Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

By Amanda Paa – Updated May 17, 2020

On the 4th Day of December my Sweet Tooth Gave to Me……. Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms! With just 6 ingredients, these pretty holiday cookies starring chocolate and peppermint bark are rich, fudgey, and naturally gluten free. That’s reason for an all out kitchen happy dance.

Normally I’m a peanut butter blossom or frosted sugar cookie kind of girl, but when I spotted the Hershey’s peppermint bark bells, inspiration for a chocolate peppermint came over me. Pretty soon I was seeing visions of sugar plum fairies, otherwise known as decadent chocolate cookies rolled in powdered sugar and topped with peppermint bark candy.

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms ~ flourless, naturally gluten-freeOne of the reasons I love peanut butter blossoms is because this recipe became my go to during my very first gluten free holiday season. They were extremely easy and so delicious! I brought them to a Christmas cookie exchange and they were a hit. Nobody could believe they had just 5 ingredients and were naturally gluten free.

Flourless Peppermint Chocolate Blossoms | 6 ingredient cookiesThat’s when the light bulb clicked. What if I could make a peanut butter blossom type cookie using something like Nutella or Jif’s Hazelnut spread and the peppermint candy? I knew the tough part was going to be keeping them flourless because chocolate hazelnut butters behave differently in baking recipes compared to a pure nut butter. Essentially they spread a lot more when heated so flour normally helps prevent this.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms ~ 6 ingredients, flourless Christmas cookiesMy kitchen was in quite a disarray after a few failed recipe tests, but with chocolate smeared hands and a powdered sugar kissed nose, I finally landed on a winner!

The secret to preventing them from spreading into a gooey mess came down to two things:

~ The speed and length of mixing time

~ Using equal parts powdered sugar instead of 1 cup of granulated like in the peanut butter blossom recipe

~ A brief chill down in the freezer

 Cat and Christmas CookiesThese Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms have just the right amount of fudgey chew and a nice crisp outer edge, precisely my definition of a great cookie. With rich cocoa, cool mint, and their snow kissed look, your holiday dessert tray is begging for their presence. You probably have half of the ingredients on hand and an innocent plug here – all six are available for you to save on right now with Cartwheel by Target, the project I work on during my day job.

So now that you’ve got the details its time to get baking!  Let the powdered sugar fly, the holiday tunes blast, and your merry spirit shine with the start of the holiday season.

*One thing to note: I contacted Jif and confirmed that their Hazelnut spread is gluten free. Here is their response: “We’re happy to help, Amanda! Jif® Chocolate flavored Hazelnut Spread does not contain ingredients derived from wheat/gluten. However, there is a potential for cross-contact in our processing facility because we make other products with these ingredients, which is why wheat is listed in the May Contain statement.” If you or someone you are baking for has full blown celiac disease, I would use Nutella in this case as it is made in a completely gluten free facility. *

Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

makes about 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar + additional for rolling dough in
1 cup Nutella or Jif Hazelnut Spread
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bag Hershey’s Peppermint Bark Bells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the Nutella or Jif hazelnut spread, granulated sugar and 1/2 cup powdered sugar to large mixing bowl. Cream together for 3 minutes on medium speed, scraping down the sides of bowl periodically. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in egg. Mix on low for 1 minute. Add the baking soda and mix on medium for 2 minutes. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. (Don’t skimp on the time.)

Add about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to a small bowl. Heavily grease a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. (This is important!) Remove dough from freezer, grab a heaping teaspoon of dough, and roll into a ball, then roll in powdered sugar to give them a thick coating. Repeat with 8 more dough balls, then place them evenly across cookie sheet (9 per sheet).

Place bowl back in freezer. Bake cookies on middle rack for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 7 minutes on the pan, then lightly press peppermint bell in middle of each. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in covered container for 4-5 days.

Did you make this?

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December 4, 2013

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36 comments

  1. Sandy

    Every Christmas I make cookies and along with the usual snickerdoodle I try out a new cookie recipe and I these chocolate peppermint cookies will be what I’m trying this year.

    • Amanda Paa

      Sandy, thanks for stopping by! I hope you like these chocolate peppermint blossoms. They’re one of our favorite christmas cookies.

  2. Lori

    I made these for my coworkers and they loved them! They tasted great but they didn’t look as pretty as the picture. They were a little crumbly. I’m making a second and third batch tomorrow. Any advice on how to make them picture perfect?

