These keto Peppermint Bark Cookies feature a tender chocolate cookie and a sugar-free white chocolate filling. An easy and fun low carb holiday cookie! This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
It’s December, which means it’s time to get serious about keto Christmas cookies. I am always serious about my cookies, but never more so than during the holidays.
And these pretty keto chocolate peppermint cookies are a great way to kick of the holiday baking season. Tender chocolate thumbprints filled with peppermint scented white chocolate? You don’t need to ask me twice!
You didn’t have to ask my kids twice, either. They love my Keto Peppermint Bark and turning those same flavors into a holiday cookie was their idea of perfection.
I am confident your friends and family will feel the same way.
Keto Peppermint Cookie Inspiration
As is so often the case, I got the idea for these cookies from a fellow blogger, my friend Christi of Love From the Oven.
I mean, how could you not stop in your tracks at her delicious, albeit high carb, chocolate peppermint cookies? They are just so pretty and perfect.
And now that there is such a thing as good keto white chocolate, I could finally take a stab at making a healthier, sugar-free version. There is such great pleasure in being able to makeover the gorgeous desserts such as these.
And such pleasure in eating them too, without guilt! Save 10% on all ChocZero products when you use code FOODDREAMER.
Decorating keto Christmas cookies
You will notice that my cookies have some pretty holiday sprinkles on top. Another wonderful development in the keto baking world is sugar free sprinkles.
The first pioneer into that territory was The Sprinkle Company on Etsy. Nicole does lots of wonderful sprinkles, sanding “sugars” and edible glitter, all sugar-free and keto friendly.
A few other companies quickly came out with others, but I find the variety and colors from The Sprinkle Company to be the best so I keep ordering more.
For these cookies, I used some of the holiday sprinkles, as well as some of the red edible glitter. I also crushed up some candy cane and put just a tiny bit on some of the cookies for my kids.
How to make Keto Peppermint Bark Cookies
Peppermint bark cookies are really chocolate thumbprint cookies with a center of peppermint flavored white chocolate. They are easy to make, and taste just like the holiday treat you love. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- You’ve heard me say it before and it bears repeating: properly softened butter and room temperature eggs are key to a good cookie dough. Don’t forget to take them out of the fridge ahead of time.
- This is an almond flour based cookie but if you have nut allergies, try using sunflower seed or pumpkin seed flour instead. It should be almost cup for cup replacement, but a little additional seed flour helps give the cookies more structure so aim for about 2 ¼ cups.
- I find that the indents in thumbprint cookies tend to puff up during baking so I always recommend re-forming the center wells when the cookies come out of the oven. You want a nice indent to hold all of that delicious white chocolate!
- Always always melt white chocolate double-boiler style, over a pan of barely simmering water. Even regular white chocolate tends to be finicky so this gentle heat helps it melt more smoothly.
- I like to add a touch of cocoa butter to help it melt and thin it out a bit, but you don’t have to add this if you don’t have it or can’t access it.
- I recommend an oil based peppermint extract such as Frontier, because alcohol based extract can cause the finicky white chocolate to seize more easily.
- Get those sprinkles onto the white chocolate before it sets, if you want them to stick!
- These are a great make ahead cookie! You can make them now and freeze them until closer to the holiday. Just layer them in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper. They will be fine for up to a month, possibly more.
That’s it, kids. That’s all it takes to whip up a batch of these festive keto chocolate peppermint cookies. Give it a go, you’ll be glad you did!
More keto chocolate peppermint recipes
- Keto Peppermint Patties
- Keto Thin Mints
- Keto Chocolate Peppermint Pound Cake
- Keto Peppermint Brownie Bites (dairy free AND nut-free!)
- Soft Keto Peppermint Cookies
- Keto Peppermint Pudding Cups
Peppermint Bark Cookies – Keto Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
White Chocolate Filling
- 4 ounces sugar-free white chocolate chips
- ½ ounce cocoa butter chopped
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (oil based works best)
Garnish
- Sugar free sprinkles, sanding "sugar" or edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with silicone liners or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until lightened and well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and beat until well combined. Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s) – you should get about 18 large cookies. Press down with the heel of your hand to about ½ inch thick.
- Use your thump or a blunt rounded kitchen utensil to make an indentation in the center of each. I like to use the rounded end of my stone pestel but the back of a rounded tablespoon works as well.
