Mint Chocolate Dalmatians

Why does peppermint seem out of place in the summer? Yes it is a holiday flavor, but it is so cooling and refreshing, the perfect complement to chocolate on a hot summer day.

That’s my story anyway.

I found this recipe, sans peppermint, in Marcel Desaulniers’ Death By Chocolate Cookies. I am not a big layered chocolate cake fan, so I usually pass his books by, but when I saw this one, devoted to cookies, I snatched it without even thinking twice. I wanted something easy, so I turned to the “Easy Street” chapter. These Chocolate Dalmatians immediately stood out to me–and also seemed like the perfect vehicle for some peppermint oil. The dough was a dream to work with and the cookies came together very quickly.

The finished cookie is a little bit like the Mini Chip Peppermint Crisps, which I made back in December. The Mint Chocolate Dalmatians were a little bit more chewy than the crisps. Were I forced to choose between them, I’d give the edge to the crisps, but these were wonderful too–and a real pleasure to make.

Don’t forget to send in your recipes this week for the Family Recipes Event. In-laws, dads, daughters, you name it–send in their recipes!

Mint Chocolate Dalmatians
Adapted from Marcel Desaulniers’ Death By Chocolate Cookies

4 oz white chocolate (good quality–check for cocoa butter), chopped
6-8 drops peppermint oil
3/4 lb (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 t vanilla
1/2 t peppermint extract
4 cups (504 g) AP flour
1/2 t salt
8 oz mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Melt the white chocolate on 30% power in the microwave, in 45 second intervals. When it is melted, mix it smooth. Add the peppermint oil to the chocolate and mix in. Set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream on medium for 4 minutes until soft (mine took less time–I think my butter was warmer). Scrape down the sides and cream again, this time on high, for another 4 minutes, until lightened but not fluffy (once again mine took less time). Add the vanilla, peppermint extract and white chocolate and mix for one minute to combine, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed.

Put the mixer on low and gradually add the flour–mix for one minute. Scrape down the sides and add the chips. My dough formed a ball, much like shortbread or bread dough. This will make it easy in turn to divide the dough in half, using a bench scraper, and then divide each half into quarters. Take each quarter (a total of 8 of them) and divide it into 6 pieces. Place the pieces–a total of 48–onto wax paper. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper; take each piece of dough and roll it into a ball in the palm of your hand.

Terrible pic, but it shows the 2 batches–one flattened, one not.

Place 12 cookies on each sheet (you will bake the cookies in 2 batches). My cookies did not spread at all–flatten them just a bit if this will bother you (I think the flatter ones make for a more attractive presentation; Desaulniers does not mention this, maybe his spread more?). Bake 2 sheets at once, rotating front to back and top to bottom halfway through, for a total of 14-16 minutes. Cool on cooling racks on the sheets–when the sheets are cool enough to handle, remove the cookies to the cooling racks and repeat with the other 24 cookies.