Peppermint Bark Cookies

This past year for Christmas, I wanted to make desserts that incorporated the flavors of the season:  peppermint and eggnog.  I really wanted to make one dish that took both of these flavors to a whole new level, and may wind up doing so next year.  I have made spiced sugar cookies for the past two years, and decided to add another cookie into the Christmas cookie rotation.  I used a basic homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe and then added a bunch of crushed peppermint candy twists (the hard ones, NOT the soft ones!), but you could use starlight bursts or candy canes as well.  I crushed the mints in the food processor, much easier to do than by hand!  I love the combination of chocolate and peppermint!  A perfect marriage of cookie and peppermint bark!  Sometimes, peppermint bark is just too rich!  I used white chocolate chips in half, and dark chocolate chips in the other.    They came out fantastic!  I doubled the recipe, making two balls of dough, and made about 4 dozen cookies, give or take.  This year as part of Eoin's gift to his family members, we made each (about 8 in total) little gift boxes filled with 2 kinds of cookies.  We also filled a bucket for each of his Grandparents with both cookies, made a tin-full for my landlord and still had some to keep for ourselves!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips (your preference as to white, milk chocolate or dark chocolate; or a mix of all 3!)
• Between 1/4 and 3/4 cup of the crushed peppermint.  Less if you want a more subtle taste, more if you want the flavors to be more prominent.

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix together the brown and white sugars and the butter, until it becomes incorporated and resembles wet sand.
2. Add the vanilla and egg to the bowl, and beat.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, flour and baking soda.  
4. Using your hands (because it's way easier), add the dry ingredients to the wet, a little at a time.
5. When your dough has become thoroughly incorporated, mix in the chocolate and the peppermint.  
6. Wrap dough in wax paper, and then wrap in clear plastic wrap.  Chill dough at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
7. Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
8. On a parchment lined baking sheet, take approximately 1 tablespoon worth of dough and roll into balls.  Eoin loved helping with this part!  Just beware!  The dough is extremely sticky!  
9. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.
10. Cool on tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.