- Bake 12 minutes, until the cookies are puffy but still quite soft to the touch. Remove and immediatly re-indent the centers (they puff up a little during baking). Let cool on the pan.
White Chocolate Filling
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the white chocolate and cocoa butter. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the extract.
- Spoon the white chocolate into the wells in the center of each cookie. Sprinkle with a few sugar-free sprinkes, if desired.
- Let set 1 hour. You can also refrigerate to set the chocolate faster.
Julie Cervini says
These cookies are delicious. I added mint extract to the cookie as I love peppermint. I will be making these again.
Stephanie says
These are delish! If you’re a chocolate-mint fan you’ll love these. I used both the sugar-free sprinkles from The Sprinkle Company and crushed up sugar-free starlight mints from Brach’s for the topping. Also used some white and some mint chips from ChocZero melted with 2 t. of coconut oil in the micro – and that worked great. And thanks to the alcohol-free peppermint oil from Frontier, the chocolate didn’t seize at all. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!!!
Emily says
This is a great chocolate keto cookie base. I made the batter following the instructions exactly but folded 1/4 cup of Lily’s peppermint chips and 1/4 cup of Lily’s milk chocolate chips and baked for 15-16 minutes. Delicious, festive, and EASY!
Tara says
This recipe is easy to follow and the cookies turned out perfectly. They are soft and delicious!
Cathy Lee says
Thank you for all your delicious recipes! I get so excited when you post another one. I have a question. Can you use the Frontier peppermint flavor that is not organic? Will it make a difference in the cookie?
Carolyn says
I didn’t know they had one but I don’t think it will make any difference… as long as it is oil-based, and I just looked on Amazon. I think it is. Oil-based flavors are less likely to seize the chocolate.
Dianna says
Just made these chocolate beauties!! FANTASTIC!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
Angela Ross says
What could I use instead of cocoa butter?
Carolyn says
A touch of coconut oil should work.
Cindy says
Made these today!!!! Yours look way better than mine!!! My chocolate started to harden as soon as I added the Peppermint Extract ????. But they taste delicious!!!!
Carolyn says
Did you use an oil based extract? If not, it could be that the chocolate was seizing a bit.
Anthony says
I had the same problem where the chocolate got hard and I couldn’t dollop it on the cookies. The extract I used has proplyene glycol, alcohol, and peppermint oil. Is that not good?
Carolyn says
So it needs to be oil based, rather than alcohol based. The peppermint oil in yours is just the flavor, the alcohol is the main carrier and it can cause white chocolate to seize.
Cheryl Reic says
This happened to me; white chocolate and cocoa butter melted together well. As soon as I added the extract (alcohol plus peppermint oil), it fell apart. Thought it still might impart a nice peppermint flavour. Soaked right into the cookies. Will see how they taste after they sit for a bit. Hope they’re still enjoyable!
Carolyn says
Again, this is why I specified an oil based peppermint extract. What you used is alcohol based.
AK Dreamer says
I just made these, super easy to make and the perfect chocolate/mint I love! I really appreciate you and your recipes. ????
Genevieve says
Your recipies are so great, Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas and God Bless you.
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!
Kate says
I was hoping for s recipe using lilys peppermint chips and this is it. I’m sure the choc zero peppermint chips would be wonderful too but I can find the Lilys chips in the Walmart in my little WNY town. I just have to stop eating them out of the bag.
Suzanne says
Oooooooh! These are gonna happen SOON! (Nobody else in this house that’s keto like mint and chocolate. They’ll be MINE! Aaaaaaalllllll mine! ????????) Thank you so much for this!
Carolyn says
They don’t like chocolate and mint??? Heartbreaking! 😉
Penny Ruddy says
I cannot find the temp to cook them at
Carolyn says
Yes, another commenter mentioned that. I had some technical difficulties but it’s all fixed!
Terra says
What temp would you bake these at? I wanna make them today ????
Carolyn says
Apologies, the first step of my instructions disappeared. I had some issues when I was typing this up and the whole thing disappeared at one point. I thought I’d recovered the whole thing… It’s 325F and you want to line your baking sheets with parchment or silicone.
Holly Kimbrell says
Would Lilly peppermint chips work with these?
Carolyn says
I can’t see why not!
Sara says
I used Lilly’s peppermint chips and they were great. And I cheated and melted them in the microwave at half power. 30 seconds and then 10. Worked fine for me.
Tracey says
I can’t wait to make these! They sound and look delicious. Thank you for all your great recipes!