Vegan Mint Chocolate Cookies
These vegan mint chocolate cookies are crunchy and filled with sweet peppermint buttercream. They are made with common pantry ingredients and taste like mint Oreos or Aussie Mint Slice cookies!
Ingredients you’ll need
These vegan mint chocolate cookies are made with:
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Vegan block butter for crunchy shortbread-like chocolate cookies. Alternatively, you may use chilled spreadable vegan butter (if you add more flour and use less milk) or softened coconut oil (if you add a generous pinch of salt).
Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a smooth chocolate flavor and this makes the cookies a deep dark color, just like mint Oreos!
Powdered sugar because it dissolves more easily than granulated sugar. If you’re in a pinch, you can still use granulated sugar or brown sugar (your cookies may have specks of sugar throughout them).
These cookies are similar to shortbread and naturally don’t need eggs or flax eggs!
Making the chocolate cookie dough
This cookie dough is really easy to make! Add all the ingredients (except the milk) to a bowl or food processor and mix until combined. If you don’t have a food processor, add the ingredients to a bowl and mix with a pastry cutter.
I recommend gradually adding dairy-free milk to the mixture. The amount you’ll need will depend on your ingredients and how you measured them. The final mixture should have a soft and moist texture.
Cutting the cookies
If your dough isn’t too sticky (and your home isn’t overly warm), you can roll out your dough immediately. As the dough is dark in color, try to avoid flouring your surface too much otherwise your cookies will have patches of white! If you can’t be bothered to roll out the dough, you can roll it into balls then flatten each ball with your hands.
If your kitchen is extra warm, I recommend chilling the dough in the fridge until it is firm enough to work with. Place your dough ball in an airtight container or use an environmentally-friendly food wrap.
I rolled out my dough a little thinner than 1/4 inch (6mm) and used a 2 1/4 inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter. I wanted my cookies to look like large Oreos so I made sure my dough wasn’t too thick.
Baking tips
The chocolate cookies don’t spread much in the oven so I was able to fit around 15 cookies on one baking tray.
To make soft cookies, I recommend baking them for around 10-12 minutes. For crunchy cookies, bake them for around 13-15 minutes.
Tips for peppermint filling
The filling is a simple American-style buttercream that comes together in one bowl.
First, I recommend whipping the butter until it’s light and fluffy. This aerates the mixture and makes it easier to pipe. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients, taste test and adjust.
The final buttercream needs to be soft enough to spread or pipe onto your cookies but not too runny that it’ll melt away.
Finally, I recommend adding more peppermint extract than you think you need. The peppermint flavor will be diluted by the chocolate cookies and naturally fade over time.
Customizing the mint chocolate cookies
To the peppermint filling, you can also add:
- Crushed candy canes
- Mini vegan chocolate chips
- Cocoa nibs
The cookie sandwiches can be:
- Half-dipped or fully-dipped in melted chocolate. Either dark or white chocolate will work!
- Rolled in crushed candy canes or festive sprinkles (these will attach to the sides of the filling, rather than the cookie)
- Used in a vegan oreo cake!
Expert Tips
I haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten-free flour blend. However, readers have successfully made similar recipes using 1:1 gluten-free flour by Bob Red Mills or King Arthur Baking.
In the cookies, you can use coconut sugar or a granulated sugar replacer instead of powdered sugar. Liquid sweeteners will make the dough too sticky. For the cream filling, you can use a mixture of coconut butter and maple syrup.
Alternatively, check out my almond flour shortbread recipe.
