These festive, grain-free chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies are just the thing for gifting, cookie swapping, and plain old snacking from now until the new year.

Looking for an adorable, two-bite cookie to enjoy and share this holiday season? I got you covered. I took a look at the cutest cookies from my archives, 2013’s sparkling sandwich cookies, and gave them a chocolate peppermint upgrade. The resulting chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies pack a lot of joy and holiday cheer into one tiny, almost-spherical package.

The cookie base here is super simple, made with just almond flour, Rodelle‘s baking cocoa and vanilla extract, butter, honey, and a touch of salt and baking soda. Rodelle’s cocoa has a rich aroma and great depth of flavor that makes it my very favorite cocoa for baking (and for turning the occasional morning coffee into a makeshift mocha). I also like to add a tiny bit of espresso powder to further deepen the chocolate flavor, but you can leave that out if you prefer.

There are no eggs in sight and of course no grains either, which make these cookies ideal for sharing with friends and family with food allergies and sensitivities. (Interested in a dairy-free version? The cookies should work with coconut oil instead of butter, and you could try sustainably-sourced palm shortening or vegan butter in the frosting.)

The peppermint buttercream is also super simple: just butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt (because everything sweet needs salt, as my grandmother used to say!), vanilla and peppermint extracts, and a splash of cream. A little peppermint goes a long way, so I use just over 1/8 teaspoon in the frosting. I don’t have a 1/8 teaspoon measure, so I just use my 1/4 teaspoon and fill it a little over halfway. I buy an organic powdered sugar that has tapioca starch instead of cornstarch to keep the cookies grain free. Be sure to check ingredients carefully if you’re avoiding corn.

After the cookies are sandwiched together with little clouds of peppermint buttercream, the edges are rolled in crushed up candy canes. Mine are more pink than red because they’re dyed with fruit juice, but I like how the pink looks with the rich brown of the cookies.

I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be thrilled to get these little orbs of minty chocolate goodness at a cookie swap or as an edible gift! I’m picturing them all wrapped up with a candy cane tied into the ribbon, and now I need to make another batch…

This post is part of 2016’s Cookies with Rodelle. For lots more delicious holiday cookie recipes, head on over to their site.

Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

Yield: 20 small sandwich cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

These festive, grain-free chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies are just the thing for gifting, cookie swapping, and plain old snacking from now until the new year.

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Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 1 2/3 cups almond flour, lightly packed
• 1/3 cup Rodelle Organic Baking Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract

For the peppermint buttercream:

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon peppermint flavor, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream, or more as needed

For finishing:

• 3 candy canes, crushed

Instructions

1. To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicone liner.
2. Whisk together the almond flour, cocoa, espresso powder, sea salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
3. Mix the butter, honey, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the liquid to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
4. Form rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and place them about an inch and a half apart on the baking sheet. Use a lightly greased round teaspoon measure (held upside down) to push gently on the balls of dough to form half spheres.
5. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
6. To make the peppermint buttercream, beat the butter with a mixer or fork. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until thoroughly mixed. Taste and add more peppermint flavor if desired. Add additional cream if the frosting is too stiff.
7. Match the cookies up into pairs by size.
8. Transfer the frosting to a ziptop bag and snip off a corner. Pipe a generous layer of frosting onto one cookie in each pair.
9. Sandwich the cookies together and roll the edges in the crushed candy canes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g

The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.

I created this post as part of my participation in Rodelle’s brand ambassador program, and Rodelle provided ingredients for this recipe. Thank you for your support!