Day 7 of my twelve days of cookies: These pictures are pretty self-explanatory if you ask me. Do you even need to ask me if you need to make these? Heck no. I say get in your kitchen and start baking! These are just that amazing. Dare I say that these cookies have joined by top three list? I do! I love these cookies and they were gone within a day among my friends and coworkers. I’ll definitely be baking them again for Christmas. The crushed graham crackers that were incorporated into the dough gave the cookie a chewy and pleasant texture. Besides, I’m such a sucker for s’mores! They remind me of starry nights by the campfire surrounded by good friends. S’mores are surely a beautiful thing. This recipe is adapted from Baked Perfection, who got it from Cookie Madness.

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups miniature chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 Hershey bars, chopped
  

1. In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars until fluffy.
2. Mix in egg and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, graham crackers, salt, and baking soda, mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Refrigerate dough for about an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of a hershey’s bar into each cookie. Return to the oven and bake an additional 2-3 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
6. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Day 4 of my twelve days of cookies: I know, I know.. this is so similar to my last post! Well, after despising the last cookie so much with the peppermint extract, I had to redeem myself with a better tasting mint cookie. Finally… a cookie that I’m a fan of so far on this list.

As you may or may not know, I love mint chocolate (not PEPPERMINT chocolate). I saw these lovely cookies on the back of an Andes mint baking chips bag, but I substituted the Andes mints for Nestle’s dark chocolate and mint chips that I found while wandering around Target. Dark chocolate and mint morsels? How perfect! You can even see the pretty mint chip sneaking out in the last photo. These must be limited edition because I’ve never seen them before. I snatched up two bags and used one on these cookies. As for the other bag, I’m still trying to decide what I want to bake with it. This makes just over 3 dozen cookies.

After baking all these cookies so far, I’ve learned that refrigerating the dough is a must in all situations. When dealing with refrigerated cookie dough, the cookies taste and look so much better! Trust me. Patience is a virtue, even in the baking world.

Day 3 of my twelve days of cookies: These may LOOK like your average chocolate chip cookie, but I assure you, it’s not! This recipe comes from Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine, and they are peppermint chocolate chip cookies. They are easy to make and come out looking as cute as a button. I made mine a little smaller– two bites and they’re gone!

I have a confession to make. I actually hated these cookies. Whoever invented peppermint extract must have been on drugs or something because that stuff does not belong ANYWHERE besides the trash can! I was so excited when making these too, thinking that they would come out all Christmas-like. But nooooo.. since I have never worked with peppermint extract before, I didn’t know what to expect. The texture, consistency, and taste of these cookies would have been pure bliss if it weren’t for the peppermint extract that ruined it. I would make these cookies again, but substitute MINT extract for peppermint extract next time. TRUST ME, there is a difference! I suppose you could also substitute the peppermint extract for vanilla as well, making a grand ol’ chocolate chip cookie.

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/4 tsp. of peppermint extract
• 1 cup of chopped dark chocolate

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and peppermint extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chopped dark chocolate by hand. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and roll them into balls. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 8-9 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing.