When I entered to be a part of the Great Food Blogger’s Cookie Swap I got really excited to start looking up what cookie I wanted to make. It is my first cookie swap ever and I wanted a cookie that would be sweet, tasty and feel like Christmas. I looked online and found some double chocolate chip cookies, mocha chocolate chip cookies and peppermint chocolate chip cookies. I decided to blend these three types of cookies together as one, and bake peppermint chocolate chip mocha cookies for the cookie swap!

So let me back up a little first and explain exactly what the Great Food Blogger’s Cookie Swap is all about! I enter my name into the swap and some very organized bloggers (Lindsay and Taylor from Love & Olive Oil and Julle from The Little Kitchen) match everyone up with other bloggers in the cookie swap. 

They ask for a $4 donation of which 100% goes to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. They also have very generous brand partners (OXO, Land o Lakes and Dixie Crystals) who are each matching the donations received.

Once I received my list of three other bloggers I started baking and shipped out my cookies! I have to make 3 dozen and send 1 dozen to each of my matches. In return, I received a dozen cookies from each food blogger who had me as their match! It was exciting to come home from work and find a little package at my door, filled with sweet treats! 

My first batch of cookies on my doorstep were from Kim at The Finer Cookie – they were Holy Mole Chocolate Cookies and they were amazing! Just a little heat from the chipotle in adobo sauce, and yummy chocolatey sweetness to round it off nicely! 

A couple days later my second set showed up! Elaine from Flavour and Savour made beautiful and tasty biscotti – and two kinds! I received six cherry chocolate and six cranberry pecan! So good!!

And then, like clock-work when I was out of cookies, my last batch showed up! These delicious Earl Grey Shortbread cookies are from Chrissie at The Busy Baker and they didn’t last long in my house! 

Okay, now for the peppermint chocolate chip mocha cookies that I sent out to my matches! 

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Mocha Cookies

I started off by gathering all of my ingredients. 

I began by melting the butter in a pot, over medium heat.  Once melted, I took it off the heat and added in the sugars, beaten eggs, vanilla and mixed well. 

Next I added in the flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking soda, and salt and mixed well.

I folded in the chocolate chips, and placed 2-tablespoon sized balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

My husband crushed the peppermint pieces in a bag, with a hammer, on the basement concrete floor. (Use a thicker style freezer bag for this, or you could have peppermint all over your floor – we learned this the hard way…)

Sprinkle the crushed peppermint pieces overtop of cookies.

Chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be crisp and the middle soft. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let cool completely and enjoy!!

You never want to send out a batch of cookies to fellow food bloggers (or anyone for that matter) without testing them out yourself first. So my husband and I did our due diligence and tested a few and they are sweet, chocolatey, a touch of coffee and a minty finish! Perfect Christmas treat! 

Print

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE CHIP MOCHA COOKIES

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup baking cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons instant espresso granules
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 12- ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips
• Pieces of crushed candy cane

Instructions

1. Place the butter in a medium pot and melt it over low heat.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the sugars, beaten eggs, vanilla and stir well
3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
4. Fold in the chips, and place 2-tablespoon sized balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces overtop of cookies. Chill for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be set, but the middle soft.
7. Enjoy!!

Have you ever participated in a cookie swap?!