Yay! One more day of school and we are on Christmas break!! Clayton will be finished tomorrow after one more final exam. We are excited to get extended time with him as he has been soooo busy studying. He often leaves before everyone but me is up, and then comes home after everyone but me is down. So even though he has been living at home and commuting to UW this year, he is not home very often. Needless to say, his younger brothers and sisters are looking forward to spending time with him. And so is his banjo!
We have a lot of Christmas cookie baking to do! Here's a Christmas cookie recipe that has become a new favorite for us. It is from my favorite Christmas cookie book, Christmas Cookie Jar from Gooseberry Patch. I made extra dough and was storing it in the frig when I noticed the lid was always open. Hmmmm. I always make sure lids are secure...why was the lid open?
When I looked in the container, I could see many finger swipes where someone was tasting the dough. I was able to squeeze out a few reluctant confessions, but not without some pressure. I was glad for the confessions, but annoyed because with all the activities and gift plates that require cookies, I am feeling the pressure to provide. If all my dough gets eaten, I have no cookies to share. So with a firm rebuke, I told the tasters to "Stop it!" and with some passion.
A few hours later, Clayton came home uncharacteristically early and was chatting amicably with his brothers. At one point in his conversation, he innocently called out, "Hey, Mom, that chocolate cookie dough you made is AWESOME!" His brothers enjoyed this way too much. Him too??? It's a wonder I have any dough left.
But here's the recipe, and I hope you get to bake the cookies because they are pretty good cooked too!
Chocolate Peppermint Drops
1 c. margarine, softened
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. peppermint extract
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. candy canes, crushed
Combine margarine, sugars, extracts and eggs in a large bowl; mix well. Add remaining ingredients except candy canes; blend well. Chill for 15 minutes (I love it when recipes tell me to chill...I just picture myself with a magazine on the couch with the timer set for 15 minutes. It's nice to have permission to chill--but wait, I think they mean the cookies.)
Roll well-rounded teaspoons of dough into balls; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (I love parchment...it helps me not burn stuff.) Bake at 325 degrees for 11-13 minutes, or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Remove from oven, and with the back of a spoon (or your thumbprint--that's what I did) immediately and gently make a well in the center of cookies.
Spoon some of the crushed candy canes into the wells and let stand 2-3 minutes before removing from baking sheet. I would tell you how much this recipe makes, but I think those estimates always lie. I never get that many cookies out of a recipe. Hey, maybe it's because of the dough-eaters in my house...hmmmm. Just double this recipe and you will have enough for dough-eaters and cookie-eaters. Enjoy!
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