Chocolate Peppermint Drop-Cookies

Chocolate and peppermint are a classic combination, especially in cookie form as any Girl Scout or Keebler elf will let you know. Cool and refreshing, yet perfectly satisfying the coco-craving. This recipe is adapted from Jill Van Cleave’s book Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies, a classic bestseller that’s made for the cookie fanatic with zero extra time. The recipe is easy to throw together and requires little work for a nice amount of payoff. A simple chocolate drop cookie with a bit of peppermint extract is the perfect thing to nibble on while you put up the holiday decorations.

Chocolate Peppermint Drop-Cookies
Makes 18 cookies / 350 F

What You'll Need...
4 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup of butter (one stick)
1 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup of whipping cream
1 teaspoon of mint extract
1 3/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, plus an extra pinch
pinch of salt

What You'll Do...
1) Chop up the butter into small pieces. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a bowl over simmering water.

2) Beat together the sugar and eggs until well combined. Add the cream and the mint extract and mix together well. Add the cooled chocolate/butter mixture.

3) Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredient mixture. Mix until just combined.

4) Take a generous spoonful of the dough and plop it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 9 per baking sheet (they get big). Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 12 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the sheet then transfer to a wire rack.

Here are some other great cookies to try out for the coming holidays!
Pumpkin Biscotti
Brandied Cranberry, White Chocolate Cookies
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Gluten Free)
Viennese Chocolate Sables
Espresso Cookies