This recipe, from pastry chef Kierin Baldwin, appeared in our 2012 Cookie Advent Calendar. Kierin says: "I'm a junkie when it comes to the mint-chocolate flavor combo and this cookie definitely fits the bill. The pieces of candy cane melt slightly as the cookies bake, giving them a beautiful shiny holiday look. Baking the frozen cookies for a short time in a hot oven keeps the cookies soft in the center once they are cool."
Ingredients
- 1 2⁄3 cups flour
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 3⁄4 cups sugar
- 12 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1⁄2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1⁄4 cup vegetable shortening
- 3 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla paste, such as Nielsen-Massey
- 1 tsp. mint extract
- 2 eggs
- 12 1⁄2 oz. milk chocolate, chopped into rough chunks
- 2 large peppermint candy canes, chopped into very small, uneven pieces, plus 3 left whole
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Instructions
instruction 0
Whisk together flour, cocoa, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside. In another bowl, beat ¾ cup sugar, butter, brown sugar, shortening, 2 ¼ tsp. salt, vanilla paste, and mint extract on medium-high speed of a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate and chopped candy canes; transfer to a work surface and shape into a ½"-thick square; wrap with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar and salt with candy canes in a food processor, and process until finely ground; transfer to a bowl and set peppermint sugar aside.
instruction 1
Heat oven to 425°. Cut dough into 1 ½" squares and toss in peppermint sugar to coat, and place 2" apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle remaining peppermint sugar on tops of squares and return to freezer for 30 minutes. Bake until spread and just set and tops are lightly cracked, about 8 minutes.
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