Why we love these grinch cookies
These festive cookies are inspired by Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch, and they’re a simple, fun way to get kids excited about holiday baking.
They’re easier than you might think. You don’t need a stand mixer or any fancy decorating skills. The dough comes together quickly with a hand mixer, and a simple cookie scoop does all the work to create that perfectly textured Grinch fur look.
Plus, they’re made from scratch (no cake mix here), so you get soft, flavorful cookies with just the right hint of peppermint.
More Christmas cookie recipes you’ll love: soft sugar cookies / hot cocoa cookies / almond crescents / spicy gingersnaps / fruitcake cookies
Ingredient notes:
- Dairy free butter – I like to use Earth Balance buttery sticks. You can use whatever brand you like best, but keep in mind that each brand will yield a slightly different result. Earth Balance sticks come already salted, so I typically omit salt the salt from my baked goods.
- All purpose flour – Standard all purpose flour works perfectly here. I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour blends.
- Peppermint extract – Most grocery stores carry peppermint extract in the baking aisle, near other flavoring extracts like vanilla and almond.
- Gel food coloring – You’ll need both green and a tiny bit of yellow to get that perfect Grinch color, but just green will work. If you can’t find gel, liquid will work.
- Red heart quins – These small, flat heart-shaped sprinkles you can usually find at the grocery store in the baking isle. I found these extra large heart quins on Amazon, and they were just the right size.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Use a cookie scoop. A medium cookie scoop ensures consistent sizing, which means even baking. All cookies will be done at the same time.
- Don’t overbake. Remove the cookies when the tops just start to crack. They’ll look slightly underdone, but they continue cooking as they rest on the baking sheet.
- Storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can bake these cookies up to 2 days ahead and store them in an airtight container. You can also freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months. Just scoop the dough onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag.
You can leave it out or substitute with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The cookies will still be delicious, just without the subtle peppermint flavor.
The cookies are done when the tops just start to crack and the edges look set. They’ll seem slightly underdone in the center, but that’s normal. They firm up as they cool.
More holiday recipes: Christmas sangria / dairy free hot chocolate / microwave fudge / fruitcake cookies
Dairy Free Grinch Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 300g
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 60g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dairy free butter, 2 sticks
- ¾ cup sugar, 150g
- 1 large egg, 50g
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Green food coloring
- Yellow food coloring
- Red heart quins
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat your oven to 375˚F (190˚C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, gather and measure all of your ingredients before starting.
- Prep your dry ingredients. In a medium bowl (not the one you're going to mix the dough in), whisk the flour, baking powder, and powdered sugar. Make sure everything is evenly distributed before setting the bowl aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar until combined and fluffy – about 1 minute. Next, add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract. go in next. Mix only until the egg is incorporated – being careful not to over mix.
- Finish the dough. Gradually add the flour mixture, about ½ – ¾ cup at a time. Keep adding and mixing until a dough forms, then add the food coloring and mix until the dough is a uniform color.
- Scoop and bake. Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto cookie sheet about an inch or so apart. Top each cookie with a heart quin.Bake cookies for 10 – 12 minutes or until cookies have spread and dough is set. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to rest for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Made these last year and loved them! This year my dough came out too dry. Did you change the recipe?
No. I haven’t changed the recipe. You may have measured the flour differently or if you used a different brand of shortening or butter, the water content might have been off.
I would like to repeat this recipe, but I need help. They puff up nicely in the oven, then go flat. I use cinnamon hearts but they slide to the edge during baking. How can I keep them looking like your lovely photo? Thanks
Judy
My mixture is crumbly. Is that what it’s supposed to do
I needed to make these gluten-free, as well. I used the America’s Test Kitchen gf all purpose blend, vegan butter (because all the stores were out of butter flavored shortening). I added an extra egg yolk, 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum, and used white vanilla and 15 drops of food-grade peppermint essential oil (instead of extract).
They came out exactly like your pics and tasted just like I expected! Thank you!
Oh- I also weighed the flour – 11.25 ounces.
great recipe,but to me,too much peppermint oil. over powered the cookie. next time I’ll just go without.
haven’t tried it yet but I no it will be great.
Can I freeze these? I just made a batch and I love them. However it is still a week before Christmas.
Yes definitely!
Easy to make, SO good, and really cute!
What is butter flavored shortening?
Crisco makes a butter flavored shortening, but you can use traditional shortening if you want!