Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• 1/2 C Country Crock olive oil butter, room temperature
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 2/3 C Stevia
• 1 egg, beaten (room temperature)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 C gluten free all purpose flour
• 1/4 C cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or regular salt)
• 12 mini candy canes, divided
• 1 bar Lily's Peppermint White Chocolate, divided (about 3 oz.)
• 1/4 tsp coconut oil

1. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together* flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Roughly chop the bar of white chocolate, reserving 10 squares (approx. 0.7 oz.) of chocolate for melting. Place 8 of the 12 candy canes in a small ziploc bag and crush until small pieces remain. Add chopped chocolate and crushed candy canes to a small bowl and set aside. Crush remaining candy canes and set aside for the very end.
3. In a stand mixer**, cream butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until well combined. Add in beaten egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Beat wet ingredients on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Mix in dry ingredients on low speed until a few streaks of flour remain (the dough will be quite soft). Gently fold in the small bowl of chopped chocolate and crushed candy canes. Place cookie dough in the freezer.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F*** and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
6. When the oven has reached temperature, remove the cookie dough from the freezer and use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out the cookies. Bake 12 cookies at a time for 9 minutes, then let cool on the pan for 10 minutes after baking. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
7. Place remaining white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl with coconut oil. Melt for 30-45 seconds until smooth and drippy. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes over the melted chocolate and allow to cool completely before serving.

*If you aren't able to sift your dry ingredients, whisk well until few clumps of dry ingredients remain. We want the "flour" to be as fine as possible.

**You may also use a mixing bowl with a hand mixer or a rubber spatula.

***If you preheated the oven before preparing the cookie dough, simply place the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking. I use the oven preheating as my timer for chilling the dough.

Nutrition facts are a calculated estimate of one cookie, including the white chocolate drizzle and crushed candy canes on top.