Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies
Gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free holiday delights.
Equipment
- baking sheet pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, at room temperature or 1 stick of softened butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar or 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 cup cacao powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 2 candy canes, crushed into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly with oil.
- Beat oil and sugar together using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer until well combined. (You can also mix the ingredients by hand using a large spoon but this will take a lot more time and effort.) Add maple syrup, egg, vanilla, peppermint extract, baking soda, and salt and mix until fully combined. Add cocoa powder and mix slowly until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides and the dough is fully mixed.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop 2 tablespoons of dough to form each cookie. You can place the cookies pretty close together since they don't spread much during baking. Press 3 mini marshmallows into the top of each cookie then sprinkle with a pinch of crushed candy canes. If you want the marshmallows and candy to not fully melt during baking, place them on halfway through the baking process. (The cookies look prettier if you do this but they taste great either way.)
- Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. They will still be very soft and look slightly underbaked in the center. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store cookies at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.