Gluten Free Peppermint Brownies (Paleo Friendly!)

Gluten Free Peppermint Brownies – These paleo-friendly peppermint brownies are the perfect holiday treat. Tender, crackly tops, deeply fudge-y centers and a kiss of peppermint make this brownie recipe amazing!

I’m going to go ahead and say that holiday baking season is HERE! Glory, glory, hallelujah. I’ve always got a few things I need to make during the holidays–my mom’s not-even-close-to-healthy-but-super-delicious Sweet Christmas Chex Mix (I use all Chex + coconut oil for a GFDF version), my favorite Paleo Ginger Cookies, and *something* with peppermint + chocolate.

These gluten free peppermint brownies are EVERYTHING I’m looking for in a chocolate-peppermint treat. Here’s what makes them the best…

What Makes These Gluten Free Peppermint Brownies Amazing:

First off: the TEXTURE! This gluten free peppermint brownie recipe is a riff on my Perfect Gluten Free Brownies (one of the top GF brownies on the internet!) and they hit all my favorite notes. They have that gorgeous crackly top and a deeply fudge-y center that I love so much. This comes from whisking your eggs with coconut sugar to aerate them a bit (don’t skip this step!) and from plenty of melted chocolate. Ooh-la-la!

The perfect amount of peppermint flavor. These brownies won’t knock you over with mint flavor, nor will you be trying to guess what’s in them after you take a bite. It’s enough peppermint to come through, but not so much that that’s all you can taste for the next 2 hours. Know what I mean?

They’re just perfect for the holidays. Chocolate + peppermint = holiday happiness! These peppermint brownies have that warm, gooey brownie comfort with a bit of cool, refreshing mint that’s so cozy this time of year. Perfect with a cup of cocoa or a scoop of ice cream on top. On that note…

Ideas for Serving Your Peppermint Brownies:

1. Top them with crushed candy cane pieces or festive sprinkles. These look extra cute with a little somethin’-somethin’ sprinkled one top. I love using crushed candy canes or sprinkles (my kids LOVE them this way!) Wholesome makes candy canes without any added dyes, and you can stop by Whole Foods or Sprouts for dye free sprinkles.

2. Add a sprinkle of powdered sugar. A bit of powdered sugar makes these look extra festive for the holidays! (You can even make your own paleo powdered sugar by grinding up maple or coconut sugar with a bit of tapioca starch!)

3. Turn your brownie into a peppermint brownie ice cream sundae! I *may* or may not love turning these into a brownie sundae, with a scoop of (dairy free) vanilla ice cream + a drizzle of my vegan hot fudge sauce. You can even add 1/4 tsp peppermint extract to the hot fudge sauce for a double dose of peppermint!

Notes & Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use peppermint oil instead of peppermint extract in peppermint brownies? Yes, so long as it’s food-grade essential oil. You will want to only use 1-2 drops peppermint oil, as it’s more concentrated than peppermint extract.

Turn the peppermint up or down. I think these gluten free peppermint brownies are right in the sweet spot of minty-ness. They’re not going to hit you in the face with mint, and you won’t be tasting them wondering where the mint flavor is. That said, if you like a bit more peppermint flavor, you can add up to 1 tsp peppermint extract (know they will be boldly peppermint with a full teaspoon). Or, if you’re nervous, you can go down to 1/4 tsp peppermint extract. They won’t have much peppermint flavor with 1/4, but if you’re sensitive to peppermint, that might be just right.

Can I substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? Unfortunately no. Coconut flour isn’t a 1-to-1 substitute for any other kind of flour because it behaves so differently. Coconut flour absorbs several times its own volume of liquid, so if you substitute it here, you’ll end up with VERY dry, crumbly peppermint brownies. You’d have to adjust the amount of liquid and eggs pretty significantly to make it work, and I can’t even begin to tell you how to do that without doing some significant testing.

Is there an egg free/vegan version? I haven’t tested this gluten free peppermint brownie recipe with an egg substitute, but I’ve had pretty good luck using powdered egg replacers (like Ener-G or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacement) in other brownie recipes, so I’d recommend starting there if you want to give it a try. (You may not get quite the same crackle/puff, but they’ll taste awesome)

Paleo notes. Depending on how strictly paleo you are, you can absolutely enjoy these brownies, since they’re grain free and dairy free. Many paleo folks are open to chocolate chips here and there (whether that’s stevia-sweetened ones, or simply dairy free chocolate chips). You’d want to skip the peppermint crunch topping, but the peppermint flavor will still be nice and delicious.

More Recipes You Might Love:

• Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce (Perfect for ice cream sundaes!)
• Paleo Ginger Cookies
• The BEST Vegan + Paleo Chocolate Pudding

Gluten Free Peppermint Brownies (Paleo Friendly!)

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Emily
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 16 brownies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Crackly tops, deeply fudge-y centers, and a kiss of peppermint make these brownies amazing. (Be sure to read through the notes for best results!)

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Ingredients

• 2/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 5 Tbsp coconut oil (can sub butter or vegan butter)
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar (can sub maple or white sugar)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Optional, but recommended: 2/3 cup additional semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Optional for topping: crushed peppermint candies, or sprinkles*

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line an 8×8″ baking dish with parchment paper. (I like to cut mine 8″ wide but long enough to hang over the edges of the pan a bit, so I can use the excess as “handles” later to remove the brownies from the pan.)
3. In a small saucepan, gently melt 2/3 chocolate chips and the coconut oil over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.
4. While the chocolate is melting, whisk together eggs and coconut sugar in a medium bowl until very smooth and *slightly* lighter in color. (When you lift your whisk, the eggs should fall in a steady stream, instead of in big lumps. See the recipe video for an example.)
5. When the chocolate is melted and removed from the heat, slowly whisk in your egg/sugar mixture and beat to combine. This will thicken the batter almost instantly.
6. Stir in vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt.
7. Add baking soda and almond flour. Sift in cocoa powder. (I use a fine mesh sieve just to prevent clumps of cocoa). Stir until just combined (overmixing can mess with the texture a bit).
8. Fold in additional chocolate chips.
9. Pour batter into your prepared baking dish. (Batter will be thick) Gently smooth out the batter with a spatula.
10. Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until brownies have puffed up a bit and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with just a little chocolate. (Brownies will continue to set as they cool).
11. Immediately sprinkle with peppermint candies (if using) or sprinkles.
12. Note: the brownies will have more puff to them straight out of the oven than they will when cooled and cut. This is totally normal! (And how you get that crackly crust).
13. Cool before slicing. Store any leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator (up to 5 days) or freezer (for up to 1 month).

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