Double Chocolate Mint Cookie

In December I searched for Andes Red Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips. By the time I found them I had lost interest in using them. Things like that happen. So it is February and I have a couple of bags of Andes Red Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips that are aging. Red is the color for Valentines Day and mint works for any holiday.
I tried a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe--I am happy to say the cookies were delicious. They totally would have worked for Christmas treats. I passed them out tonight to our dinner group, they were a perfect Valentine treat. If the red chips are not available the green chips would work great too. I think it is safe to say this cookie works year round!
This cookie is soft and chocolaty with a bit of peppermint crunch. The crunch is not hard like a candy cane--it is perfectly minty and melts in your mouth. The recipe called for semi-sweet chocolate chips. I like to rough chop a bar of Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% Cocoa Baking Bar. This is my go to semi-sweet chocolate. You can get this in chocolate chips--they are excellent, but I like the variation of a chopped bar. Either way this is the only semi-sweet chocolate I use. Sounds kind of snobby I know, I take my chocolate seriously!
Choose a holiday and make this cookies--they will be a hit. I promise.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar (5.5 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3.75 ounces)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour (10 ounces)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (4 ounce bar) Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Baking Bar, rough chopped
1/2 cup Andes Red Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
additional 1 cup Andes Red Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips for dipping
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter and sugars (yes, I really do weigh ingredients, it is quick and so much more accurate), beat 2 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. In another bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix gently till flour just disappears. Add chocolate chips/chunks and 1/2 cup Peppermint Chips. Do not over mix.
Use a medium cookie scoop to form a ball. Dip the cookie top in Peppermint Chips. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes, cool on a cooling rack. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies. Share quickly, they are too tempting!
Printable recipe