Paleo Gluten-Free Crinkle Cookies (Peppermint Chocolate)

These peppermint paleo gluten-free crinkle cookies are fudgy and rich, perfect for the holidays. Grain-free and refined-sugar-free, these paleo gluten-free crinkle cookies are a guilt-free way to indulge in holiday treats without breaking your commitment to a healthier lifestyle. These paleo gluten-free crinkle cookies have hints of peppermint, making them positively festive. Your friends and family will never believe these gluten-free crinkle cookies are paleo!

Peppermint Season is Here!

I’m done. Totally done.

With Thanksgiving last week, we did more than our fair share of indulgence, flipping our 80/20 rule upside down: a few healthy meals here and there, but the bulk of what we ate and drank I’d never, ever share on my Instagram. Translation? Not paleo and not healthy.

And I am all for a balance. It’s so important to me to be able to maintain a way of eating long-term, and for me that means doing it flexibly, knowing that life will happen and you’ll travel to wonderful places and when you have potlucks your friends will make spinach artichoke dip and you just have to have it. This is, to me, the way it should be.

But… balance is not how I’d describe our eating over the last few weeks. We’ve been eating all the things, yelling a muffled “Holidays!” through a mouth full of pie, vowing to do a Whole30 “soon.” But a funny thing happened after all of this indulgence: I felt awful.

The night of Thanksgiving, my knees ached so much that I simply couldn’t sleep. I’ve been skipping workouts because my energy just isn’t what it normally is. And I know why! It’s always, always food, isn’t it?

So I’m done. Totally done! I’m done with opting for traditional holiday treats because there aren’t paleo or gluten free versions out there. I’m finished with feeling like Violet Beauregard after a meal. I’m done with feeling icky for a day after a few minutes of indulgence. Yep, it’s time to get serious with gluten-free and paleo holiday treats.

What, did y’all think I was going to go without? Not likely!

These paleo gluten-free crinkle cookies are the perfect solution to healthier holiday treats, being grain-, gluten-, dairy-, and refined-sugar-free. They’re fudgy and rich with a hint of cool peppermint, and they’re so stunning with their dusted crinkle edges! They’ll be a hit at any holiday party, and I know about 20 of your friends who’d like to receive a dozen in the mail. Just saying!

I’m a bit impressed that they worked quite so well, having feared for a year (Which is, yes, how long I’ve been planning these!) that they wouldn’t “crinkle” enthusiastically enough, not being able to use powdered sugar, of course, in a paleo gluten-free crinkle cookie recipe. But a dusting of tapioca starch made them perfect: all the visual impact without straying from your obsession with food making you feel fantastic. Christmas miracle, eh?

You’ll love these paleo gluten-free crinkle cookies because they’re rich and fudgy and delicious, and they’re a healthier take on the holiday classic! They’ll be super popular at holiday parties, and they’re easy to make, too. With a hint of cool peppermint, these chocolate paleo gluten-free crinkle cookies are about as festive as it gets!

More Paleo Holiday Treats

• Paleo Peppermint Oreos
• Paleo Cranberry Bliss Bars (Vegan Cranberry Bliss Bars) [Grain & Gluten-Free]
• Perfect Paleo Brownies (Fudgy, Crackly Top, Gluten Free)
• Paleo & Vegan Peppermint Frosted Brownies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Paleo Peppermint Hot Chocolate