The Best Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies|Vegan and Nut free

These festive Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies are the absolute best! Made with crushed candy canes and vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, this really is the perfect Christmas cookie recipe.

Chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorites and from the look of it, it’s your favorite too, which is why I’m so excited to share with you our Christmas version – Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peppermint.

Vegan Holiday Cookies

Can I just say that these cookies are up there with some of the best I’ve ever baked. They’re holiday cookie perfection – soft, chewy, crispy in all the right places with crushed peppermint pieces sprinkled throughout. If there was every a cookie to bake for you, your family OR Santa, it should be these! 

And did I mention just how easy they are? No weird ingredients, no egg replacers, no crazy steps, just simple as can be. Since the dough is refrigerated, you can make ahead of time or bake up a half batch then save the rest for another day. Just grab the dough from the fridge, scoop into balls, place on your parchment lined sheet & bake. In less than twenty minutes, you’ll be enjoying fresh baked, Christmas Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies! Easy peasy.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP PEPPERMINT COOKIES:

• Vegan butter: I use Earth Balance stick butter.
• Light brown sugar & Granulated sugar (make sure they are vegan).
• Plant-based milk (Good Karma unsweetened flax is my favorite).
• Extracts: A combination of vanilla and peppermint bring out the most flavor.  If you don’t have peppermint, you can swap with rum extract or simply use all vanilla (we love Nielsen-Massey).
• All Purpose Flour (can swap with 1:1 Gluten free blend like Bob’s Red Mill)
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Candy canes (Yum Earth makes vegan ones)
• Chocolate chips—sweet, semi sweet, dark or any combo you prefer! (Enjoy Life Foods is our go-to). 

HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE CHIP PEPPERMINT COOKIES

• Make the cookie batter. Cream together butter and both sugars to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add in milk and vanilla/peppermint, then mix until combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl throughout! Meanwhile add flour, baking soda and salt to small bowl. Whisk to combine then slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and crushed peppermint.
• Chill the dough. Cover mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. Option: You can also roll the cookie dough into small balls and place them on a plate in the fridge. Pro Tip: You must chill dough or else the cookies will spread and not hold shape!
• Preheat the oven. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake the cookies. Place cookies on a baking sheet covered in parchment in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. For crispier cookies, bake an extra minute!* I find that 11 minutes is perfect in my oven.  
• Let cookies cool. Cookies will flatten once you take them out of the oven.  Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Save and store. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the pre-made dough or cookies for up to 3-4 months.

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TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH PEPPERMINT

• Measure carefully. Baking is all about precision so using the “scoop and level” method is more accurate for measuring. Here is a great tutorial on the proper way to measure flour.
• Chill your dough. Patience is virtue, and in this case totally worth it! Chilling the dough ensures that your cookie ingredients don’t separate or melt into one big puddle when baking! If you hate waiting, just use that time for cleaning up the kitchen instead of waiting until the end- talk about efficiency. 
• Pre-heat your oven. Make sure you have at least 10 minutes of pre-heating time built in to your prep, depending on your oven. I use a hanging thermostat inside my oven to ensure accuracy so if you find youroven isn’t producing perfect results, you may need to check if its producing the correct heat.
• Use parchment paper, NOT silat mat.  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my stories showing the sad results from using a silpat. You can read more about that here .
• Don’t Rush. Unless you have a convection oven it is best to bake just one batch of cookies at a time on the center oven rack. This will yield the best results for your cookies. You also make to make sure they are spaced out nicely on your baking sheet, leaving 2-3” space in between dough balls.
• Store correctly. If you’re not serving these peppermint chocolate chip cookies right away, store them in an airtight container. If you dip the cookies in melted chocolate, you can separate them with wax paper after the chocolate hardens to prevent messing up perfection. If stored well, your cookies will be good for about a week!

WHY WE LOVE THESE SO MUCH:

• They take a classic and give it a holiday kick! Who can resist a chocolate chip cookie? And giving them a little bit of Christmas cheer just makes them more fun over the holiday season.
• They are kid friendly. Kids can help in the kitchen and really enjoy crushing up candy canes and dipping cookies in chocolate.The messier the better!
• They are allergy friendly. It’s hard to believe these cookies are dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and vegan!And because they are free-from so many allergens, you can enjoy sharing these with others.  
• Umm, these are delish! I mean, isn’t that the reason we bake cookies??

YOU’LL LOVE THESE HOLIDAY COOKIES TOO

• Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies
• Chocolate Dipped Red Velvet Cookies
• The Best Cut-out Sugar Cookies
• Snowball Cookies

These Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies are quite an amazing little cookie! They’re perfect for gifting, last-minute covid-crew drop-bys and bound to become a family favorite in your house too. Grab some plant-based milk and get ready for a taste of the holidays!