Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies

Busting out the fancy cheap photoshopping skills for this delicious beauty! Look at my lovely Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies! Ok, I'm learning and trying, and I did this like 6 weeks ago, so cut me a bit of slack. Really, these cookies will send your tastebuds rocking around the Christmas Tree.

My friend introduced me to Cutler's Cookies and I fell in love. Any place where you can buy four cookies and they will serve them to you in a small pizza box is for me! I tried a peanut butter cookie, a sugar cookie, a chocolate chip cookie, and a chocolate mint cookie. They were all big wins in my extensive cookie-tasting book, but my kids loved the mint! I knew I had to make them, but I had to make a few small changes because I didn't want to go to the store, again. It seems like many of my cooking successes come that way. Do you find the same thing?

I loved making these cookies, and they have the addicting duo of taste and texture! Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies are rich, thick, and minty. I topped them with my Chocolate Chip Fudge Frosting and they turned into the gift that just kept on giving.

I halved the mint frosting from the original for two reasons:
 1. I didn't want them to have too much frosting and
2. I was running out of butter.

No worries though, because I think I struck an excellent balance between fudge and mint. Plus, the cookie itself was so great! Dark, rich, chewy, and studded with chocolate chips, they were delectable even without with the frosting. I used the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder, my new favorite baking ingredient, too.

These Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies are perfect for a holiday party, neighborhood treats, or just for eating while you watch a movie. Or just for eating while you wrap presents...or clean the house... or just for eating.

Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies

Adapted from Cutler's Cookies 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 baking powder
• 2 1/3 cups cake flour (can use all-purpose, but for that bakery flavor, use the cake flour)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Directions for Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or non-stick cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. Add flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips.  Stir until combined.
4. Press dough into pan. Bake for 12-17 minutes, or until just done, without overbaking. Cool completely. Frost with mint frosting and let set for about 20 minutes. 
5. Prepare Chocolate Chip Fudge Frosting. Pour over mint frosting and smooth. Let set before cutting. 

Mint Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbs milk, about
• 1/4 tsp mint extract
• green food coloring 

Directions for Mint Icing:

1. Beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add only enough milk to make smooth. Add the food coloring and mint extract. 

Directions for Chocolate Chip Fudge Frosting

Bake the bread. Share the slices.