Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

-Janis/Rebecca

* taken from Martha Stewart

Makes about 3 dozen

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 3 large eggs
• 45 round swirled peppermint candies, coarsely crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, extracts, and eggs; mix on medium-low speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Stir in one-third of the candies. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 30 minutes (or wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight).
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, form mounds of dough; dip tops into remaining candies to coat. Place cookies, candy sides up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until just set, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Danish Christmas Cookies

-Shauna L.

Cream together:

3/4 lb butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Add 1/4 tsp almond extract

Sift:

4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

Add to mixture slowly

Roll in wax paper.  Freeze overnight, or put in cookie press and chill.  Slice while frozen.

Dip top side of sliced cookie i canned milk, then into mixture of 5 Tbsp sugar and 5 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Do not brown.