Chocolate-Mint Cookies

   This weekend was the first time I've played in the snow since I was 9 or 10 years old. As I was sledding down the hill onto paradise pond I started feeling a little nostalgic for my childhood winters in Minnesota. After hours of neighborhood snow ball fights and igloo building my brother and I would tramp back into our house. Leaving all our soggy snow gear in a puddle on the front porch we would head straight for the kitchen. Awaiting us in the kitchen was my favorite winter treat, Chocolate-Mint Cookies.
   When I was 10, in a sudden burst of inspiration my mom decided she would make a different kind of cookie every night. She made everything from chocolate chip to raspberry linzers to peanut butter blossoms. Needless to say, my brother and I have tried A LOT of cookies. But Mollie Katzens Chocolate-Mint Cookies are still my favorite cookie.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (rounded measure) salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a baking tray with nonstick spray.
2. Add the sugars to the butter in the bowl and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times with a rubber spatula.
3. Beat in the egg, extracts, and cocoa.
4. In a second bowl, sift together the dry flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the butter mixture, along with the chocolate chips, and stir by hand until thoroughly blended.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared baking tray. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until dry on top and slightly darkened on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

Personally, I think "cooling on a rack" is overrated. I recommend stuffing as many as you can into your mouth the second you can. They are best when fresh out of the oven, when the chocolate chips are still melted.