Chewy Mint Chocolate Cookies

My favorite cookies of all time are my Mom's Mint Chip cookies, but nobody seems to make the dark chocolate mint chocolate chips anymore, so this recipe is the next best thing! 

-Completely Delicious, slightly modified

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

4 cups flour

1 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 10 oz pkgs. Andes baking chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening and sugar on medium high speed until light and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer and mix until just combined. Add Andes mint chips and mix until distributed.

 

Scoop by the rounded tablespoon onto the prepared sheet pan.

 

Bake until edges are crisp, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

 

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

Ice cream sandwiches

These cookies are great for making ice cream sandwiches. Don't bake them too long or the cookies will be too crisp and won't make a soft sandwich.

2 squares (1 oz) semisweet baking chocolate
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Microwave chocolate on high until melted. Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Stir in melted chocolate. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda and salt and stir into chocolate mixture. Form into a disc and refrigerate until chilled (2 hours).

Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough out to ⅛" on a Silpat and cut to desired shape. Prick with wooden skewer and bake 8-10 minutes. Cool completely before making sandwiches.

Rolo Cookies

I've had this recipe for a really long time and forgot about it until I saw some Rolos on clearance at the store. This is a good one! 

-Bonnie James/Pillsbury Bake-Off, modified

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
48 Rolos


Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla and egg. Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda separately. Add to sugar mix. Heat oven to 375. Mix remaining nuts and sugar. Shape 1 tbsp dough (I use medium Pampered Chef scoop) around a Rolo. Bake on greased cookie sheet 7-10 min, or until set. Cool 2 min.

Cookie Cake

Why have cake when you can have a cookie cake?! This cookie cake bakes up perfectly in the Demarle Grande mold. I highly recommend this chocolate fudge frosting!

-Fresh April Flours

2 and ¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1 and ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer ½ milk, ½ semi-sweet)

CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 Tablespoons milk or cream

2 cups powdered sugar

pinch of salt

COOKIE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray or use Demarle Grande mold (no spray). Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until completely combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until no flour clumps remain. Fold in the chocolate chips. Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 23-25 minutes until edges begin to brown. You may cover the cake with foil to prevent browning, if preferred. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack completely before decorating with frosting.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsweetened baking chocolate and the butter. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cooled chocolate/butter mixture, vanilla extract, and milk or cream (starting with 3 Tablespoons). Turn the mixer onto low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until completely combined, scraping down sides as needed. Add salt to taste.

Remove cooled cookie cake from springform pan and place on serving platter. Fill a piping bag with the frosting and decorate the cookie cake. I like to use a Wilton 1M tip. If using, add sprinkles before frosting sets. Cookie cake remains fresh covered tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days. Undecorated cookie cake may be frozen, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before decorating.

No-bake cookies

I can't believe I haven't posted these! Easy cookies for those learning how to cook.

-Mom Pulsipher

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick oats (we like 2 cups oats + 1 cup coconut)

In large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt and butter and mix well. Bring to  boil and cover saucepan for 30 seconds to allow steam to wash sugar crystals down sides of pan. Stir mixture and bring to a boil that can't be stirred down for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Add oats and mix well. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the oats absorb some of the liquid. Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto Silpat or waxed paper.

Sugar Cookies

These cookies are great for decorating with royal icing; the dough can be used right away and the cookies keep their shape and stay fresh for about a week.

-Sweet Sugarbelle

1 c. {two sticks} of REAL unsalted BUTTER, softened

 1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

 1 egg

 2-3 tsp flavoring (1 ½ tsp. vanilla and 1 ½ tsp. almond extract)

 2 1/2-2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (3 cups)

 2 tsp. baking powder

 1 tsp. salt

Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring. I use emulsions, but extract also works well. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated. 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture. I can tell the dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When I touch it, it has a little give, but does not stick to my fingers.

Roll out on parchment to about 1/4 an inch thick, use flour for dusting as necessary. Then, cut and bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes. This version makes 2-2 1/2 dozen, doubled, it makes 4-5 dozen.

Gingerbread Men

My friend and neighbor Kati Cox hosts a cookie exchange every Christmas. She makes the best gingerbread men that stay soft and moist. Yum!

-Sally's Baking Addiction

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2/3 cup molasses (Grandma's brand)

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon ground ginger (yes, 1 full Tablespoon!)

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Easy royal icing or your favorite icing recipe (Kati used white chocolate to decorate hers)

1.   In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamy-looking. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The butter may separate; that's ok.

2.  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough into thirds and place each third onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Please see photo and description above in my post. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight.

3.  Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

4.  Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Don't be afraid to continually flour the work surface as needed- this dough can be sticky. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining discs of dough.

5.  Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes. If your cookie cutters are larger than 4 inches, bake for about 11 minutes. My oven has hot spots and yours may too- so be sure to rotate the pan once during bake time.

6.  Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.

7.  Make ahead tip: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked and decorated (or not decorated) cookies freeze well - up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough discs (just the dough prepared through step 2) freeze well - up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then continue with step 3.

