peppermint Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Peppermint Blondies (Grain free, Dairy free)

December 20, 2018 By Becky 2 Comments

Peppermint Blondies (Gluten free, Grain free, Dairy free)

These gluten-free peppermint blondies taste like peppermint bark on top of the richest, chewiest blondies. They’re grain free, dairy free, and easy to make with just one bowl.

I’m sneaking in with one more recipe before Christmas! The other day I had the idea to make a peppermint version of my olive oil blondies, and I had to make it happen right away. The olive oil blondies have been my go-to party/potluck dessert for several years now. They’re always a hit and I always get lots of requests for the recipe. And no one has ever been able to taste the olive oil! (Although if you prefer, you can make them with avocado oil instead).

Gluten-free Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints

December 4, 2017 By Becky 38 Comments

This post is sponsored by Pamela’s Products.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

These gluten-free chocolate peppermint thumbprints are festive, delicious, and a snap to make with just one flour!

Happy cookie season! As soon as Thanksgiving is over, baking cookies is pretty much all I want to do, and these gluten-free chocolate peppermint thumbprints are going to be happening over and over again this year and for many years to come. The pairing of a buttery cookie and a rich chocolate ganache, both with just the right amount of peppermint flavor, is really hard to resist. That’s what’s so special about thumbprints–the combination of textures leads to such a satisfying chew.
Read More…

Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

December 5, 2016 By Becky 8 Comments

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.)

Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Ganache (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

October 21, 2013 By Becky 10 Comments

Ben and I celebrated the two-year anniversary of our first date yesterday. In addition to being an important relationship milestone, I thought having an anniversary was a great excuse to bake. I asked Ben what dessert I should make for our special day, and he said, “Why don’t you make a cake?”.

It was such a brilliant idea, not only because cakes are the most majestic of all the desserts, but also because I have not posted any cakes on this blog yet. I’ve posted lots of cupcakes (too many, some might say), but no actual cakes.

I set off in search of a great paleo chocolate cake recipe to use, since I haven’t really made any paleo chocolate cupcakes that I could adapt (although these muffins came pretty close). When I found this recipe from Zenbelly Catering, I could tell it was a hit from the dozens of raving comments. Food blogs are the best! Try to find that many (or any) reader responses to a recipe in an actual print cookbook.

All those readers were right–this is an awesome cake! I made a few changes to the cake recipe, including adding some coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor. Don’t worry, the cake won’t taste like coffee (or coconut, or almonds–the flavor is pure chocolate!).

For the ganache, though, I wanted to try something a little different, so I added peppermint extract. If you don’t like mint and chocolate, you can just leave that out. Ben and I both loved it, but we are the kind of people who drink hot chocolates with peppermint schnapps all winter long. (Is it time for those yet? Almost? They are basically the only thing I like about cold weather).

I wanted to make a whipped cream filling as suggested in the original recipe, but my coconut cream didn’t have enough time to set up in the fridge. Make sure you click on over to the original recipe if you want to try the cream layer for your cake–it sounds amazing! I’m all over that for our third anniversary, or the next time another cake-worthy occasion comes along.