Day 11 of the 12 Days of Cookies – Chocolate Chip and Peppermint Crunch Crinkles

This wonderful event, in it’s second year, is the brain child of Andrea of Andrea's Recipes, but this year is being organized and ran by Sandy of At the Baker's Bench.

How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity and after last year I sure earned my way in the hard way! There are 10 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies – A bon appétit cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the first 12 days of December.
These cookies are coming from bon appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Slideshow.

These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dogs
RJ of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project

For the 11th and almost final cookie I was forced choose to make the Chocolate Chip and Peppermint Crunch Crinkles.  You see my daughter has been home sick for the past 2 days I inadvertently let her have some say in the cookie choice.  Truth be told I am a little tired of the flavor combinations of these cookies.  Lots of nuts, chocolate, cranberry and mint but without a lot of variety in the cookies themselves.  Oh well there is always next year and I am on my 11th batch of cookies so it is kinda hard to be too enthusiastic about cookies right now…hehehe!

Chocolate Chip and Peppermint Crunch Cookies

These fudgy treats, also known as crinkles, get their name from the small wrinkles that develop on top as they bake.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely crushed red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies
• 6 1/2 tablespoons sugar

• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

• Coarsely crushed peppermints
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolates melt and mixture is smooth. Remove pan from heat. Mix in finely crushed mints and 6 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Cool mixture to lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Whisk eggs into chocolate mixture, 1 at a time, then whisk in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Whisk flour mixture, then chocolate chips into chocolate mixture. Cover batter and chill until firm enough to shape, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 generous tablespoonful for each cookie, roll dough between moistened palms into 1 1/4-inch-diameter balls, then arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked on top but still soft to touch in center, about 11 minutes. Let stand on sheets 5 minutes. Press coarsely crushed mints onto tops of cookies or sprinkle with powdered sugar. Transfer to racks; cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper in refrigerator.)

Would I make these again? I think so.  I really liked them and so did the girls.  T. didn’t much like them and described their taste as “eating a chocolate cookie right after brushing your teeth” nice huh?  They were definitely easy enough to make and right now that is exactly what I was looking for.  They certainly would look pretty on a holiday cookie platter too…