Double Chocolate Holiday Cookies

The holidays are fast approaching, and I’ve tried to get a head start on my holiday baking. If you’re anything like me, your baking time is limited to the time when your kids nap and after they go to bed, so this year, I’m trying to keep it simple. I was going to make my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe and add Christmas Smarties to them, but instead, experimented with a double chocolate cookie recipe- and I am so happy that I did, let me tell you. It was super easy and took no time at all.

If you know anything about me, you know that chocolate is one of my favourite things in the world next to red wine and coffee. The fact that there are many health benefits associated with dark chocolate is a bonus. Chocolate is full of phytonutrients, antioxidants and polyphenols that may help to reduce blood pressure, prevent strokes, prevent cancer, and even enhance our vision. I’m talking about chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa though, not milk chocolate or white chocolate. This is good news for dark chocolate lovers like me.

Double Chocolate Cookies (that I seriously whipped up during naptime!)

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large eggs whites
6 Tbsp Maple Syrup
4 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Holiday Smarties (or white chocolate chips, mint chocolate chips or butterscotch chocolate chips)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar together until you reach the consistency of wet sand
Beat eggs, egg whites, maple syrup and vanilla in to mixture until smooth
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar/egg mixture and stir by hand until almost combined
Add in Smarties or chocolate chips and stir until combined
Drop spoonfulls on to parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, until just set around edges and soft in the middle. If you want them soft and chewy, don’t over-bake.
Makes 3 dozen cookies

If you want to go one step further, you could package 8-10 cookies in these cool Santa bags that you can get at Ikea and bring them to family and friends during the holidays: