Christmas is in the air and this gluten-free peppermint meltaways recipe is the perfect Christmas cookies recipe. It has only a few ingredients and they really do melt in your mouth. Plus, they have a peppermint flavor in the cookie, the frosting AND sprinkled on top!
I made several different batches of these peppermint Christmas cookies and they were all good, but it just seemed like they were all missing that special something. So I did some accounting magic and came up with this cookie that’s the best of both worlds. They are buttery and light and really do melt in your mouth. I mean, look at how much butter and cornstarch they have – it’s no wonder they have a delicate, buttery flavor and texture.
Here are some tips and tricks to make this recipe even better:
- To soften butter, either leave out on the counter for a while or put it on the soften setting in the microwave. That’s one of the only things I ever use the microwave for, but it’s worth having a microwave just for that. Oh, and unthawing food a little, just enough so it’s not totally frozen solid. Yes, it is necessary to soften the butter, or it won’t mix.
- Yes. You really do have to refrigerate the dough. I know it’s a pain and makes them take longer to make, but it helps them hold together and hold their shape better. Sometimes I cheat and put them in the freezer for the first 10 minutes and it cuts maybe 20 minutes off the total time.
I would love to know if you make these peppermint Christmas cookies and what you think of them. Please comment below with any questions or to tell me what you think of them.
You may also like these recipes:
Best Gluten-Free Desserts Index
Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies with a Surprise Center
Gluten-Free Meringue Cake Recipe
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Gluten-Free Peppermint Meltaways
These peppermint meltaways are the perfect Christmas cookies because they are easy to make and melt in your mouth!
- Prep Time: 60 Minutes
- Cook Time: 9 Minutes
- Total Time: 69 Minutes
- Yield: 36 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Christmas
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 Cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend *
- 2/3 Cup Cornstarch
- 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups Butter (3 sticks, softened)
- 1/2 tsp Real Salt *
- 2 tsp Peppermint Extract
Frosting
- 2 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Butter softened
- 2 Tbsp Half and Half
- 1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract
Instructions
Cookies
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together butter, powdered sugar and peppermint extract until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. If they are dry and don’t combine enough, add a little milk to the mixture.
- Put a lid or plastic wrap on the bowl and put in the fridge for about an hour, until nearly firm.
- During the last 10 minutes of chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove from the fridge and scoop dough out 1 even Tablespoon at a time. (I used a cookie scoop, but you could use a measuring spoon. When testing, I didn’t do this the first time and my cookies got bigger every time I made them.)
- Shape in to a ball and put on a greased (or Silpat-lined) baking sheet. Space cookies about 2 inches apart. (They don’t spread much). Press down with the back of a measuring cup with some wax paper between the cookie and the cup so it doesn’t stick. One quick press is enough.
- Keep dough that won’t be baking chilled.
- Bake in a preheated oven until cookies are set and bottoms are lightly golden brown. In my convention oven this took 9-10 minutes. In a regular oven, it could take a few minutes longer. To check the doneness, take the pan out of the oven and gently pick one cookie up and see if it’s a slightly golden brown. If it is, it’s done. They can overcook very easily, so check every minute starting at 9 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and transfer to a wire rack
Frosting
- Cream together butter, half and half, peppermint extract and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- If frosting is too thick, add a little half half. Too thin, add a little powdered sugar.
- Frost each cookie (I just used a plastic spoon to put the frosting on the cookie and then the back of the spoon to spread it around).
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Keywords: Light, Christmas, Tender, Easy
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Kiersten
These look delicious and easy to make. I’m curious to see what that much cornstarch tastes like. I’m going to give them a try
★★★★★