i hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  once the mad-dash to finish up all of my sewing was done, it was very relaxing and nice.

i don’t know about you, but in the weeks leading up to Christmas, my kids just kept coming home with candy canes.  from classmates, from school, from friends, from greeters at grocery stores, in stockings – candy canes are everywhere around the holidays.

one evening, i decided to modify a basic cookie recipe to use a few of those up!  this is the perfect cookie to bake AFTER Christmas, when everyone is still snuggled around and relaxing, and to use something that may otherwise linger around the house for months.  i used dark chocolate baking powder because there’s nothing much better than dark chocolate and mint together if you ask me.  the cookies stayed soft and puffy and have a subtle minty flavor that isn’t overpowering – they taste unbelievably good paired with your morning latte!

i’ve never posted a recipe here before, and frankly it makes me a bit nervous, but my friend and baker-extraordinnaire Jess volunteered as official recipe tester and she gave it a thumbs up, so here we go…

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AFTER-CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPE

by skirt as top

yield: about 3 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark – regular cocoa powder works too)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
2-3 large peppermint candy canes or 4-6 mini candy canes (use more or less depending on how much minty flavor you like)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unwrap candy canes and put into a plastic ziploc bag, removing as much air as possible and sealing tightly.  Sandwich the bag between two towels and smash candy canes with a hammer into small chips/dust.  If you want, you could also put them in a blender/food processor to pulverize.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder until well combined.  Set aside.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in stand mixer, first on medium speed until combined (1-2 minutes), then increase speed to high and beat for 5-6 minutes, until the mixture gets lighter in color and almost whipped-looking in consistency.

Scrape down bowl, decrease speed to medium-low, and add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add flour mixture gradually and beat until just combined.  Do not overmix!

Stir in mini-chips and candy cane pieces by hand. Drop by spoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Cookies should be puffy and soft when you remove them from the oven and (fingers crossed) remain that way after cooling.

ENJOY!!

if you make some, please let me know how they turn out!  🙂

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