The holidays are undeniably upon us, and we are all baking cookies like there is no tomorrow; at least, I am! =)
My daughter LOVES peppermint, so I made a holiday version of my favorite eggless chocolate cookie.
If you love rich, intensely chocolate cookies, and you love peppermint, and you’ve been known to eat peppermint candies all holiday season … well, these cookies are made for you and you alone.
Chocolate meets peppermint in these extremely satisfying holiday cookies that are sure to be a fast favorite.
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
You’ll need:
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour. Make sure to measure accurately; a kitchen scale is the best way to measure your ingredients, in my opinion.
- Cocoa Powder: I like to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed because it’s more acidic and reacts with baking soda, allowing your baked goods to rise; this is especially important in egg-free baking.
- Baking powder and Baking soda: Make sure they’re not expired or too old. To avoid a chemical aftertaste, use baking powder that is labeled aluminum-free. I usually use the Clabber Girl brand, and though the ingredients state aluminum, I’ve never noticed an aluminum aftertaste.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Sugars: For this recipe, you will need regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar, and brown sugar. Combining both sugars will help the cookies have the perfect texture with a deeper caramelized flavor.
- Chocolate chips: I used dark chocolate chips.
- Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy.
- Peppermint extract: This is essential for peppermint cookies; don’t skip it!
- White chocolate chips: I use these to decorate the cookies after baking.
- Crushed peppermint candies (optional) to decorate.
Food Allergy Swaps
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives. Instead of milk, you can use use non-dairy milk like almond, soy, or oat milk. Use vegan butter instead of dairy butter. Many brands are available in stores. I usually use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks or Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Vegan Butter. White Chocolate: Finding a good dairy-free substitute for white chocolate can be challenging. I have tried several brands, and so far, my favorite is Pascha Organic Vegan White Chocolate Chip and King David Vegan Baking Chocolate Melting Bar. It’s important to mention that King David bars contain soy.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. Look for a gluten-free flour blend specifically formulated for baking, as it will have the right combination of flours and starches to mimic the texture of wheat flour. My favorite is Better Batter Original Blend. I also like Doves Farm Freee Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, but this blend does not contain xanthan gum, so you need to add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup (140 g) of gluten-free flour blend.
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Make The Eggless Cookies Dough
First, mix dry ingredients and set them aside. Next, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients mixture and continue mixing just until incorporated. And then, add chocolate chip; mix to combine. Finally, beat in milk and peppermint extract.
- Form Cookie Dough into Balls
- Bake
- Decorate
Once cookies are completely cool, melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth.
Dip half of each cookie in white chocolate, then transfer to parchment paper and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. Chill the dipped cookies to let the chocolate set for about 10 minutes.
Measure the ingredients correctly! A kitchen scale is always the best option, in my opinion, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (NOT a liquid measuring cup) and a liquid measuring cup for liquid ingredients. Also, do NOT dip a measuring cup directly into the flour bin, or you can compact it and get up to 25% more flour; instead, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, and then use a knife (straight-edged) to level the flour across the measuring cup.
Don’t overmix your cookie dough, or you will end up with dense cookies.
For evenly sized cookies (better for baking), use a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop to spoon out the dough.
Bake the cookies until they are JUST golden around the outside. The cookies might still look a little raw in the center, but once they cool, they will be perfect. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for just a few minutes, around 2. If you leave the cookies on the baking sheets for too long, they will continue cooking, and they will be hard.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Let the cookies cool completely after baking. Then place on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for about 30 minutes. Once they’re hard, place the cookies in a freezer container or bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. To thaw, remove them from the freezer about 2 hours before enjoying and let them thaw at room temperature. You also freeze the cookie dough balls before baking.
No one likes a hard, dry cookie (especially not Santa). To ensure cookie freshness, store them in a container with a slice of white bread. The cookies will absorb that moisture, keeping them softer for longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t need to refrigerate this cookie dough. However, the colder the dough, the thicker the cookies, so if you have time, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to 2 days for an extra chevy/thick cookie.
