Christmas Time is Here Again

The Christmas decorations are up, and so it's time to start baking Christmas cookies!!!!!! Yes, yes, I am well aware that it might be considered early to put up the Christmas stuff. BUT.....I just feel, after many many years of waiting until the weekend after Thanksgiving...that I needed MORE time to enjoy my Christmas things. I have some really lovely Christmas decorations, and I want to enjoy them for a bit longer than a month. Besides, next weekend is Aiden's first birthday...then we have Thanksgiving weekend with all its travel....so this weekend was my best decorating bet. The tree isn't up, because we don't have a tree yet :-) But all the knick-knack things are up and looking so sweet and pretty!!

So in the spirit of all that is Christmas, I made Chocolate Peppermint Drop cookies. YUM!!!!! These are soooo good, I'll definitely be making them again at Christmas. The cookie is nice and chocolatey. The recipe calls for crushed up peppermint candies, but instead I used Andes peppermint baking chips from last year. They're softer than a chocolate chip, and colored red and white. They worked wonderfully. Gave the BEST minty taste, with no crunch or stickiness you can sometimes get from melted peppermint candies. Watch your baking time. I overbaked my first batch because they didn't seem to be setting up. But indeed, once they cooled on the racks they firmed up. So definitely pull these out of the oven on the early side. (Remember, most baked goods continue to bake after you take them out of the oven, so if you bake something until it's totally done, you often get an over-baked item after it's cooled)

Chocolate Peppermint Drops (Borrowed from Slashfood)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup plain yogurt (whole, lowfat or fat free)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave at a low heat. Stir in the cocoa powder and both sugars, then stir in yogurt and vanilla extract. Working in two or three additions, stir in the flour and mix until just combined. Add in the crushed peppermint. Drop 1-inch balls of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down slightly to flatten.Bake at 350F for 9-12 minutes or until set and slightly firm at the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen.