Saturday, December 17, 2011

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies... How Christmas Tastes


Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, beautiful morning runs in Kentucky these are a few of my favorite things.

Honestly, I am a little slap happy while writing this (can't you tell from the above attempt at a song?). It's 3am and I am up because something woke me at exactly the 4 hour mark in my sleep cycle, that small window in which, if I am woken up, I cannot get back to sleep.

Just a fair warning, I can be a jerk 4 hours into my sleep cycle. Deal with it. (note: I love you, J!)

Actually, instead of dealing with it, you should make these cookies, because they could even make a very-grumpy-me content enough to stop complaining about lack of sleep...maybe. Oh well. I am off to go try something ridiculous in my kitchen (I will tell you about it later) at 3am and then to spin class at 5:30am in an attempt to not waste this early morning. Wish me luck.


Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
1 ¼ c butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 eggs
10 oz bag Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips*, divided
(*I had a hard time finding these, so I used the candy cane Hershey's Kisses and chopped them up instead, but the baking chips are less work, if you can find them)
¾ c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 c flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and blend well. Combine cocoa, baking soda, salt and flour; then blend into creamed mixture. Add peppermint baking chips, reserving ⅓ c. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. This is a wet, sticky dough. Top with a few reserved baking chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Do not over-bake. Cookies will be soft. They will puff during baking, but flatten a little upon cooling. Cool on cookie sheet until set, about 3 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 4-5 dozen.

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