Peppermint Mocha Cookies

Courtesy of my favorite blogger ever, Sally's Baking Addiction

My sister and I made a Sally recipe recently that didn't turn out great. However, because we are both obsessed with Sally and she can do no wrong, we figure we must have done something wrong. Also my sister would like for Sally to adopt her... that's how much we love her recipes.

These cookies taste like the cold weather I'm dying for. These are a must to eat with a cold glass of milk.

Modifications:

I'm not going to lie, I did make some changes to this recipe. Sally calls for white chocolate for dipping, I used the block of dark chocolate from Trader Joe's. AMAZING. Also, it's super cheap to get peppermint oil from Michael's (especially with those often-found 50% off coupons). If you don't know the difference, peppermint oil is 4x stronger than extract, so a little goes a long way. Always divide your extract amount by 4 to see how much oil to use.

If you don't feel like dipping in chocolate, these are a winner on their own too!

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Peppermint Mocha Cookies - courtesy www.sallysbakingaddiction.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp.

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg, room temp.

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 tsp peppermint extract (or 1/4 tsp peppermint oil)

• 1 cup AP flour

• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 tsp espresso powder or 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1 cup mini or regular size semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 8 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used dark chocolate)

• 3 large candy canes, crushed

Directions:

1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

3. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes– if the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 

5. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls and place on the baking sheets. (I use a small cookie scoop, yields approx 32 cookies)

6. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes (approx 6 minutes with small cookie scoop). The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

7. Melt the chopped white chocolate in a double boiler or (carefully!) use the microwave. For the microwave, place the white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each completely cooled cookie halfway into the white chocolate and place onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate. Repeat with the rest of the cooled cookies. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set, then enjoy!