Chocolate Mint Crinkles

Another one of my favorite cookies that we make around Christmastime is chocolate crinkle cookies. They're so chewy and chocolatey and delicious that I don't care how messy they are (which is saying something because I'm the baker who cleans as I work). One thing we've never thought to do, though, is add peppermint. Even without the internet to give us recipes with the exact amount, it's a pretty easy addition.

Which is why I decided to make peppermint crinkle cookies for work's usual Valentine's Day potluck. You see, we got some snow. Which lead to me staying close to home for about 4 days. During the first couple days I tried to use up two things: my packets of hot chocolate (because of the calories I don't drink it as often as I would like) and the almost-empty bottle of peppermint extract. Except using peppermint extract to make peppermint hot chocolate is A HORRIBLE IDEA! So with Monday off I decided to find a recipe and make the cookies in order to use up the extract (who says peppermint is only for Christmastime?). I ended up modifying a recipe from Betty Crocker's website. The recipe was for a chocolate crinkle version of the peanut butter blossoms (kinda like the peppermint thumbprint cookies I made once) except I left out the candy cane Hershey's Kisses.

Chocolate Mint Crinkles (source)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, oil and eggs with whisk until well mixed. Beat in vanilla and peppermint extract.
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (very glad I made this on Monday and not Wednesday as I don't have time on Wednesdays to wait for cookie dough to chill for a couple hours).
4. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. Place powdered sugar in small bowl. Shape dough into tablespoon-size balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies crackle and dough doesn’t look raw. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Remove to cooling rack; cool completely.

The potluck was never arranged. I still brought them in because who doesn't want chocolate on Valentine's Day? They were a big hit. One co-worker even commented that they have the right amount of peppermint.