Chocolate-Mint Creams

Flipping through my many cookbooks, I came across this one while I was on the hunt for something easy to make as a thank you for the mailman and garbage pick up men.  I didn't have the mint kisses it calls for, but I figured I could melt some of the peppermint candy cane bits that I have a lot of.  I made the dough and let it chill while I went out and played treat fairy.  When I got home from delivering, I rolled the dough into 1" balls and baked them off.  Things were going so smoothly until this part.  I took the cookies out of the oven and placed a little mound of the peppermint candy cane bits on top of each cookie and returned them to the oven for them to melt.  Except this part never happened.  On top of the cookie should of been a melted swirl of mint goodness and I had just a clump of candy bits, same as when I had put them into the oven.  Fail.

The chips wouldn't melt at all

I gave in - my idea didn't work.  So what's left to do but melt up some chocolate and drizzle it on top so the peppermint part would stay. 

not the prettiest thing

The chocolate set nicely and the peppermint bits stayed in place.  Happy that this worked, I packed them up in cute bags and handed them out.  I would highly suggest sticking to the recipe with this one and not doing what I did.

Chocolate-Mint Creams

makes about 48 cookies

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

6 tbsp butter

1 tbsp water

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 egg

1/2 to 3/4 pound pastel colored cream mint kisses

1. In a small bowl combine flour and baking soda; set aside.  In a medium saucepan cook and stir brown sugar, butter and water over low heat until butter melts.  Add chocolate pieces; cook and stir until melted.  Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl; let stand for 10-15 minutes or until cool.
2. Beat egg into the chocolate mixture.  Stir in flour mixture until combined (dough will be soft).  Cover and chill dough for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Place balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpats.  
4. Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately top each cookie with a mint kiss.  Return to oven and bake about 2 minutes more or until edges are set.  Swirl the melted mints with a knife to frost cookies.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool until mints are firm.