Every year, I like to give friends homemade treats. I gather recipes from various sources throughout the year (okay, mostly from the ‘edible Christmas presents’ blog posts that pop up at the end of the year) and experiment with them. I have the staples, the tried and true recipes that make an appearance every year, but I also like to try new things. This is what I tried this year.
 

Chocolate. Peppermint. Together in a cookie. HOW COULD I POSSIBLY RESIST?

From Things for Boys

Ingredients:
100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
60g butter, chopped coarsely
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
1 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking (bi-carb) soda
3/4 cup caster sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
1/3 cup icing (powdered) sugar

Place chocolate, butter and peppermint extract in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the caster sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the chocolate mixture. Stir together. Crack the egg into the mix and then incorporate the egg.

The dough should be sticky and hold together well. If your dough is not firm enough to roll into balls, chill in the fridge, checking every 15mins until it is firm enough to use.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Sift icing sugar into a small bowl.

To form each cookie, roll a level tablespoon of dough in your hands to form a ball. Roll each ball in the icing sugar, giving it a nice thick coating. Place cookies 8 cm (3″) apart on the prepared trays. If it’s a really hot day, chill the cookies in the fridge for about 20 mins before baking. This helps them to ‘crinkle’.

Bake the cookies for about 15 mins. The tops will be puffed and crinkled, but the dough in the cracks will still look a little under-done. They will firm up as they cool. When done, cool on trays.

makes 24 – 30