Chewy & crisp chocolate cookies flavored with espresso & peppermint topped with smooth buttercream. Free from grains, eggs, dairy and refined sugar. Perfect for a holiday cookie exchange!
Holiday baking season is here and I’m SO excited!! Cookies are one of my favorite things to make at Christmastime.
But baking without flour, butter, sugar and eggs can be really tricky! Thankfully over the past few years I’ve learned some TRICKS so that I can make delicious cookies without ANY of the conventional ingredients.
Cookies that are both Paleo, vegan AND delicious for ALL.
Take me to the MALL
Did you ever get cookies from those kiosks in the mall? Oh my gosh, growing up back in the 80’s & 90’s I used to get those HUGE sugar cookies on the regular. How did they make them so insanely good?
I just LOVE cookies that are CRISP on the edges (not the kind that are too soft or too cakey) I like ones that taste buttery!
And that’s what I got with these!! So crisp on the outside, without being too dry. BUTTERY BLISS (without butter!) 😉
A little CRISP, slightly CHEWY, and covered in thick BUTTERCREAM. Perfection! Who needs a bakery, now? Not me, haha.
COFFEEEE Please
It’s no secret I’m a bit of a coffee addict. My morning ritual involves brewing the perfect cup using my French press. How do you like your coffee? I like mine extra hot with vanilla cashew milk! Mmmmm.
I used to be a big fan of Starbucks before I went dairy-free & sugar-free, but now my options are limited, so I brew at home. Healthier and cheaper for sure, lol.
But oh how I remember those PEPPERMINT MOCHAS. I don’t want to even think about how many grams of sugar are in those, lol.
Well now I get to enjoy the same flavor, without dairy and sugar and in a scrumptious COOKIE! =D
To add yummy espresso flavor, I used Medaglia D’oro instant espresso powder (which is freeze dried espresso — not coffee grounds.) Most grocery stores carry it, or you can find it on Amazon. Add as little or as much as you like.
Tasting the dough cookie dough? Big fat YES. Go for it. There’s No eggs, so no salmonella.
NO FLOUR?
You won’t believe these cookies are flourless! So what in the world are they made of??
Cashews and coconut, the most versatile and delicious ingredients EVER. You can use them to make cheesecakes, pies, cookie dough, and brownies… virtually anything! And especially COOKIES!
These cookies don’t actually taste like cashews or coconut at all. The bold chocolate flavor, rich espresso and fresh peppermint flavors shine. It’s a complex, deep flavor that may become your new favorite!
Peppermint “BUTTERCREAM”
Omg, you guys… This “buttercream” is insanely good. And guess what– it’s DAIRY FREE. (Insert shocked face emoji)
It’s made from coconut butter (similar to my Fruit Pizza and Blueberry Tart frosting recipes.)
It’s THICK, smooth, creamy and amazingly delicious!
And unlike conventional frosting, you won’t feel utterly sick from eating SO much sugar, lol. There are only 4 teaspoons in the whole recipe, but it’s perfectly sweet.
The best part – it’s stable at room temp. No refrigeration needed! So BRING ON those cookie parties!! 🙂
I almost forgot– it’s also full of FIBER! Can you believe it?? Best. frosting. EVER. 
If you make this recipe, it would make my day to hear from you! Tag me or post on the Pretty Pies Facebook page or tag me on Instagram. Happy baking, friends!!
Peppermint Mocha Cookies with Peppermint Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 Tbs coconut flour
- 1/3 cup cacao
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tbs instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp peppermint extract to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Blend cashews and coconut in a food processor until finely ground (about 30 seconds)
- Add remaining "dry" ingredients (through baking soda) and pulse to incorporate.
- In a glass measuring cup, stir together all "wet" ingredients and stir in instant espresso to dissolve. Pour into food processor and blend. Taste and add a little more espresso or peppermint, if desired.
- Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes to absorb the liquid. If it's too wet, add a 1/2 Tbs more coconut flour.
- Use a cookie scoop to place dough on baking sheet. Optional - roll dough using your hands. Flatten with a spatula.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes until set and edges are firm. Let cool 5 minutes before removing.
- Optional - frost with peppermint buttercream (recipe in notes,) Enjoy!
These were delicious (w/o the frosting). I didn’t have enough coconut oil to melt, so I used the already liquid coconut oil. It never mixed in, even with more coconut flour. They turned out rather greasy. Do you think the liquid coconut oil would make that much of a difference? I’ll try them again with regular coconut oil, but wondering about the liquid.
I’m sorry it didn’t mix right. I wonder if the dough was just over-blended? That happens to me sometimes – it causes the nuts to release their oil and the oil doesn’t go back in, lol. The dough only needs to be blended a short time – just until everything is mixed.
You can try blending it less and/or decreasing the oil to 1/3 cup. If it’s still too oily for you, add 1/2 to 1 Tbs more coconut flour and briefly pulse it in.
Let me know how it goes
I’m eating Keto and these look amazing but i can’t have maple sugar or honey…do you think i could sub a natural sweetener (stevia or monkfruit ) for the maple syrup??
Yes, you can replace the maple with coconut milk or cashew milk and sweeten with stevia to taste. 🙂
Now that I think about it some more, subbing coconut milk may make the cookies fragile or crumbly. Maybe add 1 Tbs ground chia seeds to the liquid ingredients to act as a binder.
If you try making these low carb, please let me know how they turn out