Chocolate polka dot cookies are a festive sweet treat for the holidays! Swedish pearl sugar covers the top of these chewy chocolate cookies, creating a satisfying crunch.
The holiday season is such a fun time to try new cookie recipes, isn’t it? The variety is endless, even if you have special dietary needs to contend with. Just because your diet may be more limited, doesn’t mean you can’t have a rich variety of Christmas cookies!
There are so many delicious gluten free holiday cookie recipes to try, like frosted molasses cookies, hidden kiss cookies, and butter cookies with pistachios.
These cookies came about because I wanted to try a recipe with Swedish pearl sugar. Pearl sugar is a coarse, crunchy sugar that holds its shape during baking. You can find it on Amazon, or at IKEA (so I’ve been told). It’s kind of like the sweet equivalent of coarse salt. I love the way the bright white adds a nice contrast to these dark chocolate cookies.
How do you make chocolate polka dot cookies?
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Refrigerate the dough for one hour.
- Roll the dough into balls, and roll the balls in the Swedish pearl sugar, just as you would with powdered sugar for crinkle cookies.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 13-16 minutes.
I love how these chocolate polka dot cookies turned out! The middle is rich and chocolatey, and the outside has a nice sugary crunch. Plus, they look really pretty – kind of snowy and whimsical. I also think they look like my favorite childhood candy, Snowcaps.
If you can’t have pearl sugar, or you can’t find it near you, you may prefer my recipe for gluten free chocolate crinkles. They are also delicious and look very nice on a holiday cookie tray.
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Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies.
Chewy, rich chocolate cookies are rolled in crunchy pearl sugar for a festive treat!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ⅝ cup vegan buttery spread softened
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ⅛ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons dairy free chocolate chips melted
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend I used King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- ⅔ cup Swedish pearl sugar
Instructions
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In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
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Cream the vegan buttery spread and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.
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Add the vanilla extract and unsweetened applesauce and mix to combine. Add the melted dairy free chocolate chips and mix until smooth.
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Add the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth. Refrigerate the dough for one hour.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Put the pearl sugar in a small bowl.
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Roll the chilled dough into balls that are a little over an inch wide. Roll the dough balls in the pearl sugar to coat thoroughly.
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Place the balls on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 13-16 minutes.
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Let cool on the baking sheet.
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Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for about 5 days.
If you would like to freeze this cookie dough, roll the dough into balls and place on a tray. Freeze until solid, then store in a ziploc freezer bag. Roll in the pearl sugar before baking. It may take a couple of extra minutes to bake the frozen cookie dough.
If you need a large amount of these chocolate polka dot cookies, this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Follow along:
aiming4simple
Neat! I might try coating them with coconut too.
whiskandshout
These are adorable!
Kelly
Thank you!
Strength and Sunshine
These are just too cute!! Love the sprinkles!
Kelly
Thank you!