Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

Well y'all, I promised sweets and after 3 healthy recipes in a row, I think it's high time for one of my FAVORITE treats to bake: cookies!!
There are so many cookie recipes when Christmastime rolls around, and it's hard to know which cookie recipes will actually work.  I promise you, if you follow the directions, these cookies will work amazingly well.  First of all, chocolate and peppermint are INCREDIBLE together, you just gotta get the ratio right.  It's easy for a peppermint dessert like these cookies to get too pepperminty and start tasting like toothpaste. (ick 😝)  Not exactly what you want in a sweet treat.  In this recipe however, these cookies are rich and chocolaty with a nice but not overwhelming lick of peppermint.  These cookies really do taste like a steamy mug of peppermint hot chocolate. Using white chocolate peppermint chips adds festive pops of red and white to each dark cookie.  And the size of these cookies are just right.  The're not tiny but they're not so big that you have to worry about messing up your diet; They're just the right size, something that Goldilocks would be ecstatic to eat.  In short, these cookies are some of the best I've ever had or made.  No joke.
I can't take credit for these amazing cookies.  These cookies are from the blog Mom on Timeout which calls them Soft and Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies . I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except that I cut down the sugar and butter just a smidgen.
Oh and before I forget, here's a quick tip for getting the egg int his recipe to room temperature fast:  Just place the whole egg, uncracked in a bowl of warm (not hot) water.  Let the egg sit in it until the shell is not cold anymore.
I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do!  They make great gifts. Yesterday, I made them to give to my teachers with a thank you card to show my appreciation for all they do for me.  Here's how I packaged them:

  These cookies also freeze well for at least a month and can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temp.
The final product!!

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa ( I like Hershey's brand)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 TBS. water
• 1/2 cup Andes peppermint crunch baking chips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter together until well-blended.
3. Add in egg,vanilla, and water and beat until well blended.
4. Gradually stir in the flour mixture with a spoon.  If the dough gets too thick to stir with a spoon, mix it with a mixer on low speed.
5. Fold in the peppermint chips
6. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.
9. Using a 1.5 TBS. cookie scoop (or just measure it out), scoop out dough into round balls on prepared cookie sheet.  I do 4 up to 4 rows of 4 per sheet.  The dough will be very thick.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, or until they are set.  Do not over bake.
11. Remove from oven and let cool before transferring to an airtight container.
12.