Yes, use your favorite dairy-free butter, milk, and chocolate chips.
If you’re not a peppermint fan, just scale back or omit the peppermint extract and/or candy.
I haven’t tested the cookies with peppermint oil. You can try it but just keep in mind that the oil is much more potent than extract, so you would only need the tiniest amount!
Knowing when cookies are ready, It’s definitely more challenging with chocolate cookies – I look for set edges with soft centers.
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Recipe Card
Eggless Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (45 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 g) chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup (200 g) white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (optional)
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture; mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix to distribute evenly.
- Add the milk and peppermint extract; mix until the dough comes together.
- Scoop out about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll each portion into a ball and place it on the prepared baking sheets, evenly spacing them about 2 inches apart. Note: You can bake these cookies immediately, but if you have time, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to 2 days for an extra chewy cookie.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges appear set, but still soft in the middle. When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will still look doughy, and that’s okay; they will continue to set as they cool.
- Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Decorate:
- Once cookies are completely cool, melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth.
- Dip half of each cookie in white chocolate, then transfer to parchment paper and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. Chill the dipped cookies to let the chocolate set for about 10 minutes.
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives. Instead of milk, you can use use non-dairy milk like almond, soy, or oat milk. Use vegan butter instead of dairy butter. Many brands are available in stores. I usually use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks or Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Vegan Butter. White Chocolate: Finding a good dairy-free substitute for white chocolate can be challenging. I have tried several brands, and so far, my favorite is Pascha Organic Vegan White Chocolate Chip and King David Vegan Baking Chocolate Melting Bar. It’s important to mention that King David bars contain soy.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. Look for a gluten-free flour blend specifically formulated for baking, as it will have the right combination of flours and starches to mimic the texture of wheat flour. My favorite is Better Batter Original Blend. I also like Doves Farm Freee Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, but this blend does not contain xanthan gum, so you need to add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup (140 g) of gluten-free flour blend.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
This recipe was originally published in December 2020. The recipe remains the same, but more notes, tips, photos, and information have been added to the post in December 2024 to make it as helpful as possible!
Love, love, love this recipe!! I made these because my daughter-in-law is allergic to eggs but everyone along with my daughter-in-law raved about this cookie!
Hello Pat! It’s great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Holy moly, I can’t put into words how amazing these are! It’s like a soft thin mint. My husband and I both agree this is our new favorite cookie. 10000/10, if you are on the fence about making these, you have GOT to!!! Thank you Oriana!
Hello Leslie! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
These are SO GOOD!
I made them twice, once with unsweetened almond and 2% milk, and both turned out delicious. Everyone at the office loves the cookies! The only issue I had was trying to get the white chocolate chips to melt evenly in the bowl. I will have to find a new way to melt them. Aside from that, they were quick, easy, and eggless (which helps when you have a sweet tooth and no eggs in the house).
Hello Jennifer! It sounds like you nailed it! Great to hear that it was a hit. Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Hi Oriana, I am a newbie in baking and the tips I see on your post are sooo helpful, thank you so much. I have yet to try this recipe but had a couple of questions before that:
1. I want to try this recipe as Gluten-Free and you had mentioned that all one has to do is to substitute all-purpose for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour. IS THAT ALL? Substituting the flour will make this recipe gluten-free?
2. Also for a Gluten-free and Vegan recipe for these cookies, any changes in the quantity of other ingredients or timing for the bake?
2. And for the unsweetened natural cocoa powder, I have HERSHEY’s Natural Cocoa Powder (it says 0 sugar in the ingredients) Would that work?
once I bake these cookies, I will def share my experience with you.
Hello Kenz! To make this recipe gluten-free and vegan you need to make a few adjustments. GLUTEN-FREE: Substitute all-purpose for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour (this is my favorite).DAIRY-FREE: Use your favorite plant-based milk, dairy-free or vegan butter, and dairy-free or vegan chocolate chips. Yes, HERSHEY’s Natural Cocoa Powder will work. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)