Peppermint Crunch Junior Mint Cookies

Okay, internet, do you know about Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints? You do, right? Because if you don't, stop everything you're doing and go buy a box. Or ten.

Yes, really. They are THAT good.

I'm only willing to tell you about them at this point because I have acquired a few dozen boxes and have them happily hidden all around the house. They should last me a while, unless the oldest short person in the house finds them. If she does, it's all over. Mint is her jam.

The fact that mint makes her heart sing is why a certain short person has been destroying these cookies.

And I do mean DESTROYING.

I've been trying for a while to get the just right chocolate cookie to wrap around the Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints. After many failures, I think this is finally the one. With a cake-like texture, they very barely rise or spread while baking. They're the just right kind of chocolate needed so that they can sit back and let the Junior Mints sing.

I'm not sorry that I had to eat dozens of cookies before I finally got the recipe right.

Peppermint Crunch Junior Mint Cookies
(Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies)

(Technically you could use regular Junior Mints. I won't judge. Much.)

3 boxes Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints (1 box is for you to eat while hiding in a closet so that nobody can expect you to share. The other two boxes are for the cookies.)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or peppermint extract (Do peppermint if you want super minty cookies. Stick to vanilla if you want something more subtle.)
1/4 cup white sugar (Yes, more sugar. This bit is for rolling the cookies in.)

1. Place the Junior Mints in the freezer.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Time to make some cookies! Start with putting your flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix it up.

If you're super paying attention, right about now you're wondering where the leavening agent is hiding. THAT WAS THE TRICK. I finally ditched it and the cookies finally kept their shape. It's as if something logical happened ....

4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and mix a little more, making sure you scrape the sides of the bowl somewhere in there. Then add the milk and vanilla or peppermint extract and mix a little more.

5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to your eggs and sugar, still mixing. Keep doing that until everything is living in perfect harmony.

6. Time to roll some little balls! You want to roll little bits of the dough into balls that are about 1" across. Then roll the little balls in some sugar until they're well-coated. As you finish rolling, place cookies on your parchment paper. These only need to be about 1/2 inch apart.

7. Once you have a cookie sheet full of little sugar-covered chocolate balls, press a Peppermint Crunch Junior Mint into each cookie. You want the top of the candy to be flush with the top of the cookie.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

9. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

10. Eat. Them. All.