Ingredients

For The Cookies:
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
Confectioners' sugar, for work surface
For The Ganache
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

For The Glaze:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped

Directions

1. Make cookies: Whisk together cocoa powder and flour in a bowl. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg until well blended. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter; space 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining scraps of dough. Bake cookies until firm, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

3. Meanwhile, make ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly until chocolate is smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Let cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie; sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.

5. Make glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly. Dip one flat side of each sandwich into melted chocolate to coat; gently shake off excess. Place sandwiches, chocolate sides up, on wire racks set over baking sheets. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cookies can be refrigerated in a single layer in airtight containers up to 2 days.

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Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

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As if you needed another reason to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, here comes National Chocolate Chip Day on May 15th!

Chocolate Chip Origins

Chocolate chips were created in 1937 by Ruth Graves Wakefield when she chopped up some chocolate and baked the pieces in a batch of cookies. The cookies became extremely popular, and in 1939 Nestle began producing Toll House Chocolate Chips.

Chocolate Chip Celebrations

I will be celebrating National Chocolate Chip Day by baking several batches of chocolate chip cookies. I won't be hoarding all of the cookies I bake though. I plan to make enough so we can spread the joy of this wonderful day to our neighbors and friends.

I've listed a few of the ways we celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day below. Choose one for your family this year or brainstorm a new way to enjoy the classic American chocolate chip cookie.

1. Divide your chocolate chip cookies into individual portions, such as two cookies. Place them in a ziploc bag with a card that says Celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day! Enjoy! You can then hand these bags of treats out at work, school and to your neighbors.

2. Have a chocolate chip cookie parade! My kids each made 2 huge chocolate chip cookies from posterboard. I connected them with string, and they wore their chocolate chip cookie costumes as they marched around the neighborhood giving out the real cookies they helped make.

3. Celebrate quietly by just having chocolate chip cookies as a snack or for dessert. Talk about how your family enjoys chocolate chip cookies or how you enjoyed them when you were a kid.

4. Invite family and friends over for a milk and cookies party. You can provide the cookies and milk or you could just have each family that attends bring a batch of their very own chocolate chip cookies.

5. Enjoy a handful of chocolate chips and glass of red wine. They are both full of healthy antioxidants so you will be taking care of your body while celebrating National Chocolate Chip Day.

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