So Andes Mints wasn’t the only discovery I made in the Holiday candy aisle, I also happened upon some white chocolate peppermint bark, and as a counterpoint to my Creme de Menthe Chocolate Chip Cookies I decided to pioneer a chocolate drop cookie with chunks of peppermint bark tossed in.  They’re not the prettiest of cookies, but they sure are tasty.

Recipe makes 3 dozen small cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter (room temp)
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening (room temp)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup chopped up White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars.
3. Beat in the eggs.
4. Beat in the vanilla and salt.
5. Add in the flour, cocoa, and baking powder.  Continue to beat until fully combined.
6. Stir in the chocolate.
7. Scoop the dough out onto parchment lined baking sheets – about 1 tbsp of dough per cookie.
8. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are no longer shiny.  They might be slightly puffy and soft when you pull them out, but they will sink down and solidify as they cool.