Measure flour mix, using a large spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife

Whisk with the xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

Whisk well, breaking up any lumps of cocoa powder

Set aside

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat shortening and granulated sugar on medium speed, about 2 minutes till fluffy

Add vanilla extract, applesauce, and egg replacer, and mix till combined, about 30 seconds

Add dry ingredients to stand mixer, in two batches, mixing on medium-low speed, until fully combined, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary

Using a rubber spatula, transfer cookie dough to a sheet of parchment paper

Mold into a ball

Cut in half, and transfer one half to a second sheet of parchment

Cover both with a top sheet of parchment paper, and use the palm of your hand to press dough down into disks

Roll out dough to 1/8th-inch thick

I like to use my trusty rolling pin rings to do this

Transfer rolled out dough to a cutting board, or trays, and chill in fridge at least 2 hours until firm

Preheat oven to 325F

Remove one sheet of dough from fridge, and peel off top sheet of parchment

Using a 1 -inch biscuit cutter cut out cookies

Transfer to parchment lined baking tray, spacing cookies about 1-inch apart

You may want to use a frosting spatula to transfer the cookies

You should be able to fit about 24 cookies per baking tray

Bake in center of the oven 10 minutes, till set

Transfer tray to cooling rack, and let cool on tray 5 minutes, before transferring cookies to cooling rack to cool to room temperature

Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up scraps and re-rolling until youve used it all

I sometimes roll it out and stick it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it to firm up again

Once cookies have cooled to room temperature, dump them all into a freezer safe container, and stick them in the freezer, uncovered for about 30 minutes to chill

This will simplify the coating process

Combine chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl, and melt in microwave, stopping to stir about every 30 seconds, for a total of about 2 minutes

Do not overcook, as chocolate burns easily

Remove from microwave, and stir till smooth

Add peppermint extract, and mix in well

Remove a handful of the chocolate wafers from the freezer

You will be making these cookies one at a time

Drop one cookie into the melted chocolate mixture

Use a fork to flip it once, so both sides are now coated

Use the fork to lift the cookie out of the chocolate mixture, and run the bottom of the fork along the edge of the bowl, wiping off the extra drips of chocolate

Set coated cookie down on parchment lined baking tray

Repeat, until youve coated all the cookies

You can let them set at room temperature, but I speed up the process by sticking them in the fridge for about 30 minutes, till set

Once the cookies have set, store them in an airtight container, between layers of parchment or wax paper

Keep them in the fridge, or, for longer-term storage, keep them in the freez