I always make a few batches of cookies for the holidays, but it's been several years since I did a lot of holiday baking. You know, the three-day baking marathons that leave you with flour in your hair and flecks of buttery sugar stuck to your face--that kind of holiday baking. But I am doing it this year!
The last time I did this kind of holiday baking, I decided to make healthy cookies. Shockingly, healthy cookies do not go over very well with a crowd. So I am going all out this time. I left the grocery store last weekend with bags full of butter and chocolate chips of every variety. No whole wheat flour, no applesauce instead of butter. Not this year! And the first recipe I tackled is one I came up with myself: Grasshopper Brownie Cookies.
I guess candy cane would be a wee bit more traditional for this time of year, but grasshopper brownies are one of my favorite desserts and I had the idea to make a sandwich cookie out of them. Chocolate ganache and minty cream are sandwiched between two chewy brownie cookies. I made them small because these little guys are rich.
When you're baking a crazy amount of cookies, having the right equipment is a must. I received a bunch of baking tools from Pampered Chef to help me out with my holiday baking this year and let me tell you, I am totally done making wonky-looking cookies that stick to my baking sheets. My favorite tool by far is the cookie scoop. Up to this point, I had used a regular tablespoon to put batter onto baking sheets. This fun little scoop makes things so much easier--just squeeze the handle and the batter is released onto the baking sheet, all perfectly shaped and beautiful.
Ingredients
Brownie Cookies
- 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped
- ½ c. all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter softened
- ½ c. white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
- ½ c. packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ tsp. Pampered Chef Double-Strength Madagascar Vanilla or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Mint Filling
- ⅓ c. unsalted butter softened
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- ¾ tsp. peppermint extract
Chocolate Filling
- 1 c. bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
Instructions
Brownie Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler; set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in chocolate and flour mixture. Mix until just combined (don't overmix!).
- Use small cookie scoop to drop heaping teaspoons of batter onto baking sheets, about two-inches apart. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cookies comes out clean, about 8-12 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
Mint Filling
- Place butter in a small mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and extract; continue to beat until smooth.
Chocolate Filling
- Place chocolate and butter in double boiler; heat until smooth, stirring often.
Assembly
- Use Decorator Bottle to pipe mint filling onto half of the brownie cookies. (If you don't want to pipe the filling onto the cookies, you can spread it on with a butterknife or spatula instead.) Spread chocolate filling onto remaining cookies. Once chocolate has cooled to room temperature, carefully press together mint and chocolate cookies. (Don't put too much pressure on the tops of the cookies--they are delicate! Instead, wiggle them back and forth, kind of like how you take apart an Oreo, but in reverse.)
Nutrition
Disclosure: I received products from Pampered Chef to help me out with my holiday baking this year. Pampered Chef also compensated me for the time I spent on this post.
Liz says
I'm with you on the cookie scoops. I JUST experienced the same mad love for scoops during MY Christmas baking marathon, which I just finished. (I'm crazy, though, and I do it all in ONE day -- 20 or so hours straight, I kid you not. It's the only way that works for me. 🙂
This was my first year with a scoop, and. Oh. My God. I'm pretty sure someone somewhere welcomed me to the Promised Land when I dropped my first cookie. 🙂 HOW did I EVER live without one of these things?? I was able to move, EASILY, 10 x faster with this scoop. (I, like you, used to use a Tablespoon, but I would pack it all in, to ensure even cookie size, then dig it all out.) I moved so quickly using them, I got to squeeze in 6 extra treats this year!
Long live the cookie scoop!
Kiersten says
I tried doing the baking in one day once and I was a basketcase by the end of the day. I'm usually a good multitasker, but that takes a special kind of multitasking ability that I just do not have. 🙂 And I'm with you on how much faster things go with the cookie scoop. It's not just the scoop, but the release! The release is the best part! No more messing with two spoons to try to get all the batter out.
Lorena Keech says
I liked Pampered Chef on Facebook
Jeanette says
These look incredible! My kids would go crazy over these cookies.
Nancy/SpicieFoodie says
Wow I love love these cookies! It's okay that they aren't the "healthy" type because it's for a special occasion. Thanks for sharing & Merry Christmas!
Kiersten says
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you too! 🙂
mjskit says
Grasshoppers are one of my favorite cocktails so I can guarantee that I would love these cookies! These look so good! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season! See you next year my friend!
