Holiday Glow Peppermint Twist (Print Version)

Festive low-carb cookies with peppermint that are crisp outside and tender inside, ideal for holiday treats.

# List of Ingredients:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups almond flour
02 - 1/4 cup coconut flour
03 - 1/2 cup powdered erythritol
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

→ Decorations

10 - 2–3 drops natural red food coloring (optional)
11 - 2 tablespoons crushed sugar-free peppermint candies (optional)

# Step-by-step Instructions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - Beat softened butter until creamy, then add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract; mix until fully combined.
04 - Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
05 - Divide the dough in half; add red food coloring to one half and knead gently to combine.
06 - Roll small pieces of plain and colored dough into 4-inch ropes, twist together, and shape into candy cane or swirl forms. Place on prepared baking sheet.
07 - Optionally, sprinkle crushed sugar-free peppermint candy atop each shaped cookie.
08 - Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste genuinely festive and indulgent without a trace of that metallic sweetener aftertaste that haunts so many keto treats.
  • The twist design is actually fun to make—no special skills needed, just two pieces of dough and a gentle spiral motion.
  • Twenty cookies ready in under 35 minutes means you can bake these the morning of a holiday gathering and still have time to clean up.
02 -
  • Almond flour is denser than regular flour, so these cookies don't rise the way wheat-based ones do—that's not a mistake, that's the whole point of the tender, almost shortbread texture.
  • Erythritol can crystallize if your cookies cool too fast or if you use the granulated version instead of powdered; powdered is non-negotiable for smooth flavor.
  • These cookies are best eaten within 24 hours of baking, when they still have that beautiful crisp-outside, tender-inside balance; after that, they start to soften.
03 -
  • Use parchment paper, not regular wax paper, because wax can brown on the underside of the cookies and taste off—parchment is cheap and essential.
  • A small nut-free hack: substitute sunflower seed flour one-to-one for almond flour if you're cooking for someone with tree nut allergies, and the texture barely changes.
  • If the twisted shapes start to unravel as you place them on the sheet, the dough is too warm; stick it in the fridge for 10 minutes and try again.

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