Festive Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

 This year's new holiday cookie is an adaptation from this recipe. We'll keep it in the rotation!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• finely crushed candy canes

Cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs and peppermint. Combine dry ingredients (not chocolate chips nor candy) and stir into creamed mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and up to 1/4 cup crushed candy canes, if desired. Note that the candy canes will propably ooze out of the baked cookies.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. If desired, press a few broken candy cane pieces into the top of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes. Immediately sprinkle each cookie with a bit of finely crushed candy canes, then move cookies to a cooling rack.