Approved by the Bearded Mouse

All I can say is YUM-O!!
These cookies were a hit this evening and they passed several rounds of "poison testing." We actually won't get most of them. The teachers at Wootton High School will have them as part of the PTA Cookie Exchange.

Ghiradelli Mint Cookies

3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp water
11.5 oz bag Ghiradelli 70% chocolate chips (see notes)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. soda
For topping: Andes mint candies, unwrapped and cut in half

Melt together butter, brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Allow chocolate mixture to stand at least 10 minutes.

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well and add eggs. Begin stirring in chocolate mixture into flour mixture until well blended. Cover dough and chill at least one hour. (Or... go decorate Christmas tree, eat dinner and then come back to bake after dinner.)

Roll into balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Please 1/2 Andes mint on top of each cookie. Let sit on tray for a minute or two. Remove to cooling rack.

Once Andes candy has re-hardened, remove to an air-tight container.

Chocoholic approval scale: (on a scale of 1-10) 10!

Yield: Unknown. Made at least 4 dozen (enough for cookie exchange). Unable to really count them because they kept evaporating!

Notes: You can use regular chocolate chips, but decrease the sugar! The original recipe suggested swirling the melting candy over the top of the cookie. We like them left as is.