Feeling Festive? Try These Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Let's be honest, we all love to bake (or even better... receive freshly baked goods) in the midst of winter festivities. Try this delicious cookie recipe that not only is rich and satisfying, but also nourishing! Adding superfood herbs & mushrooms to your baking is a great way to avoid that guilt that comes with overindulging (although you should NOT feel guilty, you better treat yourself!)

Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 Large Egg and 2 Egg Yolks (preferably room temp)
• 1 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (Light or dark works!)
• 3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/3 Cup Sugar Of Choice (We prefer Cane Sugar!)
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Harmonic Arts 5 Mushroom Elixir Powder
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Chocolate Chips Of Your Choosing
• For the peppermint- You can either choose to infuse your butter with some fresh or dried peppermint, but for a shorter prep time, you can opt to use peppermint extract. If choosing to infuse, use 1/4 Cup Dried Peppermint leaves, or 3-4 fresh sprigs of Peppermint.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add your flour, baking soda, salt and 5 mushroom chocolate powder to a bowl and whisk to combine.
3. To a pan, add your butter (and peppermint if choosing to infuse) over medium heat and stir frequently. Cook for about 5-6 minutes until it starts to bubble and slightly brown. Be careful with this step, if you cook the butter any longer you can burn it. Once complete, transfer to a bowl to let cool just until it is not too hot to strain. Once cooled, use a cheesecloth to strain your infusion and set aside.
4. In another bowl, add in your sugars and slowly pour in your butter. Mix until combined, and then add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk until thickened.
5. Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and use a spatula to fold in until a cookie dough consistency forms. Once a dough has formed, add in your chocolate chips. Let this rest for 15-20 minutes.
6. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and scoop out the dough using a spoon and your hand to round the balls. Try to aim to get these balls to be about the size of a 1/4 measuring cup and ensure they have plenty of space between them.
7. Bake for 10 minutes and you notice the edges starting to turn golden brown and that your center is still chewy and soft. Once out of the oven, they will continue to bake slightly as they cool.
8. The final step is to obviously enjoy this work of art you have created! Pop in an airtight container to store, share with family, friends, or keep them all to yourself. Nobody's judging.

Written by Ryliegh