for almond extract or the zest of one orange if you prefer.

How to make these Gluten Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies:

Begin by melting your chopped chocolate along with your butter on low heat over a double boiler or alternatively you can use a microwave.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Put the eggs, sugars and peppermint extract in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on high speed until fluffy and light in colour. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Slowly add in the melted chocolate and mix until you see no streaks. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix for a few seconds on the lowest speed or stir by hand until evenly distributed.

The batter should be more like a brownie batter than a cookie dough. Divide the mixture into 8 equal-ish- sized piles on your prepared pan. These cookies really hold their shape during the baking process so for the best ice cream sandwich vehicle, flatten and spread each cookie a little. Bake for around 8-10 minutes, or until chewy in the middle and firm at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pastry Chef Tips and Tricks:

If you use room temperature butter and chop your chocolate finely you will have a much easier time melting your chocolate and will be less likely to burn or overmix your chocolate mixture.

Use an ice cream/cookie scoop to portion out your cookies for more consistent sizes

If you aren’t dipping your cookies in chocolate, you can instead sprinkle them with flaked sea salt fresh out of the oven for that high end bakery style flare.

How to Store Gluten Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies:

Baked cookies will keep in an airtight container for 5-7 Days.

These cookies need to be baked immediately after mixing. If the dough is refrigerated the cookies won’t spread while being baked.

They are also not meant to be frozen after baked as the cookies will absorb condensation from the freezer and the texture will be dry and unpleasant.

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free Peppermint Brownie Cookies

These cookies are perfect on their own or made a little extra special if you dip them in melted peppermint white chocolate. It’s the dream team of holiday flavours and I’m all for it!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 Large Cookies

Author: Kira McMullan

Ingredients

100 g Dark Chocolate (chopped)
100 g Milk Chocolate (chopped)
75 g Unsalted Butter
100 g Light Brown Sugar
50 g Granulated Sugar
2 Whole Eggs (room temp)
70 g Gluten-Free Flour Blend
30 g Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract
200 g White Chocolate or Candy Melts

Instructions

Cookie Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F and prepare two baking sheets with a silpat or baking parchment.
Begin by melting your chopped chocolate and butter on low heat over a double boiler or alternatively you can use a microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl whisk together gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs, sugars and peppermint extract on medum-high speed until doubled in volume. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the melted chocolate and mix until you see no streaks. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients. Stop folding once everything is just incorporated. The key here is to not overmix the batter.
Note: The batter should be more like a brownie batter than a cookie dough.
Using a medium cookie scoop or measure approx 2 tablespoons of dough each. Place the cookie dough 2-3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just set.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan or 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate Decoration

Place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter or tabletop.
In a bain-marie over medium heat, melt the white chocolate or candy melts until smooth.
Dip bottoms of cooled cookie into the melted chocolate and place chocolate side down onto the parchment paper. Gently press down of the cookie until the chocolate just starts to show around the sides of the cookie.
Allow the chocolate dipped cookies to cool and set before removing from the parchment.