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Vegan Mint Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Chocolate cookies
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled
- 1 cup (225g) vegan butter, room temperature (note 1)
- 1 ¼ cups (125g) powdered sugar / icing sugar
- ½ cup (50g) dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons (45g) dairy-free milk, chilled and as needed
Peppermint cream filling
- ½ cup (125g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (200g) powdered sugar / icing sugar
- Few drops of peppermint extract or oil, to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- green food coloring, to color
- 2 tablespoons (30g) dairy-free milk, as needed
Instructions
Make the chocolate cookies:
- Add all the cookie ingredients except the milk to a food processor or large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients until just combined. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the mixture comes together. If you pinch the dough between two fingers, it shouldn't crumble.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the cookie dough on a lightly floured surface or a piece of parchment paper. The dough should be about 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick. Use a 2-inch (6 cm) round or fluted cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the dough.
- Collect the excess dough, roll it out and repeat until you have no more dough.
- Place the cookies on your baking sheets with around 1 inch (2 cm) between each cookie. The cookies don't spread much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes for soft cookies or 13-15 minutes for crunchy cookies. Allow the cookies to completely cool on the baking trays.
Make the mint cream filling:
- Add the butter to a medium bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat the mixture on low until the sugar is incorporated. Increase your mixer's speed to high and beat until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the peppermint extract, vanilla extract (optional) and 1-2 drops of food coloring. Beat the mixture to combine. Taste test the buttercream. Adjust the taste and color as desired. For a thinner buttercream, add some milk and beat again.
- Pipe or spread the filling on the bottom sides of half the cookies. Use the other half to sandwich the filling.
Storing the cookies:
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Alternatively, if you use a spreadable vegan butter, I recommend omitting the milk. You may need to add more flour or milk to get the right consistency. Softened coconut oil will also work but I recommend adding a generous pinch of salt to mimic the buttery flavor.
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These cookies were amazing! My whole family loved them. They are reminiscent of classic fudge mint cookies or Girl Scout thin mint cookies, but have the added fun of a cream filling! I’m thinking of dipping them half in melted chocolate next time. It is important to be patient before filling the cookies! My kids and I couldn’t wait so I iced some before the cookies were completely cooled and it was a mess! Though it was a tasty mess :). Thank you for this one!
Hi Kelly, that’s wonderful to hear!! I love how you described them and think that half dipping them in chocolate would be ammmazing too! Thank you soo much for your lovely comment – you’ve made my day!
Would they taste fine without the peppermint? As in a vegan-take on Oreo cookie original cream filling.
Yes they would! I would just add some vanilla to the cream filling 🙂
Love the sound and look of these. I’m not vegan, so wondering if I would just use cows butter and milk, if so would it be the same quantities?
Hi Kim, I’ve only tested my recipes the way they’re written. However, some readers use their own ingredients to make my recipes without any changes to the quantities and I’ve never heard of any problems.
My first attempt at vegan biscuits. I weighed all ingredients from the scale in my food processor, not sure of it accuracy. The dough came together without the addition of the milk. I used Nuttalex Cook and Bake for the butter.
Dough was very soft. I chilled for about 3 hours, eventhough my kitchen is a fridge. I was making dog shaped biscuits. The did lose their shape a bit. The dogs are on the plump side. Taste is good though.
Hi Peta! Nuttelex Cook and Bake is a spreadable butter and is softer than vegan block butter so it would definitely result in a softer cookie dough. To counteract this, you may need to add more flour, as mentioned in Note 1. Also, the scale on my own food processor is a little inaccurate so I wonder if that affected your dough. Nevertheless, I’m glad you enjoyed their flavour and thanks for your feedback!
Looks so yumm. Won’t the cookies become soft after the cream filling?
Hi Vinutha, it depends on how long you bake the cookies for and how you store them. I recommend baking the cookies for the longer suggested time and storing them in an airtight container with some moisture absorbers.
Thank you👍
This is amazing, so yummy. I put in 2 tsp of peppermint, and 1 tsp of green colouring for the filling and it was delicious.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed these cookies, Hazel!! Thanks so much for your review :).
Anthea, this recipe is so amazing I can only conclude that you are a witch of the highest order. The icing is fantastic – tastes like a mint cornetto!! Thank you!
Aw, what a compliment haha!! That’s the sweetest feedback, thanks so much Priscilla! x