These chocolate peppermint coconut macaroons are chewy and moist on the inside with lightly crisp golden edges. Naturally gluten free and vegan, these macaroons are made with shredded coconut and a hint of peppermint extract then finished with a drizzle of dark chocolate and festive sprinkles. These easy holiday cookies don’t require chilling time or a stand mixer!
Chocolate Peppermint Coconut Macaroons for an Easy, No-Chill Holiday Cookie!
I developed these chocolate peppermint coconut macaroons with the same base recipe as my lemon coconut macaroons that used to sell out at the farmers market every single week. That being said, you know these are going to be pretty dang good! They’re chewy and moist in the inside with crisp and golden edges and honestly, that’s the perfect combo in my humble opinion.
To make these extra special, each cookie gets a drizzle of melted dark chocolate and a dusting of Christmas sprinkles. They’re perfect for holiday gatherings or Christmas cookie boxes or honestly, just because! Bonus — they’re incredibly easy to make because the dough doesn’t require chilling and there’s no stand mixer needed. Just mix, scoop, bake, and finish with a drizzle of melted chocolate for an easy and festive Christmas cookie packed with seasonal flavors!
JUMP STRAIGHT TO:
- Key Ingredients for the Perfect Chewy Texture
- Notes on Using Peppermint Extract
- How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Coconut Macaroons
- Dip or Drizzle the Dark Chocolate
- More Gluten Free Treats for Holiday Baking
Key Ingredients for the Perfect Chewy Texture
We’re not using traditional flour here! These naturally gluten free peppermint coconut macaroons are made with a combination of finely shredded coconut and almond flour. This creates a dense and chewy texture like a standard coconut macaroon. For the coconut, make sure it is shredded and unsweetened!
Using granulated sugar also lends to the chewy texture of these gluten free cookies while canned coconut milk and coconut oil add richness and moisture. Since these macaroons are also vegan, ground flaxseed takes the role of helping to bind everything together instead of using an egg or egg white.
Notes on Using Peppermint Extract in these Coconut Macaroons
Peppermint extract is not something to be heavy handed with. If you add too much, you risk your cookies tasting like toothpaste! I ended up testing the first batch of these coconut macaroons with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and the second batch with 1 1/2 teaspoons. Both were delicious but here’s what I recommend: if you really love mint flavored things, go with 1 1/2 teaspoons. If you want more of a hint of mint, go with 1 teaspoon! Personally, I like them with 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract.
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Coconut Macaroons
The almond flour, shredded coconut, sugar, and salt get whisked together first. Almond flour tends to be clumpy, so make sure to break up any clumps if you see them. The coconut milk, coconut oil, and flaxseed go in a small pot over low heat until the coconut oil fully melts. Off the heat, both extracts are mixed in.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until the dough comes together in a ball without any dry ingredients remaining in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t worry about overmixing because there’s no gluten here! Use a 1-ounce (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop to scoop up the dough and place it on a lined baking sheet. These won’t spread much so you can put them about 1-inch apart.
Bake the macaroons until the tops and edges are turning golden. Allow the macaroons to cool fully, then move on to the chocolate. You’ll melt it over a double boiler along with a little bit of coconut oil.
Drizzle some chocolate over the top of each cooled macaroon then top with spirnkles if you like! You can let the chocolate set at room temperature or if you’re impatient like me, just pop them in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Dip or Drizzle the Dark Chocolate, Your Choice!
I’m not a huge chocolate lover but I do love chocolate and mint together during the holidays! I ended up preferring these peppermint coconut macaroons with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate over the top to keep all of the flavors balanced. I tested a handful of macaroons that were dipped into the melted chocolate. They were delicious, but slightly too chocolate-y for me. Feel free to experiment and see which one you like!
I found 2 ounces of dark chocolate to be plenty for drizzling over the tops. If you want to try a dip instead of a drizzle, I recommend going with 3-4 ounces of dark chocolate. As for those sprinkles? They’re entirely optional but they definitely make these gluten free macaroons much more festive! I like using these sprinkles because they’re not made with artificial colors (not sponsored).
More Gluten Free Treats for Holiday Baking
If you saw the conservative amount of chocolate on these peppermint coconut macaroons and were like hmmm, that’s not nearly enough, you will LOVE these gluten free chocolate cardamom crinkle cookies! If you love to stick to the classics for the holidays, you can’t go wrong with a sugar cookie. This gluten free and vegan sugar cookie is sweetened with coconut sugar and flavored with the perfect festive combination of warm spices and vanilla. And, you can’t go wrong with a ginger molasses cookie, it’s my favorite!
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Chocolate Peppermint Coconut Macaroons
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Description
These chocolate peppermint coconut macaroons are chewy and moist on the inside with lightly crisp golden edges. Naturally gluten free and vegan, these macaroons are made with shredded coconut and a hint of peppermint extract then finished with a drizzle of dark chocolate and festive sprinkles. These easy holiday cookies don’t require chilling time or a stand mixer!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk, from the can
- ¼ cup + ½ teaspoon unrefined virgin coconut oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- Christmas sprinkles, optional for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk together the shredded coconut, almond flour, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined. Break up any lumps of almond meal with your fingers or the whisk.
- Add the coconut milk, ¼ cup of the coconut oil, and flaxseed to a small saucepan or pot over low heat. Warm until the coconut oil is fully melted, then remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla bean paste and peppermint extract until fully incorporated. If you love mint-flavored desserts, go with 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract. If you want it less minty, go with 1 teaspoon.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well until you have a cohesive cookie dough that sticks together and forms a ball. If it seems a bit dry, add a splash or two more of the coconut milk.
- Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to scoop up level portions of the dough, then place them on the lined baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes until the tops and edges are turning golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler with the remaining ½ tsp of coconut oil. Once the chocolate is fully melted and smooth, remove it from the double boiler. Drizzle some chocolate over the top of each macaroon with a spoon then top with a pinch of sprinkles if desired.
- Let the chocolate set at room temperature or speed up the process by placing the macaroons in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- The macaroons can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for a week.
Notes
I recommend using a dark chocolate bar or semi-sweet baking chocolate for the chocolate drizzle, not chocolate chips.
If you plan on freezing these, leave off the chocolate drizzle and sprinkles and wait to add them until they are thawed. Baked macaroons can be stored in an airtight freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Overall these cookies are on the less sweet side compared to standard baked goods. If you prefer a sweeter macaroon, use 1 cup of granulated sugar total.
If you open your canned coconut milk and it has solidified or is lumpy, gently warm it over low heat until you can whisk the fat back into the milk, THEN measure and use it in the recipe.
If you don’t like mint, simply leave out the peppermint extract!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 23-25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
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