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Get ready to meet your new favorite holiday treat: my Paleo Peppermint Whoopie Pies are a pepperminty twist on one of my favorite recipes! They’re perfect for the holiday season, or anytime that you’re craving a sweet, chocolatey, peppermint-y treat! Oh, and since they’re paleo-friendly, they’re also gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, so they’re perfect for everyone!
Earlier this year, I shared my Paleo Whoopie Pie recipe with you all, and let me tell you – you guys LOVED them! I knew this recipe was special, but did not expect them to receive such a resoundingly positive reaction. So, like with all of my most popular recipes, I knew I had to make a version of it for the holidays!
These whoopie pies are special because we’re adding a peppermint twist to them! Not only is there peppermint extract added to the batter, but we’re taking things up a notch by rolling these bad boys in crushed candy canes. Because let’s be real – the holidays are a time to celebrate with all of our favorite foods!
Paleo Candy Canes
Now I know someone is going to come after me and tell me that candy canes aren’t paleo. And that’s correct. I decided that the candy canes from YumEarth are the best choice. They are naturally colored, nut free, and sweetened with organic cane sugar. Definitely a better option and something I feel okay with. I found them on Amazon, but they may be found at Whole Foods or other health food stores during the holidays.
No, these are not the healthiest options; there’s refined sugar, sometimes dairy, and god-knows-what in some of these candies. But, part of the fun of food is the nostalgia, and these candies are certainly nostalgic, which makes them worth it!
After recovering from my Eating Disorder, I truly learned that eating healthy doesn’t mean that you need to eat perfectly “clean” all the time or completely eliminate certain ingredients for good. A healthy diet and lifestyle can absolutely have room for your favorite nostalgic foods, even if they aren’t necessarily healthy. It’s called balance, baby!
So, what does balance look like for me? It means that some days, my go-to treat is a handful of my Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (or my Gingerbread Tahini Cookies, which are perfect for Christmastime!)
What You Need to Make These Peppermint Paleo Whoopie Pies
- Almond Flour: If you’ve been following my recipes for a while now, then you’ll know that this is one of my favorite ingredients! Almond flour bakes like a dream and is a great gluten-free flour replacement. Please note that I haven’t tried this recipe with any other gluten-free flours, so if you want to substitute, do so at your own risk!
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: If you want a much sweeter taste you can definitely opt for a sweetened cocoa powder, but if you want to make this recipe truly paleo, then you’ll want to skip the refined sugars and opt for the unsweetened version.
- Coconut Sugar: I love coconut sugar because it’s an unrefined, just-as-sweet alternative to traditional cane sugar!
- Salt: Just a bit of salt to balance out the sweetness!
- Baking Soda: Baking soda will make the cakes rise, so don’t skip it.
- Coconut Oil: Make sure it’s melted and cooled! This is important to achieving the right consistency.
- Peppermint Extract: Pure peppermint extract will help us get that delicious flavor! And what’s better during the holidays than peppermint and chocolate?!
- Eggs: I strongly recommend traditional eggs here, as it’ll help give the cakes their light and texture!
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is always the star in any baking recipe, it adds the best flavor!
- Maple Syrup: These “pies” are sweetened with both maple syrup and coconut sugar – and not too much – so you don’t have to worry about them being too sweet.
- Candy Canes: Just your good ole traditional candy canes work great for this recipe, but see note above, the YumEarth brand makes some that are naturally colored, nut free, and sweetened with organic cane sugar!
- Vanilla frosting: I recommend using Simple Mills vanilla frosting, as it is paleo-friendly. But you can certainly make your own frosting or use another brand, I just like to save time, and the Simple Mills frosting is delicious!
How to Make These Peppermint Paleo Whoopie Pies
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients – almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Next, mix the wet ingredients into the dry, adding them one-by-one; the coconut oil, eggs, peppermint extract, and maple syrup.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form 16-18 cakes (this will yield 8-10 total whoopie pies).
- Bake for 11-12 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool COMPLETELY before adding the frosting.
- Spread the frosting on the cakes and form them into sandwiches.
- Next, seal your candy canes into a large ziplock bag and press out the air.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll over the bag and crush the candy canes into tiny pieces. You can also do this step in a food processor, if you prefer, by pulsing your candy canes until they break apart into pieces.
- Transfer your candy cane pieces into a bowl.
- Gently take your whoopie pies and roll them into the bowl of candy canes, until the candy cane pieces stick to the frosting.
- Serve, and enjoy!
How to Fill Your Peppermint Paleo Whoopie Pies
We’re going to be filling these whoopie pies with a nice schmear of your favorite vanilla frosting. I like the Simple Mills brand, because it’s delicious and one of the healthier options, but you can use any vanilla frosting that you like. Remember, there are no rules or restrictions here!
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also swap out the frosting for a different creamy filling! Ice cream would be amazing, just make sure that you eat them right away or keep your whoopie pies frozen. You could also try homemade whipped cream (or whipped coconut cream) for another fun alternative! Get creative and explore – the opportunities are endless!
I hope you guys love this recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And if you post to Instagram, I repost your remakes on my IG stories! xx
These soft, creamy Paleo Peppermint Whoopie Pies are a riff off of my classic recipe, but with a special holiday twist – peppermint! These make for the perfect, healthier Christmas treat, or the perfect treat for whenever the peppermint and chocolate craving strikes!
Ingredients
For the Cakes:
- 2 ¾ cup almond flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¾ cup candy canes, crushed I like the YumEarth brand
For the Filling:
- 1 container vanilla frosting of choice I like the Simple Mills brand
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (first 5 ingredients).
- Then mix in the wet ingredients one by one, until the dough is smooth.
- Use a cookie scoop to form 16 – 18 small cookies (should be 8 – 10 total whoopie pies) depending on how big your cookie scoop is.
- Bake 11-12 minutes.
- These must cool COMPLETELY so the frosting spreads on easily.
- Spread the frosting on the cakes and form them into sandwiches.
- Next, seal your candy canes into a large ziplock bag and press out the air.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll over the bag and crush the candy canes into tiny pieces.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll over the bag and crush the candy canes into tiny pieces. You can also do this step in a food processor, if you prefer, by pulsing your candy canes until they break apart into pieces.
- Transfer your candy cane pieces into a bowl.
- Gently take your whoopie pies and roll them into the bowl of candy canes, until the candy cane pieces stick to the frosting.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see what you made – tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!
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WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Rate + Review
I made the peppermint whoopie pies to bring to Christmas with my family and they were a hit! Everyone loves them! My husband won’t usually eat my dairy free/gluten free desserts and he loved these and couldn’t believe they were dairy free and gluten free! He has already asked me to make another batch to bring in his lunches!
I have been following @kalejunkie for a few years and none of her recipes ever disappoint. She has made my gluten free/dairy free baking fun and yummy to enjoy! I have gained so much confidence in my baking because of her!
YAY! Emily, this makes me so, so happy to hear! Thank you so much for all of your support, this means the absolute world to me and I am SO grateful for your support!
I made these peppermint whoopie pies the day after Christmas and these will be the only cookies I make next year. They are so delicious that I even made a festive reel of the process on Instagram. Y’all can check it out @shannashville. I love how real Nicole’s recipes are and how she literally and figuratively doesn’t sugar coat it – she gives you the lowdown on exactly what you need to do. I’ve been following this page for years and this is one of my favorites. You can’t beat the balance of peppermint with cocoa in a way that is this nutrient dense.
Hi Shannon! I am so thrilled that you loved this recipe! Thank you so much for your review, and I can’t wait to check out your reel!! I hope you had a wonderful holiday!