Peppermint Chocolate Chewies

I have truly enjoyed the holiday season this year. For the first time, I'm making the holidays to be less about me and more about the people I love and people in need. I have spent countless hours and dollars to make a difference and I have absolutely loved every minute and penny I donated.

 

While the holiday season is about giving, I had to do a little something for myself so I co-hosted my first cookie exchange which turned out to be a complete success. I have been to many cookie exchanges in my life where I usually make a cookie I have never made or have made a thousand times before. Being in a festive mood this year, I wanted to make a cookie that reflected the holidays. After blog browsing, I decided to make a variation of a recipe I found where Oreos are dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy. From this inspiration, I came up with the Chocolate Peppermint Chewies.

Chocolate Perppermint Chewies are a chewy chocolate cookie dipped in white chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint. The chocolate cookie base is relatively healthy without compromising the taste of a delectable cookie. Don't get me wrong, these are not "healthy" cookies because of the high sugar content but is healthier than most cookies found during this time of the year. The cookie looks like a complex cookie but is fairly simple to make. In the end, I had a festive holiday cookie that was popular amongst the cookie eaters. Baking adventure = success. If you want a festive holiday cookie, give this cookie recipe a try! Something to try next time: place a peppermint Hersheys kiss in the center...oh that would be good!

Chocolate Peppermint Chewies
compliments of Macroni and Cheesecake  and Y-U-M-M-Y

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon butter
7 tablespoon cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package of candy melts or candy coating (vanilla or white chocolate flavor)
3-4 candy canes (or any peppermint candy)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie trays with cooking spray. 
1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
2. Melt butter and let it cool slightly. Add cocoa powder, sugar, and brown sugar. Add yogurt and vanilla.
3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture until just combined.
4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on the cookie tray. Slightly flatten the top of each 1-inch ball.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will seem underdone but will firm up as they cool. Let cookies cool completely.
6. Melt candy melts according to directions on package. While candy melt is heating, crush peppermint candy to desired size. Dip each cookie into the candy melt and shake off the excess candy melt. Place cookie on wax or parchment paper and top with crushed peppermint candy. Let candy melt harden completely before serving.