Recipe: Brownie Mounds / Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

Last week, we had a church service activity where we gathered at Phylis Steltzner's house to teach the young women (ages 8 - 18) how to make cookies.  Phylis was looking for a drop cookie, so I volunteered to teach my Mom's Christmas standard - Brownie Mounds - the wonderful cookie with a less than wonderful name.  Everyone raved about them, so I wanted to make sure to post the recipe, but didn't get to it right away (shocking, I know.)

In the mean time, I came across a recipe for a chocolate cookie with a candy cane (peppermint) kiss on top.  With the yumminess of the Brownie Mounds still echoing in my head, I decided to cross the two recipes.  Peppermint Brownie Mounds didn't have a great ring to it, so I renamed them Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms (after the similar Peanut Butter Blossom cookie).  You'll want to omit the walnuts if you make the blossom version. These cookies are rich but so yummy.  Enjoy!

Brownie Mounds / Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

3 1/2 c Flour, sifted
1 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
2/3 c Butter
1 1/2 c Sugar
2/3 c Karo Light Corn Syrup
2 Eggs
6 squares Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate, Melted
2 t Vanilla
3/4 c Walnuts, finely chopped (Brownie Mounds only, optional)
60 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses (Peppermint Blossoms only), unwrapped
Granulated Sugar (Peppermint Blossoms only)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix margarine and sugar. Add Karo syrup and eggs.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Melt chocolate squares according to package directions.
Stir in flour, melted chocolate, vanilla, and nuts.

Brownie Mounds:  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake in 350 oven 10-12 min. Let cool 2 minutes, then move to cooling rack.

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms: roll a generous tablespoon size ball of dough in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet.  Bake in 350 oven 10 minutes.  Immediately upon removing them from the oven, press an unwrapped candy cane kiss gently in the center of the cookie.  Let cool 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 5 doz.

Footnotes:  Don't double. Doesn't turn out well.