Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

I’ve been making these cookies around Christmas time for the last few years and they’re always a hit. They’re just really good vegan chocolate cookies, with a hint of peppermint flavour for some holiday vibes. They have a very nice texture - not too soft, but not too crispy either, with just the right amount of crisp and chewiness.

You can prepare the dough the day before and let it rest in the fridge overnight to bake the next day if that’s more convenient for you. I’ve made this recently and found that a rested dough makes for slightly richer, more flavourful cookies. But don’t worry if you want to make them to enjoy right away, I’ve made these on the same day several times and they always turned out delicious.

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*Notes:
- I’m using both coconut sugar and organic cane sugar in this recipe (I like the rich malty flavour of coconut sugar, especially paired with chocolate, combined with the more neutral taste of cane sugar). If you only have one or the other in your pantry, you could probably use either all coconut or all cane sugar; just make sure you have 3/4 cup total).
- This recipe uses peppermint extract and dark chocolate, but I’ve also successfully made these cookies without peppermint extract, and using a chopped mint chocolate bar instead of the regular dark chocolate to get the mint flavour. Both work great and result in very similar cookies, so use whatever you prefer or have on hand. Some readers have also successfully made it using a couple drops of peppermint essential oil.

Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Ingredients

Makes about 20 cookies

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) plant-based milk (I used oat milk)

• 1 tsp lemon juice or mild vinegar

• 1 1/4 cups (170 g.) all-purpose flour (or light spelt flour or sifted red fife flour - I used this one by Flourist)

• 1/4 cup (20 g.) cacao powder

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 cup (110g) coconut oil (slightly solid, not melted)

• 1/2 cup (77 g.) coconut sugar - see notes*

• 1/4 cup (60 g.) organic cane sugar

• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract (or essential oil) - see notes*

• 1/2 cup (80 g.) chopped dark chocolate + more for topping

MEthod

1. If you want to bake the cookies right away, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. If you’re preparing the dough to bake the next day, simply skip this step.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the milk and lemon juice (or vinegar) and let sit.

3. Sift the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt into a bowl and set aside.

4. Place the coconut oil, coconut sugar and cane sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment). Beat on low speed until combined, then add the milk-lemon mixture and the peppermint extract and continue to beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.

5. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and continue to beat, just enough to combine. Then gently add the chopped dark chocolate and mix with a wooden spoon.

6. At this stage, you can either bake the cookies right away, or cover the bowl and let the dough rest in the fridge, anywhere between 30 minutes to overnight. This step is not mandatory, and I’ve made this recipe both ways, but I usually find that letting the dough rest in the fridge makes a slightly richer, more flavourful cookie.

7. When ready to bake, use a cookie scoop to form your cookies, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Add a few more chocolate chunks on top of each cookie if you’d like, then press slightly with your palm to flatten.

8. Bake at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes (mine are usually perfect at 9 minutes, but ovens may vary slightly). Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes (they will continue to bake slightly), then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an air tight container, at room temperature, for up to five days, although they probably won't last that long.