St. Patrick's Mint Chip Cookies (a day late!)

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day - and that means all things GREEN! Or, perhaps it does if you have it in you to plan ahead! After I tucked my kids into bed Wednesday night I jumped on Facebook to have my 'me time' and unwind & I started seeing my friends mention all the fun things they had planned for St.Patrick's Day - Leprechaun traps, green foot prints all over the house, green toilet water, all sorts of fun green meals with more green food than I think I could handle! Fun treats, special shirts - and what did I have planned!!?? That's right, folks - I just pulled any old green shirt out of their closets & called it good! LOL It was way too late for me to run out & get anything to surprise them with in the morning so instead I went to the store the next day & had these cookies ready for them when they got home from school!

The line up:


Flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, salt, butter, Andes chips, butter & eggs(not pictured).


Have you seen these things!?? I could seriously just sit there & chow down on a bag & mindlessly devour the entire thing without realizing it! Way more dangerous than the actual Andes Mints because there is no unwrapping to slow you down!


First up you're gonna cream the butter & sugar together (so make sure you're starting with room temp/softened butter!)


It's so pretty & white! (makes it take on the color well!) Now add the eggs & vanilla & give it another whirl.


Once you've got that all fluffy & wonderful add in your dry ingredients. If you're a responsible baker you should sift the flour, salt & baking powder together first. If you're me, just sprinkle in the salt & powder as the mixer is going, then add the flour. Blend it well & then add in your food coloring. How much? Lots! LOL The original recipe only said 8-10 drops. I did more than that & still feel like I should have done more - I was using the cheap little drops that they sell in the grocery store baking aisle. Just make the dough a little darker than you actually want your cookies since they'll lighten up a little as they bake.


Last step is to add your Andes chips!


It's like a giant bowl of mint-chip ice cream! YUM!

Scoop these out with your 1-tablespoon cookie scoop. You all have one of those, right!?? Don't have one!? GET ONE! (Name that movie, moms!!)


Bake at 375. Original recipe says 12-15 minutes. In my oven they were done at 8 minutes. You know your oven - just watch that first batch!


Breathe it in - they smell so great as they bake! As much as you'll want to eat them hot/warm, I recommend you let them cool. I ate them warm & thought *ehhh - they're OK*. Then I went back & had a cold one & thought *YUM!!!* And then I ate 3 more! LOL Danger, danger!

St. Patrick's Mint Chip Cookies:

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Green Food Coloring, 8 – 10 drops
2 cups Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

Preheat oven to 375. Add butter and sugar to stand mixer. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Add vanilla and mix until light and fluffy again.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to mixer and mix on low until combined. Add enough green food coloring to get the right color. Different brands will take different amounts, but 8 – 10 drops is about what it will take. (The color of the dough should be a little darker than you want the cookie color to be.) Add mint chips and mix until incorporated.

Drop cookie dough by the tablespoon onto parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes at 375. Let cool.

Source: The Family Kitchen on Babble