Well, these cookies
were a happy experiment. A happy, insanely yummy experiment.
After working through a
few test recipes that didn’t pan out, I was thrilled when this
batch came out of the oven perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
However, because I, in
all my intelligent and logical reasoning, decided to work my way
through five pounds of butter in the name of holiday baking the day
before I was leaving with my crew of seven for a week-long
Thanksgiving vacation (wherefore art thou, sanity?), all I had time
to do was look at them lovingly, do a bad cartwheel in praise,
taste-test about five, shove the rest into a Tupperware container,
freeze them, and pack them in our luggage to be pulled out a few days
later in a remote cabin in the mountains where they were declared
absolute cookie perfection by me, five young food critics, Brian and
my dad (who happens to be a cookie lover like no other).
Ultra-chocolatey and
delightfully minty, they have the most delicious soft and rich
texture. We were absolutely devouring them. And I promise that’s
not just because we were far away from civilization; I’d
proudly devour them anytime, anywhere. Unashamed Cookie Devourer =
That’s Me.
Festive, good-looking
(I’m so shallow, I know) and yummy, I’m telling you, this
is the holiday cookie to beat this year.
Decadent Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Yield: Makes 2-3 dozen cookies
I use the crushed Andes
mint pieces that come in bags (similar to a chocolate chip bag). They
can be found in many a holiday grocery aisle this time of year. The
red/white ones are my favorite for this recipe. Also, these cookies
freeze beautifully.
Ingredients
1 cup (8 ounces) butter, cool room temperature (not warm or overly soft!)
3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs (3.5 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (3 ounces) crushed or finely chopped Andes mints (see note above)
Additional 1/2 cup or so crushed or finely chopped Andes mints for rolling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat
liners.
In the bowl of an electric stand
mixer (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), cream the
butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until well-mixed, 2-3
minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract
and mix.
In a separate bowl, whisk together
the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients to the
batter and mix until just combined (it's ok if there are a few dry
streaks). Mix in the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup crushed Andes mints
until combined and no dry streaks remain.
Scoop the dough and shape into
heaping tablespoon-sized balls (I use a #40 cookie scoop) and gently
roll the tops into the additional crushed mints, pressing lightly
into the plate or bowl of crushed mints so they stick to the top of
the cookie dough ball.
Place a couple inches apart on the
prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes (watch closely and
don't overbake; the edges will be set with soft middles).
Let the cookies cool for a few
minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a cooling rack to
cool completely.
Melanie Gunnell is a food-loving, chocolate-obsessed mom who has a desperate need to share
her favorite tried-and-true recipes with the world. In a past life she graduated from Brigham
Young University with a degree in public health, but for the past ten years, stay-at-home
motherhood has been her job along with blogging-from-home for the past five.
She resides in the brilliantly cold tundra of Northern Minnesota with her husband and their brood
of five children: four boys and one tiny, bossy girl. Dark chocolate (particularly the act of
shoving chocolate chips in her mouth whilst hiding in the pantry) is her coping skill of choice for
both the never-ending winters and the never-ending wrestling matches in her front room.