Kiersten says
Thank you! And Happy Holidays to you and your family too!
Genevieve says
These cookies came out looking so perfect - I love the crinkly brownie effect! And I know what you mean about healthy cookies! I made a couple of healthy treats this year and brought them home to share with my family, but they didn't go over very well...I think they are appreciated more at other times of the year, but when it comes to the holidays, people want to splurge!
Kiersten says
Yup, I think that's definitely the case. People politely ate my whole wheat thumbprints and low cal chocolate cherry cookies, but they didn't go back for seconds. 😉
Sheila says
I just have to say.. Whoa.. time to fall off the diet. LOL! Those look and sound like my kind of treat 🙂
Kiersten says
Yeah, I put the diet on hold until after Christmas. 😉
Anne says
These look great, and I agree when it comes to sweets you can't go too healthy or no one will eat them!
Kiersten says
Exactly! And no one watches what they eat on Christmas anyway, right? 🙂
Jean F says
They look so delicious!!
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
These are totally awesome. And apparently they make me talk like a Valley Girl. 🙂 They're so cute though, and they look like they taste absolutely divine.
I just finally picked up a cookie scoop a couple of months ago myself, and I've gotta say it rocks my world! They make life so much easier and cookies so much prettier.
Kiersten says
They are totally awesome! I don't want to think about how many of these I've eaten in the past week. 🙂 (A LOT.)
Shirley says
Darn, I missed the giveaway! 🙂 My cookies were ugly before we got our cookie scoops, and we never could get them all the same size without a scoop. My other best friend is parchment. I used to be a silicone mat gal, but I'm lazy and just want to throw out the sheets when I'm done. Plus, I like how you can stack sheets of cookie dough with parchment, and I only have 2 silicone mats. I also want these brownie cookies. When I need a chocolate fix bad, I always think of brownies! And these are so cute.
Kiersten says
I have the silicone baking mats, but I accidentally bought the ones that are for bread. Oops. I really need to use parchment paper more often, not just for baking, but roasting too. My baking sheets have so much baked on gunk!
Shirley says
Parchment and silicone help with that, though the rims and bottoms of my baking sheets have baked-on grease and gunk. I guess from oil splatters.
How do you like the silicone mats for bread? Worth getting? I love baking bread, if I can plan on being at home for all the rises and steps.
Kiersten says
Well, I accidentally bought the bread mats instead of the regular ones--I actually never bake bread, so I have no idea how they work! 😉 But baking bread is on my 2013 to-do list!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Oh my goodness - yum! These look so ridiculously good! You know I'm such a sucker for mint and chocolate so these are just calling me! I know I just finished making a ton of cookies, but I want these, haha. Love their crackly little tops. Yum!
Kiersten says
Yeah, mint and chocolate is always one of my favorite combinations too. 🙂 Especially for the holidays!
Laura (GotChocolate) says
I just licked my monitor! Do you have a squeegee? Haha! Seriously, these look FANTASTIC! I love my cookie scoop too.
Kiersten says
Thank you! Coming from the authority on all things chocolate, that is a big compliment. 😀
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
These are beautiful and look so tasty! Some of my favorites this year have been the chocolate/mint combos.
Jenn says
Mmmmm...Can't wait to try these!
Chelsea says
Hi I have a question about the sugars you used- I live in Germany and brown sugar here is just raw, unrefined sugar. Its not that clumpy wet sand consistency of brown sugar in America, and the results obviously are not quite the same. Ive tried a molasses and brown sugar combo too, which also doesnt work so well. Do you have a recommendation for what to do, especially concerning this recipe? I want to make these for a party this weekend. Thanks!
Kiersten says
I'm not too familiar with brown sugar substitutions--I'm sorry! The only substitute I know of is combining molasses with white sugar. My understanding is that brown sugar actually IS just white sugar with molasses in it, so it should work in theory. You could just use white sugar in the recipe, although the cookies probably won't be chewy: http://www.bhg.com/advice/food/baking/i-am-out-of-brown-sugar-can-i-substitute-white-sugar/
Chelsea says
Thanks Kiersten.. I had tried the (impostor) brown sugar and molasses but not regular white. Ill try that and let you know how they work out. Thanks for the tip.