Gluten-Free Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I’m all about the holiday baking! How about you?

Sunday afternoons spent watching holiday movies on the Hallmark channel, drinking hot cocoa and baking lots and lots of gluten-free cookies. Sounds like a dream, right?

We had our first big snowfall of the season in Chicago this past weekend and I wasn’t wanting to leave the house. So that’s exactly what I did! Holiday movies, hot cocoa and baking!

While I was drinking my hot chocolate, I thought it would be such a tasty treat to combine my favorite winter beverage with my chocolate cookies. What resulted was a chewy chocolate gluten-free cookie infused with peppermint extract and topped with a giant marshmallow, crushed candy canes and a chocolate drizzle. Serious hot chocolate vibes, friends.

These peppermint hot chocolate cookies are so easy to make, but look so impressive for holiday parties. You can even place them in a cookie tin and wrap with a bow for a delicious edible gift idea.

Don’t let the toppings of these hot cocoa cookies intimidate you. I promise they’re simple.

At it’s most basic level, we have a regular chocolate cookie. It’s what you do after it comes out of the oven that makes it magical. As soon as those chocolate cookies are baked, you place half of a large marshmallow on top so that it sticks to the cookie while it cools.

Then, all you do is drizzle melted chocolate over the top and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. I like to let it harden completely before serving. However, if you wanted, you could eat these warm with the ooey gooey melty chocolate on top. Then it would REALLY taste like hot chocolate!

Are candy canes gluten-free?

Yes. Typically regular red and white candy canes are gluten-free and do not contain any gluten ingredients. However, there are a few things to watch for if you’re on a gluten-free diet or baking for someone who is.

Always check ingredients as there are tons of flavored candy canes on the market. You also want to watch for cross contamination for candy canes produced on the same equipment or in the same facilities as gluten.

I have not found any candy canes to be certified gluten-free (yet!), but I have found plenty of brands who make candy canes in a dedicated gluten-free facility. The brand I tend to see in my local grocery store is Spangler and it’s produced on dedicated equipment.

Tips for Making Gluten-Free Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

• You’ll definitely want to chill the dough for at least an hour to have plump, chewy cookies. If you don’t, you’ll have flat cookies. Still delicious, but flat.
• This recipe calls for using half of a large marshmallow to place on top of the chocolate cookies. I’ve found one whole marshmallow is too overpowering. You can use mini marshmallows if you prefer, but they tend to roll off the cookies so I find a big one easier to manage.
• Make sure you let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the sheet pan before moving to a wire rack.
• I place parchment paper (or even a paper towel) underneath my wire rack since I drizzle chocolate over the cookies after they’ve cooled a bit. This helps with cleanup!
• If you aren’t a fan of peppermint, just replace the peppermint extract with vanilla extract and leave out the crushed candy canes on top!

Baking this holiday season? Try these other gluten-free Christmas recipes!

It doesn’t get easier than these 3-Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies . They’re a favorite in our house when we’re in need of a shopping trip and are craving something sweet!

I always keep the dough for these Gluten-Free Cranberry Pistachio Icebox Cookies in my freezer during the winter. All you need to do is slice and bake. Perfect if you have some unexpected company come over!

If you’re looking to decorate some cookies this season, then my Gluten-Free Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Cookies are for you! They’re a great simple design for those who haven’t decorated cookies before but are wanting to start!

Reindeer Poop is a fun Christmas treat that looks just like the real thing! But tastes better… I swear! Similar to puppy chow, but with a little twist!

Gluten-Free Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Chewy chocolate cookies with chocolate chips are topped with fluffy marshmallows, a chocolate drizzle and crushed candy canes in this easy gluten-free peppermint hot chocolate cookies recipe. They taste just like a big mug of hot chocolate.. just in cookie form!