Crinkle, Crinkle, Cookie Star

Written by on in Dessert, The Lazy Chef, Tidbits and Treats

How I wonder…how delicious you are. 🙂

I have been wanting to make Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies ever since I saw them at Panera almost a month ago. I combed various websites for recipes and never found one that I truly loved. Then it hit me: I have two shelves worth of cookbooks! I quickly found what I was looking for in a special cookie edition of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food. These Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps were perfect.

But I didn’t want espresso. I wanted peppermint!

Thus, Chocolate-Nospresso Mint Snowcaps were born.

Chocolate-Nospresso Mint Snowcaps (adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food)

Ingredients (makes 12-18 cookies, varies by size):

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chunks
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, whisk together butter and brown sugar. (I was very excited to use our new KitchenAid Stand Mixer, another wedding present!) Beat in egg until well blended, then mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients mixture. Beat in milk and peppermint extract until just combined.

Flatten dough. Wrap in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, or roughly 45 minutes.

When you pull the dough out of the freezer and peel back the aluminum foil, you will realize that something seems to be missing. Perhaps you can’t quite put your finger on it but…wait…it’s at the tip of my tongue…ah. More chocolate.

Helping to ensure ooey gooeyness in every bite. But more on that later.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. Shape dough into 1- or 2-inch balls. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll balls in sugar until completely covered in “snow.” And just when you think they are completely covered, roll them again. The extra layer of powdered sugar makes all the difference in how snowy the end result will be.

Place on prepared baking sheet roughly 2 inches apart. You will get anywhere from 12 to 18 cookies out of this recipe. Since mine were on the larger side, I got a baker’s dozen.

Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked – 12 to 14 minutes. Cookies should still be soft to the touch when you pull them out of the oven. Cool them on a wire rack.

Hi, pretty.

Consume as quickly as possible. Note the extra melted chocolate chunk and pat yourself on the back.

Recognize you should have doubled the recipe – we have a winner!

And that, my friends, is how I started my holiday week. 🙂 I am by no means a baker – in fact, I would say that cookies especially are the baked good that I struggle with the most. Bobby is my official taste tester, and he’s a picky one at that. But even he couldn’t get enough of these! We’ve already eaten over half of the total and we have no regrets. Just happy tummies and a desire to make more.

Question: What is your favorite holiday cookie recipe?

If you have a link, share it in the comments! I’ve got to keep my successful streak going. 😉

Abrazos,

39 Comments

  2. I’ve had a desire to bake a simple chocolatey cookie lately, so I think I might need to give a version of this recipe a go…sans mint, cuz I’m not a chocolate/mint fan. I know, obviously I’m crazy. They look beautiful though!

  11. Extra chocolate chunk- definitely a good idea. 🙂 I made a new oatmeal raisin cookie recipe last night and they were awesome! I not a baker either (and definitely struggle with cookies- pies are even worse!) but I think I’m getting better with all the baking I’ve done this year. Nothing says Christmas like freshly baked cookies!

  12. Haha, love your clever title!
    My favorite holiday cookies are the teacakes that my Mom and I make every year–the recipe comes from my great grandmother!

  14. Snickerdoodles and mudpies are my favourites this time of year. Poor mom bakes her heart out and they’re gone the day we all arrive!

  24. Hi! I don’t know if you see comments on old posts, but I thought I’d try anyway. 🙂 I don’t know why I didn’t find this earlier; I’ve been searching for a homemade version of Panera’s mint crinkle cookies for a couple of years!

    I made these with a few tweaks: before I even read the whole thing I knew I had to double the batch. I used mini chocolate chips (1/2 cup) in place of the chunks because I wanted a smoother texture. I also added a cup of Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (which are actually not crunchy like candy canes…I don’t know where they get the “crunch” part from). I also sprinkled powdered sugar on top once I pulled the cookies out of the oven, because I think they need that extra OOMPH after the cookies absorb the sugar in the oven.

    Mine didn’t turn out as fluffy as yours, but I’m awful at doubling recipes—I always forget something, and this time I forgot to double the baking powder. Siiiigh. But they were a hit with my family and my boyfriend’s family, so I’ll definitely be making them again (with ALL of the ingredients doubled)! Thanks for sharing, it’s a new favorite!

    • Hi Katie! Love that you found this post – I’ve been meaning to make these cookies this holiday season and you’ve given me a great reminder. 🙂 Your additions/changes to the recipe sound delicious, and I’m really glad that they were a hit with your family and boyfriend’s family! You’ll have to tell me if they turn out extra fluffy with all of the ingredients doubled, for sure. Thanks so much for stopping by to comment!

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