Chocolate polka dot cookies are a festive sweet treat for the holidays! Gluten free and vegan and so rich and delicious.

Okay, let’s get back on the holiday baking train! We had real food yesterday, now it’s time for cookies again. :)

These cookies came about because I just found out about 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).

You just roll the cookies in the pearl sugar, just as you would with powdered sugar for crinkle cookies, and the cookies bake up while the sugar stays nice and white and crunchy.

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. :)

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Print Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies. Chocolate cookies are rolled in crunchy pearl sugar for a festive treat! Prep Time 1 hour Cook Time 16 minutes Total Time 1 hour 16 minutes Servings 24 Calories 111 kcal Author Kelly Roenicke Ingredients For the cookies: 5/8 cup vegan buttery spread softened

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1/8 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons dairy free chocolate chips melted

2 Tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce

1 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend I used King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt For the topping: 2/3 cup Swedish pearl sugar Instructions In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the vegan buttery spread and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and unsweetened applesauce and mix to combine. Add the melted dairy free chocolate chips and mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth. Refrigerate the dough for one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put the pearl sugar in a small bowl. 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. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 13-16 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container. Nutrition Facts Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies. Amount Per Serving Calories 111 Calories from Fat 36 % Daily Value* Fat 4g 6% Saturated Fat 1g 6% Sodium 52mg 2% Potassium 30mg 1% Carbohydrates 17g 6% Fiber 1g 4% Sugar 12g 13% Protein 1g 2% Vitamin A 230IU 5% Calcium 10mg 1% Iron 0.5mg 3% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you need a large amount of these chocolate polka dot cookies, this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. And if you don’t have pearl sugar, or don’t want to use it, you can substitute granulated sugar or powdered sugar.

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