White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Last week, I got my first cookie order. While I made Kitchen Sink, Chocolate+Sea Salt+Walnut+Fudge Drizzle, and Gingerbread cookies, I also created a brand new cookie recipe: White Chocolate + Crushed Peppermint cookies. These have been a serious HIT among our friends and family, so much so that my husband has banned me from giving any more away to our friends. He wants them all to himself. :)

Before I share the recipe, here's a quick tip. Can't find crushed peppermint? Buy a few candy canes – I prefer the traditional white+red or red+green combos – stick them in a Ziploc bag (make sure to close the bag!) and pound them with a heavy spoon, meat tenderizer or even a rolling pin. Saves you money and time spent searching for crushed peppermint.

Here's how you make the cookies:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (45-60 seconds in the microwave usually does the trick)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Bourbon vanilla extract for an added kick)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups white chocolate chips (I use Trader Joe's or Nestle Toll House White Chocolate Morsels)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed peppermint pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. You don't have to sift the ingredients, but definitely whisk to combine. Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a bigger bowl until creamy and all lumps are broken up. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, a small bit at a time. Once both mixtures are combined and the batter is smooth, fold in the white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint pieces with a spatula.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat sheet. Drop 1 1/2" spoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheet. Keeping about 3" between spoonfuls, you should be able to fit about 9 spoonfuls of batter on each baking sheet.

Red+Green Peppermint Combo

Red+White Peppermint Combo

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until barely golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and wait about five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Once the cookies cool, the peppermint pieces will harden and give the cookies a great candy crunch. To give the cookies an additional holiday "glow," melt 1/2 cup white chocolate and drizzle over the cookies. Drop a pinch or two of crushed peppermint pieces onto the warm drizzle. Let the cookies cool either on a cooling rack or in the refrigerator (so the chocolate drizzle will set) and you've got fantastic-looking and delicious-tasting holiday cookies!