Mark and I have canceled 2 trips this year. I’m complaining, yes…but honestly, the discussion over our very lovely Ruth’s Chris meal last night was how grateful we are for the 2020 we had. Hardships, sure. But relative to much of the world, not a thing to complain about. This conversation spurred by my inquiry of what Mark’s high and low of 2020 were.
After 17 years together, dinner conversation can die off a bit. Perhaps it’s the fact that we haven’t been OUT to dinner in a reeeeeally long time, but there was no shortage of conversation last night. It was lovely.
As a newbie to Ruth’s Chris, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect other than steak. We started with the chilled seafood tower where I accidentally ate both mini lobster tail halves 😉 Mark ordered a ribeye and I ordered barbecue shrimp over mashed potatoes. My dish was good, but his steak, I must say, was REALLY good. This, coming from a girl who could take or leave red meat. This was all accompanied by a few old fashioneds because apparently I’m an old man and bourbon lover.
But dessert, you guysssss. I had declined seeing the dessert menu because we were more than satisfied, however after a few moments, I caved and quickly selected the peanut butter pie. GOOD THING. It was SOOOO good. It was like a fluffy, fluffy buckeye covered in rich fondant-like hot fudge with an Oreo crust. Yep, absolutely divine. And here the wait staff kept talking about the cheesecake….there’s no cheesecake that could compete with this pie, that much I know.
With the Christmas season in full swing, I’d be remiss not to try a new cookie SOMETHING. We have our staples that we insist on each year (keep scrolling!), but I wanted something a bit more Christmas-y and definitely a cookie. My crew tends to love the super, super rich chocolate-peanut butter stuff…and clearly, I’m right there with them.
But these Peppermint Mocha Cookies have it all. I love the chewy cookie, smooth chocolate, and peppermint crunch! They’re perfect for the holiday season and are sure to be a new favorite among you and yours each holiday season!
Peppermint Mocha Cookies
Peppermint, chocolate, and mocha...oh my! Seriously, these cookies have it alllll. I love the chewy cookie, smooth chocolate, and peppermint crunch!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp espresso powder or 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 12 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped*
- 3 large candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts on high speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt together until combined.
- On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined. Switch to high speed and beat in the chocolate chips. Cover dough with foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Allow dough to sit at room temperature while you prepare several baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. If dough is too hard to scoop, allow to sit for up to 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Scoop 1.5 tablespoon balls/scoops, placing 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Melt the chopped white chocolate* in a double boiler. Mix often as the chocolate melts in the double boiler.
- Dip each cooled cookie halfway into the white chocolate and place back onto parchment. Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Notes
*I like to add a few tablespoons of paraffin wax to the white chocolate to help thin the chocolate for easier dipping.
Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 194Total Fat: 10.1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 109mgCarbohydrates: 27.3gFiber: 1.2gSugar: 20.5gProtein: 2.5g
Need some Christmas cookie/treat inspiration? Here’s some of our favorites!
- Crock Pot Peanut Clusters (made every year)
- English Toffee (my first year not making it – my favorite!)
- Peanut Blossoms (a staple, for sure!)
- Peppermint Oreo Truffles
Be well,
