After sharing my favorite cookie, it’s time to share my little boy’s favorite. He was setting next to me as I was editing the pictures and he insisted that we should leave the computer and go make some!

When I first made these I honestly didn’t think that my two and a half-year old would go anywhere near them, sure they look pretty and the kids really enjoyed helping me make them but peppermint and chocolate was a combination I thought would be more grown up oriented. I am glad the kids proved me wrong.

The dough used for making these chocolate peppermint cookies comes from good  house keeping. I was looking for a basic cookie dough that will work for different kinds of cookies and after trying a couple I think I have found THE ONE. This cookie dough is easy to manipulate, accepts different flavors and colors, rolls out beautifully and keeps it shape well once baked. This is the first of a number of cookie recipes that I used it in, I will be sharing more soon.

2  and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (no substitutions), softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

• In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the food process beat butter and sugar 1 minute or until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
•  Add egg and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping down the sides.
• Divide the dough in half adding the coco to one half (if you find the dough too dry add a tablespoon of milk). Add the green dye and peppermint extract to the other.
• Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Roll the chocolate dough into a rectangle on wax paper, do the same with the peppermint dough and try to make the two rectangles  of similar size

• Using the was paper place on rectangle on top of the other, peel off the wax paper and trim the sides

• Using the wax paper to help, roll the dough rectangle starting with the long side

• refrigerate for 15 minutes
• Cut  1 cm slices and arrange them on a baking sheet
• Bake on the lowest rack of a 180 C (375 F) oven for 5-8 minutes (you want the bottoms to become slightly golden but no more than that or you will lose the demarcation between the two colors)

• Place under the broiler until the tops are slightly golden
• Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling wire rack