Hello everyone,

Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year. There are even Christmas decorations in stores before Halloween these days! As November comes to a close, it seems that everyone has already started getting ready for Christmas. Something about Christmas planning in November seems wrong to me but I confess, I’m totally guilty of this early Christmas trend. I have already completed about 90% of my Christmas shopping, and today just finished my annual Christmas baking.

This is the 11^th year my cousin Lori and I have done Christmas baking together. She brought to my attention that we have been doing this for over 1/3 of our lives. Freaky or impressive? As time goes by this fraction will only get larger and larger.

This year we made 5 different varieties of cookies for a total 418 cookies. We accomplished this feat in 4.5 hours, a time period that included clean up, putting our cookies into tins, and a lunch break. We credit this unusually quick pace to the fact that this was the first time in as long as we could remember that neither one of us was either sick or hungover.

We have baked today’s recipe, chocolate mint cookies, for 10 out of the 11 years, so it has become a classic for us. The mint flavour and the colourful M&Ms make it a great Christmas cookie. Additionally, it is an easy and forgiving recipe, one you can whip up pretty quickly with no stress.

Hopefully this recipe reaches you before you start your Christmas baking this year! Definitely a good cookie for Christmas!

Om nom nom nom,

Julie

Click here for the printable Word version of recipe:
mint-chocolate-chip-cookies

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies

2 and 2 / 3 cups flour
1 / 2 tsp baking soda
1 / 4 tsp salt
1 / 2 cup cocoa powder
3 / 4 cup brown sugar
2 / 3 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
3 large eggs
1 tsp mint extract
1 and 3 / 4 cup mint chocolate chips – try splitting with mint M&Ms

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda , salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars. Add eggs and mint. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add flour mixture and chocolate chips. Mix on low speed until just combined, alternatively with a spoon by hand.
5. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet 1 and 1 / 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes at 350.

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