Rich and buttery, these Gluten Free White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are too good for anyone to guess they're gluten free.
A simple cookie recipe that folds in white chocolate chips and dye-free candy canes, it's a great wintertime recipe for holiday cookie exchanges!
Candy canes + white chocolate = star pairing
I've been on a roll with gluten free cookie recipes, and this is one idea I'm thrilled to bring to fruition!
After making a gluten free white chocolate macadamia cookie that my spouse now claims are his favorite cookies of all time, I've really enjoyed making new iterations of that recipe including a Gluten Free White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie.
The challenge for this recipe was transitioning from using cassava flour to a gluten free flour blend. It took a few tries, but I've finally got the ratios down!
This recipe has been a great addition to our holiday dessert tray. Hope you love it, too!
Jump to:
Want a summary?
Ask AI to summarize or ask a question about this specific recipe!
Disclosure: these buttons are meant to be helpful but I am not responsible for how AI answers.
Ingredients needed for white chocolate peppermint cookies
Gluten Free Baking Flour - My go-to brand is Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. I think it works well in almost every instance, and is readily available in most stores.
Not all gluten free flours are created equal, so I can't guarantee your results will be the same with another GF flour blend.
Butter & Eggs: Most important note here - make sure your butter and eggs are room temperature before starting the recipe!
White chocolate chips: I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips because they're readily available in my area.
For an allergen-friendly version, Enjoy Life and Pascha both make a gluten free/dairy free white chocolate chip! They do, however, have cane sugar and brown rice syrup. If you know of a truly "paleo" brand, let met know. Otherwise, you can make your own white chocolate.
Candy canes: I used YumEarth candy canes because they don't use artificial dyes! As a note, the candy canes do have a tendency to melt, particularly if you crush the candy canes into too-small bits.
OR Peppermint baking chips: If you'd prefer not to mess with candy canes, you can use peppermint baking chips. I didn't go this route because it's difficult to find peppermint baking chips that are gluten free, don't have dyes, and don't use artificial sugars as a base.
However, if you prefer this method, Lily's makes gluten- and dye-free chips that are stevia-based. Andes baking mints are also gluten free, but contain dyes. The Andes peppermint crunch chips would more closely match the candy canes in this recipe, though!
How to make gluten free cookies
Crush the candy canes - You can accomplish this in a couple different ways, but no matter what you do, be sure you don't crush the candy canes too fine!
For different test batches, I tried a few methods of crushing the candy canes. First, I pounded them in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. This worked pretty well, but also left lots of candy cane dust.
Next, I tried putting the candy canes in a shallow dish and using a pestle (from a mortar and pestle set) to crush them a little more gently. This method worked the best for me!
Cream the butter and sugar - Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until it becomes lighter in color and mostly uniform in texture. This should take a good 5 minutes!
Add dry ingredients - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar. Then add the eggs.
Fold in mix-ins - Finally, fold in the crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips.
Rest the cookie dough - And now...we wait. Seriously. Let the dough rest for at LEAST 30 minutes at room temperature before baking.
Why? Gluten free flour doesn't soak up moisture as readily as wheat flour. Especially fats (like the butter in cookies).
I learned this tip from a cookbook and have seen it in practice over the last few years. The cookie dough will definitely benefit from the rest time!
So there's your lesson: let the dough (and cookies) rest!
Bake the cookies - Form 2"-thick balls of dough and space at least 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet, baking in batches as necessary. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.
Transfer slightly-cooled cookies to a wire rack to let them cool fully so you can start the next batch. Make sure the cookies cool completely before eating!
FAQs and other questions
My go-to brand is Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. I think it works well in almost every instance, and is readily available in most stores.
Not all gluten free flours are created equal, so I can't guarantee your results will be the same with another GF flour blend.
Please comment if you try and different brand and let me know how it goes!
More than likely, you crushed the candy canes too much. Too small, and the candy canes simply melt an then reconstitute as a hardened sugar.
I found I had to leave fairly large pieces to prevent them from immediately melting.
Any pieces of candy cane touching the baking sheet when baking will also have a tendency to melt, since the baking sheet is hot.
If you'd like to avoid any threat of melting, you can sprinkle the crushed candy canes overtop the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
If the candy cane pieces are too small or crushed into dust, they'll melt and basically become liquefied sugar, which causes the cookies to spread more than they otherwise would. They'll still be tasty! Just not great to look at.
Otherwise, you may need to add a bit more gluten free flour. Start with a tablespoon and add more tablespoons as necessary.
Variations and substitutions
Use cassava flour: Cassava flour absorbs more moisture than most gluten free flour blends, so you'll need to use significantly less. Start with 2 cups of cassava flour, and bake a test cookie. If needed, increase by 2 tablespoons until you reach the desired cookie result!
Sugar alternative: Swap the cane sugar with coconut sugar or maple sugar. The cookies will be darker and possibly a little crumbly.
Dairy-free or low-dairy alternative: Swap the butter with ghee or vegetable shortening.
Don't want to use candy canes? If you'd prefer not to mess with candy canes, you can use peppermint baking chips. I didn't go this route because it's difficult to find peppermint baking chips that are gluten free, don't have dyes, and don't use artificial sugars as a base.
However, if you prefer this method, Lily's makes gluten- and dye-free chips that are stevia-based. Andes baking mints are also gluten free, but contain dyes. The Andes peppermint crunch chips would more closely match the candy canes in this recipe, though!
More gluten free cookie recipes
- Coconut No Bake Cookies without Oatmeal
- The Best Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookies
- SunButter No Bake Cookies
- Easy Gluten Free Sunbutter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Made these gluten free white chocolate peppermint cookies? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Print📖 Recipe
Gluten Free White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Studded with crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips, these buttery cookies pack a lot of holiday flavor in a single bite.
If you'd prefer, you can use peppermint baking chips instead of crushed candy canes. Just be mindful of whether the brand you use is gluten free and the other additives it may have!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Gluten Free 1:1 Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups cane sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup roughly crushed (not ground) candy canes OR ¾ cup peppermint baking chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten free flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Stir until uniform.
- Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at medium speed to cream the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is fully incorporated and light in color. Turn the beater to low and gradually add the flour mixture, stopping the beater to scrape down the sides as necessary. Be careful not to pour the flour onto the beater while it's on! Finally, add the eggs, beating just until incorporated. Turn off the beater.
- Fold in the crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips with a large spatula. Set the dough aside for 30 minutes before baking - I find this step crucial for most gluten free recipes to allow the liquid in the recipe to permeate the dense cassava flour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your hands, form 1 inch balls of dough and place them about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool. Repeat as necessary in batches to use all of the dough.
Leave a Reply