Cookies and healthy rarely go together well in a sentence. In this case, we have to think of healthy as a relative term. These cookies are awesome! They are especially awesome for being gluten free! I saw these Andes Mint Peppermint “chips” at the store, and absolutely had to find a way to use them. My Christmastime drink of choice at Starbucks (if I have a sweet tooth and am not just drinking black coffee like usual) is a Skinny Peppermint Mocha. I used my favorite drink as inspiration for these. I hope you guys like them!!

What you'll need:

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour (any combination will do-I used 1/2 cup all-purpose GF flour, 1/2 cup GF oat flour, and 1/4 almond meal/flour)

1 tea baking powder

1/2 tea salt

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 packets instant coffee (about two tablespoons)

1/4 cup reduced fat or light butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

12 packets Stevia in the Raw ( or whatever kind of Stevia you have-equivalent of 1/2 cup sugar)

1.5 tea vanilla extract

1/3 cup almond milk

1/3-1/2 cup peppermint chips (Andes made the ones I used) or broken up Lindt Peppermint Bark Bar

Crushed candy cane for topping-optional

How you make 'em:

Combine dry ingredients (first 5) in mixer until evenly mixed. Set to the side in a separate bowl. Warm up the butter and oil together in microwave for 20-30 seconds until melted. Add to empty standing mixer bowl and mix thoroughly with brown sugar, Stevia, and vanilla extract. Add half of the dry ingredients, then the almond milk, then rest of dry ingredients to mixer while running, and blend until uniform. Add peppermint chips, let blend quickly, then stop mixer. Put cookie dough in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to firm up.

Line two cookie sheets with either silpat baking mats or parchment paper. Scoop out ping pong ball size cookies and place a couple of inches apart. Bake for 14 or so minutes at 325F. You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar before putting them in the oven if you'd like. Also, about halfway through baking, sprinkle on crushed candy canes. Enjoy!!!

Stay tuned for more posts later in the week. Lotsa stuff to talk about this week.

Happy Trails!

Stacey