RECIPE: BELLA'S MINT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

I've gotten some requests for Bella's cookie recipe. It's pretty much the classic Toll House Cookie recipe base with a few tweaks. 

Make sure you undercook the cookies a bit or they will be dry. Mint extract is extraordinarly powerful so don't add more than 1 teaspoon.


BELLA'S MINT CHOCOLATE COOKIES:


Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• big pinch of salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon mint extract
• 1 cup or so bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into cherry-sized chunks (or whatever chocolate bar scraps or chocolate chips you have lying around the house)
• fresh mint, optional  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Sift dry ingredients together (or just whisk them together). Set aside. 
• Throw butter and sugars into a mixer (or beat by hand with a wooden spoon and a big bowl). Beat on high until smooth, creamy and light. 
• Add one egg at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. 
• Add the mint extract. Mix just to incorporate. 
• Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, scraping down after each addition. 
• Scoop out balls of batter (with fingers, spoon or ice cream scoop) to make either small, medium or large cookies. Place (not too close together) on a nonstick cookie sheet and put in the oven.
• Take the cookies out when they're golden but still a tiny bit doughy/gooey in the center. Depending on the size of the cookie it will take anywhere from 8-15 minutes*. Cool. 
• Meanwhile melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler or in a pot over very low heat. Sandwich the cookies together with the melted chocolate. Decorate the tops of the sandwiches with chocolate in any pattern you like. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to harden the chocolate. 
• Bella would tell you to garnish the cookies with mint before eating.

Variation: 

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: Same as above except add 2 teaspoons vanilla instead of mint extract,  after dry ingredients are added mix in 2 cups chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped walnuts. Cool completely (very important) the cookies before sandwiching them together with slightly softened vanilla ice cream. Freeze for 30 minutes. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Freeze again for 30 minutes. Eat them. If you freeze them for a few hours or overnight, allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before eating.

*All ovens are different.  We all make different sized cookies. Just check on them every few minutes. Timers are great in general but don't rely on them completely.