Mocha Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies Are The Perfect Holiday Cookie
I posted an image of these Mocha Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies on Instagram as soon as they came out of the oven. I couldn’t wait! The inspiration for them came to me in a flash.
If you have seen the image that accompanies our Test Kitchen description, you can see that I live in the woods. Literally. Although I am 5 minutes from the University of Massachusetts and the Town of Amherst, I technically live in Shutesbury.
I tell folks I live in Amherst because I have an Amherst phone exchange (yes we have a land-line, because there is no cell service) and an Amherst mailing address and I can throw a rock off of that deck and have it land in Amherst!
So what does this have to do with Mocha Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Well, there is no high-speed Internet here. No DSL lines. Nothing. Nada. We are in this weird land-of-the-lost that has been written about in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. So, I am usually at Robin’s house and The Farm, which is a mere 5 minutes away, where there is high speed.
Or, I am at the local Starbucks in town where I watch the parade of kids, mostly college age, but high school and middle school kids as well. One after another they order these towering, calorie-laden concoctions.
A Beverage is Lurking
Somewhere under the whipped cream and drizzles of chocolate sauce and caramel and sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg are beverages. I think. Hard to tell with all the stuff on top. This fall the pumpkin spiced latte craze seemed to be tempered compared to year’s past.
There were many other popular flavors in the offering from eggnog to gingerbread to mocha peppermint. The thought of this last one intrigued me and I thought it would be perfect for a cookie. I was right!
Attention to Ingredients
I won’t link you to the Starbucks page that describes what is actually in those mocha peppermint lattes because it aint pretty. From preservatives to flavorings to sugar and more sugar, I would never order one of those drinks. I would, however, have a homemade cookie from time to time.
Packaged cookies? No. Homemade? Yes!
Because I can control the quality of the ingredients and absolutely know that what I am eating is low FODMAP. One of these cookies brings you that irresistible mocha peppermint flavor in a treat that is low FODMAP – and creates the most enticing aroma in your home at the same time.
You don’t get that from Starbucks!
For You…Or?
These are a great holiday cookie to make for your own needs such as office parties, school events, church bake sales and cookie swaps. They also ship well, so consider sharing them with far-flung low FODMAP loved ones.
If you are a peppermint fan, check out our Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies as well. They have a chocolate cookie dough stuffed with chocolate chips and peppermint candy.
And for mocha lovers, don’t miss our Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Maple Mocha Cake.
Mocha Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Mocha Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies are as easy as the chocolate chip cookies you have always loved, but are fancy enough for gift giving.
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes about 40 cookies; serving size 1 cookie
Ingredients:
- 2 1/3 cups (339 g) low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup (160 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (149 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 12 ounces (340 g) dark chocolate chips, preferably at least 60% cacao
- 6, (72 g) standard size 6 to 7 inch (15 to 17 cm) red and white peppermint candy canes or the equivalent of hard candies, 15 cm to 17 cm, chopped (see Tips)
Preparation:
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Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
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Beat butter with electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until creamy. Add brown sugar and sugar and beat until lightened, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in espresso powder and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time allowing each one to be incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the dry mixture until a few streaks of flour remain. Add chocolate chips and chopped peppermint candy and beat just until combined. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
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Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper. Form golf ball sized balls and place the cookies 8 per pan, spaced evenly apart. No need to press them down.
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Bake for about 9 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned with the edges firmer than the centers, which should be soft. The cookies firm up tremendously upon cooling. Cool cookies still on pans placed on racks. Subsequent batches of dough should be placed on cooled pans. Store cooled cookies in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
Notes:
If You Can Tolerate
- Fructans: If you have passed the wheat fructan challenge, you may use conventional all-purpose wheat flour instead of the gluten-free all-purpose flour. Use the weight equivalents for best results.
Tips
- The only laborious part of this recipe is extracting all the candies from their wrappers! Let the little kids do this, if you have some helpers. Then, to chop, you could chop on a cutting board with a chef’s knife, but the candy tends to fly around. I like to place all the candy in a heavy zip top plastic bag and use a mallet to whack them. If you end up with some powdery bits, you can add it to hot chocolate.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
Your directions state “1 sticks; 226 g” unsalted butter for 1 cup. Should that be 2 sticks for 1 cup?
Cindy, thank you so much for being an eagle eye. I got 2 out of the 3 right! It should read 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g)! Thank you for pointing this out and enjoy the recipe. It is now corrected.
Step 1 mentions cocoa?
An editorial error. Thank you for catching it. All fixed.