Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've noticed that there are two distinct groups of Christmas celebrators: those who begin celebrating as soon as Halloween is over, and those who wait until after Thanksgiving. I am wholeheartedly in the former group. This weekend, I decided to "practice" making new Christmas cookie recipes. These aren't the real thing...I'm just testing out new recipes right now. To make sure that when I make the actual Christmas cookies, I don't run into any problems. Yeah, that's it. In any case, I decided to make some Mint Chocolate Chip cookies. I happened to find mint chips at my grocery store, and that never happens, so I took that as a sign that I should make some mint cookies.

I based this on a recipe for regular Chocolate Chip cookies from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. FYI- I chose this recipe because it yields cookies that are thin and crunchy (just the way I like them.) If you prefer cookies that are chewy and thicker, you probably wouldn't want to use this recipe. Also, this yielded about 50 cookies, so you could definitely cut this recipe in half.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, plus 1 additional egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup mint chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in the upper third and bottom third of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat on low until combined, about 1 minute.
4. Add the dry ingredients in two batches until just combined.
5. Add chocolate and mint chips and mix until just combined.
6. Drop by tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 15- 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.

These turned out just like I wanted them! They are thin and crispy, but not hard. And I just love the combination of peppermint and chocolate. Yep, Christmas is in full swing at my house!

P.S. I just installed Instagram on my phone, and I'm playing around with it. Bet you couldn't tell, right?