These Grinch Cookies are a gluten-free alternative to Grinch sugar cookies. Soft coconut macaroon tinted with green food coloring, a Hershey's kiss pressed into the center with a red candy heart are perfect for enjoying while you watch Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas during family movie night!
These adorable Grinch cookies just need 6 simple ingredients and are ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes. Kick off the holiday season and watch a marathon of your favorite Christmas movies while you make Chocolate Pizzelles, Peanutbutter Blossom cookies, soft, salted caramels and these easy Grinch cookies.
Here are 25 more Gluten free Christmas cookies for you to make for your gluten-free cookie exchange.
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❤️ Ingredients needed to make Grinch Christmas Cookies:
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Shredded coconut - use the sweetened flake coconut
- Sweetened condensed milk - don't make the mistake of using evaporated milk. They are not the same!
- Vanilla extract - almond extract can be substituted or use ½ vanilla ½ almond.
- Green food coloring - I use liquid food coloring to get the perfect shade of grinch-green
- Hershey Kisses - be sure to take the foil wrapping off of them!
- Candy Hearts: there are two sizes of candy hearts that I have found that will work. The small red heart sprinkle to represent the grinch’s small heart or use a red candy sugar heart that is perfect for when his heart grew! Can't find red heart sprinkles? Not a problem! Use some red gel food coloring to pipe out a little red heart on top of each cookie next to the Hershey's kiss.
🥣 Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Cookie sheet: I use a rimmed cookie sheet
- Parchment paper: I love parchment paper for this recipe because the cookies are just a bit sticky when you move them to the cooling rack, and the parchment helps release the cookies from the pan more easily.
- Cookie Scoop: I use a medium-sized cookie scoop.
- Cooling Rack: helpful in getting the cookies to stop the cooking process and allow air to circulate.
- Mixer - either a hand mixer or a stand mixer will work for this recipe. Getting the coconut to take on the bright green color evenly, take a bit of mixing and an electric mixer will be helpful.
🔪 How to make Cute Grinch Cookies (gluten free)
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Tint the shredded coconut with green food coloring.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the colored coconut.
- Scoop onto a prepared baking sheet, and make a depression into the cookie dough balls with the back of a spoon or the end of a wooden spoon.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the coconut start to turn slightly brown.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 1 minute, transfer the cookies to a wire rack add an unwrapped Hershey's kiss to the indent on each cookie.
- As the chocolate starts to soften place the grinch’s heart on the base of the kiss.
- Allow to cool completely before adding to your cookie tray. Store in an airtight container.
📷 Grinch Cookie Recipe, photo instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 and in a large bowl add the food coloring to the flaked sweetened coconut. Stir for 2 minutes or until the coconut is consistently green throughout. If you would like a more intense green color add just 2 drops of food coloring at a time until you reach the desired color.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
3. Stir to combine. 2 minutes. Prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
4. Using a small cookie scoop, portion out the green cookies onto the tray.
5. Make a small indent in the top of each mound with the end of a wooden spoon or the back of a spoon. This is where the chocolate kiss will sit. Unwrap the foil from the kisses.
6. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the edges of the cookie start to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to settle and cool for 1 minute.
7. Carefully transfer the baked cookies to a wire cooling rack. Add an unwrapped Hershey's kiss to the depression in each cookie.
8. The chocolate will start to warm and soften slightly. Place a red candy heart in the softened chocolate.
9. Allow to cool completely, allowing the chocolate to harden before storing in an air tight container at room temperature.
📄 Related Recipes
Grinch Cookies (Gluten Free)
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Coconut (sweetened, shredded)
- 2 teaspoon Green Food Coloring
- 14 Ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 Hershey's Kisses
- 24 Candy Hearts
- Red Decorating Gel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Tint the shredded coconut with green food coloring.14 ounces Coconut, 2 teaspoon Green Food Coloring
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the colored coconut.14 Ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Scoop onto a prepared baking sheet, and make a depression into the cookie dough balls with the back of a spoon or the end of a wooden spoon.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the coconut start to turn slightly brown.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 1 minute, transfer the cookies to a wire rack add an unwrapped Hershey's kiss to the indent on each cookie.24 Hershey's Kisses, 24 Candy Hearts
- As the chocolate starts to soften place the grinch’s heart on the base of the kiss.
- Allow to cool completely before adding to your cookie tray. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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👩🏻🍳 Sarah Mock
CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 13 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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