First Cookies Of The Season

Advent is upon us, the waiting has begun. Today I am packing up Thanksgiving and I am getting Christmas out of the closet. Rachel and I used the Christmas plates and cups this morning for our eggs and toast and last night I baked my first batch of Christmas cookies. 

Our church youth group hosts their annual cookie sale next Saturday morning where customers fill a red bucket from tables filled with beautiful trays of baked and decorated cookies and candy.  Here's the scoop on my first cookie sale offering . . .

Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Andes Mints ~ they come in a green box and are triple layer with a strip of green in the        

                     center, each one wrapped in green foil

Melt the butter with the brown sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until all is melted together; remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Add eggs one at a time to chocolate mixture, beating well after each. Stir in dry ingredients.

Chill dough until firm. Roll into balls and space 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees until cookies are puffed but set at the edges. Remove pan from oven and immediately top with an Andes Mint. Let set until candy is soft and melting, then swirl with a knife before removing from pan. Cool completely. Freezes very well.

A Little More I Have Learned Along The Way . . .

I usually chill the dough overnight, but a couple of hours is long enough. I use my smallest cookie scoop to make the balls. I do not roll them, too messy for me. I line the cookie sheets with parchment, but years ago I used bare ungreased sheets with success, too. Unwrap the candy ahead of time (but not too far ahead or you better buy an extra box!) and cut each piece into half or thirds depending on how big your cookies are. I like small cookies and cut into thirds. There are usually a few some shards of candy left on the plate which is enough for one cookie. I buy one box of mints per batch and have almost enough candy for the whole batch. I always seem to end up with just a few naked cookies. Gee, too bad. I will let you guess what happens to those tasty little morsels. 

Do not overbake! When I take them out of the oven they do not really look done, but all puffed up. They are beginning to firm up around the edges, but the center is still gooey. Leave on the cookie sheets and quickly plop on the mints. It only takes a minute or so for the chocolate to melt enough to swirl around a little. Leave on pans until cookies firm up. I put on waxed paper until the chocolate solidifies. 

Happy baking to one and all. If you don't want to bake come to St. Luke United Methodist Church and fill a bucket or two! If you don't live close by I bet you can find a similar deal in your area.