    • amandapaa

      Hi Lori,
      I’m glad that you liked them! To ensure that they are “pretty” :) I would recommend making sure you shape the dough tightly into balls. Also, try baking the first sheet of cookies for 8 minutes instead of 7. Your oven temperature could be a little low so baking them one minute longer should help. Happy holidays!

  3. Valerie Knight

    I fell in love with these so I had to make them! I might have beaten it too long because I have flat chewy cookies that kinda fall apart :(
    I will have to try it again sometime soon but you did a great job!

    • amandapaa

      Hi Valerie! Sorry they didn’t quite work out. Yes, it could be because you beat them too long or didn’t let them freeze long enough. If you do make them again, watch how the first batch comes out and if they seem too flat, stick the bowl back in the freezer for 10 minutes. Also, I would recommend making sure that your oven is only 350 degrees, if it’s too hot they can spread a lot. Hope that helps!

  4. Cynthia C.

    Just made these to day. They are easy to make and are very yummy!!

    • amandapaa

      Cynthia, thanks for letting me know how they turned out! I’m so glad you like them. Have a great holiday!

  5. Taylor Lacey

    I have the dough made up in my freezer right now, hurry up 20 minutes! :) these look amazing <3

  6. Crystal

    Are these 100% Gluten free? I would like to make this for my boyfriends daughter but she has a gluten allergy…..thank-you!!!

    • amandapaa

      Hi Crystal! These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are 100% gluten free and a full explanation is stated in a grey box at the end of the post. If she has full blown celiac disease, make sure to use Nutella because this is made in a facility that does not produce any other products with gluten. Let me know if you have any other questions!

  7. Yvonne

    Thank you!

  8. Yvonne

    Are these soft or crispy?

    • amandapaa

      Hi Yvonne! These cookies have a crisp outer edge with a fudgy middle. Hope that helps!

  9. Patricia Kapral

    @Shannon S- I have noticed there are dark chocolate peanut butters available. Do you think that would work in place of the hazelnut or almond butters? Just an idea… Good luck!

  10. Kim

    Can I use just egg whites? Or does it have to be the whole egg?

    • amandapaa

      Hi Kim! Thanks for stopping by. This recipe will need the entire egg for it to properly stay together while baking. Otherwise, they will spread into a mess.

  11. Shannon S

    Is there an alternative to the nutella? I’m allergic to hazelnuts and can’t think of something that could take it’s place in the recipe without changing the taste too much.

      • Shannon S

        Well I’m allergic to Almonds also. All tree nuts. Sorry for not saying that. Would regular peanut butter work or is that not the right consistency?

  12. Jen Erhart

    Thank you for sharing this recipe — I can’t wait to try it! And props to Jif, their honesty, and their willingness to recommend the competition. That is impressive, and makes me more likely to patronise Jif in the future.

  13. Sarah

    As an avid baker they look delicious! Fortunately I am also able to bake in a sanitary kitchen free of animals!

    • amandapaa

      Thanks for stopping by Sarah! The picture of my cat trying to sneak the cookies was actually shot in my photo room, not the actual kitchen. I agree, the kitchen should be free of animals. Have a great holiday!

  14. Shannon

    Making these this morning for my son’s kindergarten bake sale ;)

    • amandapaa

      Fun! And Happy Holidays to you and your family. Thanks for stopping by!

  15. Kate

    I love Grace photo-bombing your set-up. Her look plainly says ‘A-HEM!! Look at me! ME!!!’

    • amandapaa

      Cat photo bomb’s are the best! She definitely was trying to be sneaky but it didn’t work. :)

  16. Stepbeatty@gmail.com

    How can we find your pb blossom cookies too?

  17. meagan

    These look amazing! Can’t wait to make these! I have all the ingredients in my cupboard now!!! Yummy!!!!

  18. Jessica Milotte

    Does it need 1 tsp or 1 tbsp? Please and thank you!

    • amandapaa

      Hi Jessica! The small t symbolizes a teaspoon. Thanks for the question!

  19. Brianna

    Amanda, you had me at peppermint bells. I can’t wait to make these. Thanks!

    • amandapaa

      Great Brianna! I hope you love them as much as I do. Let me know how they turn out!

  20. emily (a nutritionist eats)

    These cookies are beautiful!