Soft low carb chocolate cookies in a chocolate peppermint coating. Sugar-free and grain-free and perfect for the holidays. Kids love this egg-free keto cookie! This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
So I think this is going to be my last cookie recipe before the holidays. Well, maybe. I mean, probably. Sort of. I don’t know, it’s hard to say. I can neither confirm nor deny. Who knows how things will go? It’s just one of those things you really can’t predict. Because my problem every year is that I have 18 billion ideas for low carb cookies and not nearly enough time to execute them all. And of all the ones I do actually find time to test out, I end up with not enough time in my calendar to actually post them all. And every year I find that the closer we get to Christmas, the more people weary of treat recipes and want other things instead. Savoury things. Dinner things. Breakfast things. But enough with the damn cookies already, lady!
I have several other cookie or cookie-like recipes in the hopper and I just don’t know how to get them all out to you before you’re sick of them. I had a couple of really great recipes last year that got overlooked because I tried to post them too close to the big day. But on the other hand, I love holiday cookies so much, I love creating them and sharing recipes for them. So to be very frank, while my mind tells me that this should be the last cookie recipe of the season, my heart tells me MORE MORE MORE! More cookies! Don’t ever give up on the cookies!
Classic battle between head and heart. Which one will win? Well, no matter what, I still vow to bring you the best recipes I can, whether or not they are cookies or dinner, cake or appetizers, sweet or savoury, there’s always something good going on around here.
Whether or not these delicious Chocolate Peppermint Stars are the last of the cookies, you know they’ve got to be good. The dough is egg-free and quite easy to make. Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine almond flour and some butter and cream cheese make a fantastic soft sugar cookie dough that rolls out easily and holds together really well. Once they’re baked, you dip them in chocolate and decorate as desired. My littlest had a ball being my helper and sprinkling the cookies with fun things. I also caught her sneaking bits of dough to munch on. But since it was completely egg-free, it wasn’t an issue at all.
Oh and if you get tired of cutting them out? You can just roll the remaining dough into truffles that don’t even need to be baked. Just freeze and then dip! I’m betting a few of you will just turn the whole lot into truffles…
Chocolate Peppermint Stars
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 124 Calories from fat 100 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 11.17g | 17% |
| Cholesterol 11mg | 4% |
| Carbohydrate 6.54g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.35g | 17% |
| Protein 3.06g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
Soft low carb chocolate cookies in a chocolate peppermint coating. Sugar-free and grain-free and perfect for the holidays. Kids love this egg-free keto cookie!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small chunks
Chocolate Coating and Decorations
- 7 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 ounce cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- Holiday Sprinkles (optional)
- Crushed sugar-free peppermints (optional)
- 1 to 2 ounces Sugar-Free White Chocolate (optional)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the butter and peppermint extract. Sprinkle the cream cheese over the surface. Use a pastry cutter or two sharp knives to cut the cream cheese in until the dough looks unified and comes together easily.
- Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of parchment or waxed paper and pat into a rough circle. Top with another piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter to cut as many stars as you can. Lift the cookies out carefully, using a knife or offset spatula to loosen, if necessary. Re-roll the dough and cut more cookies until the scraps are too small to roll out. (Any scraps can be rolled into truffles that don't even need baking!).
- Bake 15 minutes, switching the trays of cookies halfway through the baking time. Remove and let cool completely. Then place the cookies in the freezer for at least 1 hour (helps make the coating process easier).
Chocolate Coating:
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the chocolate and the cocoa butter. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
- One at a time, drop the cookies into the chocolate and flip over with a fork to coat both sides. Remove and set on a pan lined with waxed paper. Sprinkle with a few holiday sprinkles, or crushed peppermints, if using. Repeat with remaining cookies and place in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to set the chocolate.
- To drizzle cookies with a little white chocolate, break up the white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and add the coconut oil. Heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Place in a ziplock bag with the very corner snipped of and decorate as desired.
Recipe Notes
Makes about 24 three inch star-shaped cookies. Each cookie has 2.19g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 124kcal Total fat: 11.17g Calories from fat: 100 Cholesterol: 11mg Carbohydrate: 6.54g Total dietary fiber: 4.35g Protein: 3.06g Erythritol: 7g
Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with me to bring you this post!
Never too many cookie recipes! But I enjoy all things that you post. Thank you!
Yum! Chocolate and peppermint! A favorite combo…. definitely going on the “must make” list!
OMG, it just hit me! What if you used the chocolate sauce and peppermint topping to drizzle over some low carb vanilla ice cream and make a “klondike” bar?!? I love this flavor combination. Carolyn, you are awesome!
Sure, sounds delicious!
No such thing as too many cookies. Just sayin’. Go with your heart – it knows what it wants. =))
Too many cookies? I think not. Thanks so much for all your great recipes. I have yet to try anything from here that I didn’t (and usually everyone else) love!
How would you suggest storing these? Best in the fridge or can they be sealed and kept at room temperature? These look delish…and I can’t wait to make them this weekend!
Could Splenda be used instead as it’s less expensive? Can always count on your recipes, thanks.