Coconut Macaroons

These are really easy and perfect if you love coconut! 

-CrazyforCrust.com

2/3 cup flour

5 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut

½ tsp. salt

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

4 ounces white or semi-sweet baking chocolate or a combination of both (or almond bark)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

Stir flour, coconut, and salt. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and both extracts. Stir until combined.

Drop 2 tablespoon balls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. These do not spread so you can crowd them close together. Wet your hands slightly and push down any sticking up or out single pieces of coconut as these might burn.

Bake for about 11 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the tops start to turn the tiniest bit golden. Cool completely before eating or dipping.

To dip: melt chocolate according to package directions. I like to melt my chocolate on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until it’s melted and smooth. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil or Crisco if needed to get it to melt smoother. Dip the bottoms or tops of each macaroon in chocolate. Let dry. Tip: don’t refrigerate or you’ll get the condensation marks!

Samoas Cookie Cups

Pinterest is a dangerous place - so many yummy things I want to make! I'm determined to make my way through recipes I pinned ages ago, so here's one I tried last night. Samoas cookie cups...yummy!! I used the silicone brush to spread the chocolate up the sides of the mini muffin tray wells and the regular-sized Nilla wafers fit perfectly. Yay for Demarle products!

-TheDomesticRebel.com

1 pkg chocolate almond bark

20 Vanilla Wafer cookies

1 pkg caramels, unwrapped

2 Tbsp milk

1 & 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Place Demarle Mini muffin tray on a perforated baking sheet, or line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, microwave the almond bark according to package directions, stirring until smooth and melted.

Take about a Tablespoon of chocolate and spoon it into each muffin cup. Spread it along the sides of the muffin cup, about halfway up, and along the bottom evenly.

Drop a cookie in the bottom of each cup. Repeat until all cups are filled and set the remaining chocolate aside for topping.

Melt the caramels, milk and a dash of salt in the microwave for about a minute. Stir, then zap for another 30 seconds or so until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut until combined.

Place a heaping Tablespoon or two of the caramel coconut mixture on top of each cookie cup. Repeat until all cups are topped with the caramel coconut mixture.

Lastly, take the remaining chocolate and spoon it over each filled cookie cup, ensuring the chocolate coats the tops and sides of the cookie cups, covering the mixture completely. Immediately sprinkle the tops of the coated cups with sea salt, if desired.

Place the cups in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes to harden the chocolate, then bring back to room temperature before eating. These keep for about 3 days when stored airtight at room temperature.

Peanut Blossoms

I thought I had this recipe on the blog already, but I guess not! You can make these as written or in a mini muffin pan.

-Mom Pulsipher

½ cup shortening

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ¾ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

Sugar

28 chocolate kisses

Beat together shortening, butter and sugars. Add egg, milk and vanilla and mix well. Stir together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until stiff dough forms. Shape into 1-inch balls (0.8 oz if you want to be precise). Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with a kiss pressing firmly until cracks appear around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.

For cookie cups: Follow mixing directions and place sugared balls into DAH mini muffin tray. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Immediately top with kiss, pressing firmly until cracks appear around edges. Cool at least 10 minutes before removing from tray.

Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies

Another winner I found on Pinterest. I used the Special Dark cocoa powder for the chocolate cookies. The chocolate dough is very, very soft and messy, so make sure you chill the dough before forming the cookies and in between batches. I made smaller cookies than the recipe calls for (1 Tbsp. of each dough) and they worked great!

-Sally's Baking Addiction

Chocolate Cookie Dough

•    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

•    1/2 cup sugar

•    1/2 cup light brown sugar (or dark brown)

•    1 large egg

•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•    1 cup all-purpose flour

•    1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

•    1 teaspoon baking soda

•    1/2 teaspoon salt

•    2 Tablespoons milk (almond, cow's, soy, or half-and-half)

•    1 cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

•    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

•    1/2 cup light brown sugar (or dark brown)

•    1/4 cup sugar

•    1 large egg

•    3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•    1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•    1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

•    1/4 teaspoon salt

•    1 cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Instructions

1.     Make the chocolate dough: Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly mix it into the wet ingredients. The dough will be very thick. With a spoon or rubber spatula, mix in the milk and then fold in the chocolate chips.

2.     Make the peanut butter dough: Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla (in that order). Scrape down the sides as needed. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3.     Chill both doughs for at least 1-2 hours. 2 hours is preferred.

4.     Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cookie sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Measure 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter cookie dough. Roll into a ball. Take 2 Tablespoons of chocolate cookie dough. Roll into a ball. Smoosh the two balls together and roll them into 1 large ball. Repeat for each cookie. The chocolate cookie dough will get onto your hands, so wash/wipe them after you roll each cookie. It is important the chocolate cookie dough is chilled or else it will be even more messy.

5.     Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, not exceeding 13 minutes. The cookies will look very soft, puffy, and almost undone. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet and they will continue to "bake" and set up. As they cool, the cookies will firm up. Cookies remain fresh (and soft) for up to 10 days in an airtight container.