Cookie No. 2: Chocolate Peppermint Chunk Cookies

Oh goodie, Monday is here and that means I get to share Cookie No. 2 in my Cookie Gift Guide with you! Now before I get to the good stuff, I have to give credit to my sister Lane who inspired the creation of this magical cookie. About two weeks ago, Lane mentioned that she was dying to bake a Christmas cookie with crushed candy canes inside. "Genius!" I said, so I combined a couple recipes and came up with the Chocolate Peppermint Chunk cookie.

{photos & design by Freutcake}

A dark chocolate cookie with a hint of peppermint, chunks of chocolate inside, drizzled with more chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint candies. The first bite sent the old eyeballs rolling back in my head, it was so good. I can't wait to add this cookie to this years cookie gift tins. But just a word of advice to all you bakers: make a few batches of this cookie, they are that good!

Chocolate Peppermint Chunk Cookie- adapted from this & this recipe.
Makes about 24 cookies

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup dark unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Generous ¾ cup of chocolate chunks (I used Nestlé Toll House semi-sweet chunks)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate for melting
5-6 candy canes crushed for topping

Directions:
Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth but not fluffy. Add both sugars, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended (mixture may be crumbly). Add chopped chocolate; mix by hand just to distribute. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper (it may be crumbly) and gather into 1 ½-inch-diameter log. Chill until firm, about 3 hours. (At this point the dough can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 months or until ready for Christmas baking).

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. If cookies were frozen, defrost in refrigerator over night. Using thin sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds. If some pieces break off, don't worry, just reshape and place on cookie sheet spacing 1 inch apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 12 minutes. Cookies will not look or feel done but that is ok! Transfer cookie sheet to rack and cool. After cooled and firm, cookies and be placed directly on cooling rack for topping.

Place unwrapped candy canes in a sealed zip-lock bag and crush with rolling pin. Stir 1 cup chocolate chips in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Using fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over (as many or few as you like!). Chill just until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.