Cookie Countdown #1

When we go up to Michigan for Christmas, each family will always bring their batches of baked goods for the cookie stash.

This year, I'm trying to find new recipes so that there'll be something a little different than the same old chocolate chip cookies that hubby always ends up making. And there's really no other way to go about doing this than to test drive it (I know, it's such a sacrifice!)

First up are these chocolatey minty cookies from allrecipes.com that I found via How Does She

According to my husband, it's a keeper - he's only ate like, oh, 5 since he came home about 10 minutes ago. If you like cakey type cookies and chocolate, then this is for you

(And don't you just love the cookie jar? It's my husband childhood one)

Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 (4.5 ounce) packages chocolate covered thin mints (like Andes mints)

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake. When cookies come out of the oven, press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute.

When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer. For smaller cookies, break mints in half.

Yields about 3-4 dozen cookies