Chocolate Mint Cookies Redux

Start by putting the butter, brown sugar and water in a saucepan and cooking over low heat until melted. Next add the peppermint extract and stir well. Add the chocolate chips and stir until mostly melted. Turn heat off, remove pan from burner and continue stirring until chocolate melts completely and mixture is smooth.

Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Putting the mixer on low-to-medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing as you go. Next add the baking soda and salt and slowly add the flour until combined. Stop the mixer, remove paddle (clean it first if you can!), scrape down the sides of the bowl, then fold in the chopped Andes mints.

Place bowl in fridge, uncovered for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the bowl from the fridge and preheat oven to 350°F.

Take 1 tablespoon or so of dough at a time, place in your palm and roll into a ball. Put cookie dough balls on an un-greased cookie sheet, or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they are spread out and slightly cracked on top. They may still be soft in the middle, but that’s okay.

While they bake, unwrap the individually wrapped Andes mints, cut them in half, place them in a bowl and set aside. Then put the candy canes in a large storage bag, seal the bag and use a glass or rolling pin to crush them.

When cookies are done, carefully remove them from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Immediately place 1/2 an Andes mint on top of each cookie and wait 3-5 minutes until it begins to melt. Use a spoon to smooth chocolate on each cookie. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Let the cookies cool and harden completely (about 20-25 minutes) before eating—if you can wait that long!

Makes between 36-42 cookies.