Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

This year I decided to make treats for friends and family to give as gifts for Christmas. With all the crazy diets, allergies and snack preferences, I had to try and come up with at least one item for everyone. These cookies are for the chocolate lover in your life. The person who thinks the only way to make chocolate better, is to cover it with more chocolate.

One Year Ago Today Black Cherry Coffee Cake


Crisp chocolate and peppermint wafers each dipped into more chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes. A box of these would be the perfect gift for any winter holiday.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
50 small cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup plus 2 tbl earth balance butter, cold and cubed
3 tbl almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 lb semi sweet chocolate chips
8oz 58% chocolate chunks
2 tbl coconut or canola oil
crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

In a food processor combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse into small pea sized pieces. Add the milk, vanilla and peppermint extract and pulse until the dough forms large clumps. Dump out onto the counter and knead into a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for 2 hours in the fridge or 1 in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease with cooking spray.
Roll out the dough into a thin layer and cut into circles or any shape you would like. Bake for 8 minutes or until slightly underdone. The wafers will crisp up as they cool.

Melt the chocolate chips, chunks and oil together and either dunk each cookie in the chocolate or place the cookies on a cooling rack sitting in a baking sheet and pour the chocolate over the top. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These peanut butter cookies are modeled after my favorite holiday cookie as a child. You know the ones with a certain chocolate kiss in the center. I amped up the flavors to fit my preferences as an adult by using natural, chunky peanut butter in the cookie and a piece of 72% dark chocolate in the center. Happy holidays to me!

Ultra soft peanut butter cookies studded with gooey, rich dark chocolate. Send everyone you know a box of these for Christmas and you will have good karma for the new year.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
4 oz (1/2 cup) earth balance vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup organic white sugar
1/2 cup packed organic light brown sugar
1 cup chunky or smooth natural peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp energy egg replacer mixed with 2 tbl water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-72% dark chocolate bar, broken into small squares ( I recommend the Endangered Species brand)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Cream together the butter, sugars, peanut butter, egg replacer mix and vanilla until light, 3-4 minutes.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix into a cohesive dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease.
Scoop out even sized balls of dough and set 2 inches apart. Do not press down on the ball of dough.
Bake for 12 minutes, turning the pan once in between to ensure even cooking. The cookies should look slightly underdone but will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet. This is the key to really soft cookies!
Right when the cookies come out of the oven, press 1 square of chocolate in the center. Cool and enjoy!