Swerve is so much more delicious! Have you tried it? It really is worth the extra $
Swerve behaves differently in baking than bulk Splenda does. You could try the Splenda, but you would likely get a radically different cookie.
That said, Swerve tastes “plant-y” to me. You might notice the taste too. It’s not bitter, just different. Maybe the chocolate and peppermint will overpower that part, maybe it won’t. So if you don’t like what Splenda does in this recipe, other sweeteners you can try are Sukrin, Just Like Sugar, or Virtue Sweetener. (Google them.) I think they come closer to Swerve in baking quality than bulk Splenda would do.
(I personally have no objections to Splenda, just that the dextrose and maltodextrin you typically see paired with sucralose don’t behave like sugar alcohols, which in turn do behave more like sugar in baking.)
More, more, more! Keep em coming! Love all your recipes!
Carolyn, you are a genius! These look gorgeous and I love your cookie recipes. Since I hate peppermint and love anything spicy or gingerbread-y, I’m thinking these would be wonderful if you took out the peppermint and added spices instead. I’ll report back! In the meantime, Merry Christmas, and thanks for all your fabulous recipes!
Sure, that would be lovely!
I hate to be that person. But is there any dairy free option???? Used to love GIrl Acout thin mints – would love to make some gluten and dairy free. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Not for this recipe, since it relies on cream cheese. But you could use my thin mints recipe with coconut oil in place of the butter… https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2011/02/homemade-thin-mints-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
You could use KiteHill’s almondmilk based cream cheese. It is soy and dairy free but works like dairy based cream cheese in recipes.
Now that we’ve found Keto/low carb goodies, I don’t have migraines and yucky tummy. I can finally eat ALL THE SWEET THINGS! Keep ’em coming and we’ll keep eating!
Question on storing cookies. I have been trying a variety of them – they are all great. I would like to make a variety for the Christmas holiday. Not sure how long they will keep, what is the best way to keep them. I am thinking about making them the Monday/Tuesday of Christmas week for that week – hopefully last till the New Year. I have froze some of them and that worked okay. But I find they are better (except the thin mints- great frozen) when I do not freeze them. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.
SAlly
many of my recipes can be frozen ahead of time. But if they are glazed or dipped in chocolate, it’s best to do that just a little before giving or serving. But if you just want to make and refrigerate, that can be good too. Not sure they’d last the full two weeks, though.
Does this dough come together in the food processor? Has anyone tried?
I used my food processor. It worked well. 🙂
Thanks for your quick reply. Might do them in batches for each holiday.
“Bake 15 minutes, switching the trays of cookies halfway through the baking time.”
I’m confused by this? what are you switching?
Thanks
Della
Sorry, the position of the trays in the oven. One will inevitably be closer to the bottom and thus closer to the heating element, so you want to change them halfway through for more even baking.
Oh golly, that makes sense now, I only have one tray so it never entered my mind.
Thank You!
Only one cookie sheet! Goodness, how do you survive??? 😉
Chocolate and peppermint cookies equals happy Taylor! Keep the cookie recipes coming!! These look ahhmazing!
I can’t wait to make these! Is there anything I could substitute for the cocoa butter?
Use a tbsp of regular butter or coconut oil
These are TO DIE FOR!!!!
SO dang cute!! Love these!
I HIAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ANOTHER COOKIE – YOUR WALNUT CARDAMON SNOWBALLS. I plan to make them for Christmas. I see you used stevia in these. Can you use all swerve or is stevia essential? If all sweve is ok, how much would you use (orginal recipe called for half a cup). Thanks.
You can use another few tablespoons of Swerve. Or you can just leave it at a half cup. To be honest, I like things less sweet these days…
I love me some Bob’s Red Mill!
I’ve been looking all over. Where do you get the sugar free white chocolate? I’d love to dip these in White Chocolate peppermint.
I also need a link for sugar free white chocolate!!
Just finished my third batch, these things are GREAT Carolyn! I’m making Lily rich though…
(Seriously, we’d be lost without your hard work. Thank you!)
–Marv
Thanks, Marv. I’ve already made Lily rich many times over! 😉
Carolyn, these are gorgeous! And I love the classic combination of peppermint and chocolate. I use my star cutter more than any other, I think.
Could I use organic whole wheat flour in place of almond flour? And the sweetener could I substitute honey? I’m thinking of last minute experiments before Christmas lol
I do not use regular flour nor honey so I cannot guide you in this.
I did not have any luck with these cookies. I am not sure if I may have done something wrong, like forgot an ingredient or if I just did not care for them. To be honest everyone that tried them didn’t care for them. Are they supposed to not be very sweet? I will try them again to make sure that it was not a baking error on my part!
I do appreciate all of the recipes that you post, everyone of them, aside from this one has been amazing.
Did you use any kind of different sweetener? Or what kind of chocolate did you use for the coating?
I used Lilly’s chocolate. I did not use swerve sweetener because I ran out, I can’t remember the brand but it was erythritol. There was just something off. I was so excited for these. I will try them again but will use swerve next time.
Erythritol plain is not as sweet as Swerve. It’s about 70% as sweet. That might be it, I can’t say for sure.