Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are the perfect Christmastime treat.  Just add a few ingredients to a box cake mix, and you’re in business!  December is a busy month with family parties, neighborhood parties, church parties, class parties, neighbor gifts, dinners, and a million other things.  Be sure to stock up on pantry staples like flour, sugar, chocolate chips, eggs and butter.  Then when the inevitable unexpected event comes up, you’ll be ready!

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Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• 1 (15.25 oz) Devil’s Food cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1 crushed candy cane

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, butter, peppermint, flour and chocolate chips.  Mix with a wooden spoon until dough comes together.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a silicone mat-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes.
5. While cookies are baking, beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
6. Spoon frosting into a quart-size zip top plastic bag.  Squeeze air out of the bag and seal.  Snip one corner of the bag and pipe frosting onto cookies.
7. Spread the frosting with an offset spatula (or table knife).  If you like the design you piped, leave it without spreading!
8. Sprinkle with the crushed candy cane.
9. Store covered in the refrigerator.
10. Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Notes:

1. Different cake mix brands may need different amounts of flour added.  Mine was perfect with 3 tablespoons.
2. We prefer a more subtle peppermint flavor.  If you prefer it stronger, add more extract to taste.
3. My cookies came out of the oven with a lovely rounded shape…but they were too rounded for frosting.  I dropped the pans of cookies onto my stove top (counter or floor work too) so they flattened a little.
4. If you need to cover these with plastic wrap, place them in the fridge first for about 30 min so the frosting can harden…then the plastic wrap won’t stick to the frosting and make it ugly.  No one wants an ugly cookie!
    

I am a Whole Foods blogging ambassador.  This post was written in exchange for a gift card to purchase food. 

 For a few more Christmas cookies, check out these great recipes from Whole Foods:
·         Classic Sugar Cookies

·         Maple and Almond Butter Cookies

·         Molasses Gingerbread Cookies