Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

This cookie recipe is from Martha Stewart's Living Magazine, December 2008 on the last page of the magazine. I bought the magazine because of it, and saw on the "mykitchencafe" blog that she had tried it. I thought it would be good for a Valentine's gift for our visiting and home teaching beats. I doubled the recipe, as my Kitchenaid will not make that small amount of dough. I "poured" it onto a floured surface, cut it into fourths, and weighed all pieces and got them all to weigh the same. Then I refrigerated the dough in disks as directed. I used a 2 1/4" cookie cutter with scalloped edges. I got over 4 dozen cookies from a single recipe (doubled recipe made 8 1/2 dozen.) The cookies do not spread, therefore I put 2 dozen on each cookie sheet. I did freeze them. The last cookies kept the scalloped shape easier than the first batch. You do need parchment paper for these and I recycled by turning the parchment over and used the back side for the coated cookies. I say this recipe can "win friends and influence people!"

Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed (enough for the doubled batch!)

2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I needed 4 pounds for the doubled batch!)

1. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk together. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add egg, then yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigeratae until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

2. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles, and place 1 inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.

3. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until dry to the touch. Transfer parchment, with cookies, to wire racks, and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)

4. Sift crushed candy, and separate larger pieces from dust, reserving both. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate (top side down first). Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of either candy pieces or dust on top (I did both). Repeat. Refrigerate until set, up to 3 hours (I left out overnight). Decorated cookies are best served the same day.

Additional Notes: I did not freeze the dough until firm before cutting out my circles. That is the only step I did not do. I did not turn on the oven until I was ready to bake the cookies. Preheating when they say would use up a lot of electricity because you do have to chill the dough for an hour!