Chocolate Mint Cookies

Here's our variation on the infamous Neiman Marcus cookie recipe, based on what we like and/or what we had on hand.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

2 sticks butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2.5 cups blended oatmeal**
1.5 cups whole-wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
12 oz. chocolate or chocolate-mint chips (I used Andes)

** Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder.

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Add chocolate chips. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

I've learned to slightly underdo the flour in cookie recipes, especially when using whole-wheat flour, because it leads to moister cookies--so in this case I decreased the flour from 2 to 1.5 cups. The original recipe also called for a grated Hershey bar, which I didn't have, so I substituted cocoa powder; I only had 1/2 tsp baking soda (since we use it for everything) but the original called for a whole teaspoon. They still came out great--subtly minty, actually fairly healthy, and nice and chocolatey. Yum!