Decadent Andes Cookies

Christmas Goodies Countdown day 21/number 5! These should probably be called Andes Mint Bombs, as they are decadently minty and wonderful. Seriously, if you love chocolate and mint, these are your cookie nirvana! These are a 10+ out of 10, especially when you have a glass of milk ready to go with :D

Note: I have adjusted the mint frosting amount below from what I said in the video so that it will be enough for the whole batch.

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/X0xM7chRuw8

Original recipe credit: https://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2015/12/ultimate-andes-mint-cookies.html

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

For the cookie dough--
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. brown sugar

for the mint frosting--
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. pure peppermint extract
1 2/3 c. powdered sugar
green food coloring
~1 T. milk (not sure, as I did not measure)

for the chocolate Sauce--
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T. butter
~1 T. milk (again, did not measure)

8 Andes mints, finely chopped (or you can use Andes baking bits)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. For the cookies--In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cake mix, eggs, butter, vanilla, and brown sugar.

3. Shape dough into balls that are just slightly larger than a Tablespoon and place on prepared cookie sheets (I used my cookie scoop to help with this).

4. Bake for 7-9 min--they will still look a bit poufy--then let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 min. after removing from oven, before transferring to cooling rack.

5. For the mint frosting--Beat the butter, peppermint extract, powdered sugar, and a little milk together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Keep mixing in small splashes of milk until frosting is fluffy/spreadable consistency. Mix in green food coloring (amount depends on how green you want to go; for the video, I went much heavier on the green for Christmas look).

6. Spread frosting on tops of cooled cookies.

7. For the chocolate sauce--Add chocolate chips and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-15 sec. increments, stirring after each one until sauce is smooth and all chips are melted (took about 50 sec total for me).

8. Stir in small splashes of milk until it reaches correct consistency--it should be slightly less thick than the mint frosting, but not runny (see the video for example).

9. Spoon a little sauce onto each cookie, then top with chopped Andes mints. Enjoy!