Chocolate Peppermint Double Doozies

Hello my friends; do I have a treat for you! The other day at school, a mom brought us some chocolate cupcakes with peppermint icing. Since then, I have been on a quest to find out how to make this addictive icing, and what do you know, I found it. I am not, however, the biggest cupcake fan, but I do love a good cookie. That's when I decided to find a chocolate cookie recipe.

Today, both of my searches were completed, and it was time to put my idea to the test. I created the most decadent double doozie imaginable. The normal double doozie can be found at the mall with a chocolate chip cookie and vanilla icing, but mine are double chocolate chunk cookies with a peppermint buttercream icing. Oh, they were delicious. They are extremely rich and perfect with a glass of milk.

Enough talk; here's how you make these delightful little sandwiches:

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candy (about 7 peppermint sticks)

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1 to 2 tablespoons peppermint schnapps or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the peppermint candy, confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend up to 1 tablespoon milk or peppermint schnapps if the frosting seems to stiff.

Chocolate Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 t. salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. First sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt and then add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 8 - 10 minutes or until the cookies are still soft in the center but are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 24 - 3 inch round cookies.