Simplicity with a Twist
Amidst the insane studying and endless worrying, this was my help in time of need. Out of the oven and straight into my stomach. The best remedy for a toiling, tired uni student. It's the time of the semester when all of us give up our social lives, and retreat into our little dark caves to pour over our books and notes, pulling out what little hair we have on our heads, throwing up our hands in sheer frustration. I for one, feeling like beating up the economists who make our life so difficult. Robert Solow and Milton Friedman, you make my life so difficult. Sometimes baking does help in venting your anger. Beating eggs... Whipping cream. Chopping chocolate. Now i'm not going to get violent here. But i suppose... baking is a form of anger management.
Exam period is also the time to feed your stomach and give in to all your cravings. In comes the cookies, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, sweets, ice cream... Out pops the stomach and the expanding waistline. Everyday, i sit in front of my laptop, and the first link i click is tastespotting, with all the colorful drool-worthy pictures that tease a smile out of me. I bake on cravings. So these contributed to my collection of sweet treats. And they're not any ordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies.... These are MINT chocolate chip cookies, cookies infused with a hint of peppermint. Just to make your taste buds tingle with happiness. They sure made my day!
I'm always posting entries late... such that most of the stuff i bake has already been gobbled up. So the picture here, is a picture of the LAST mint cookie i have on my shelf.
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe adapted from pixie-baker.blogspot.com and also, Chun's request)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter room temperature
1/2 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup chopped dark chocolate
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 mins). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and mint extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chopped dark chocolate by hand. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and roll them into balls. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10-12 mins. The cookies will be crisp at the sides and chewy in the middle. Bake a bit longer if u prefer crispier cookies. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 5 mins before removing.
Makes about 18 cookies.