Double Chocolate Candy Cane Coffee Cookies

Ingredients

Featured ingredient: Candy Cane Coffee 8 oz. Ground

Strong Coffee for cookies and icing:

• • 3 Tbsp. Door County Candy Cane Coffee
  • ½ cup Boiling water
  • Steep 10 minutes, strain. Set aside to cool.

Cookies:

• • ½ cup shortning
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tbsp. Reserved strong coffee
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp. peppermint extract
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • ¾ cup cocoa (I use Ghirardelli brand)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup roasted, salted pistachio nuts

Icing:

• • 4 Tbsp. Butter at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 1 Tbsp. Reserved strong coffee
  • 2 Tbsp. Light cream (Half & Half)
  • 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp Peppermint extract

Instructions

Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat shortning and butter together. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Next add eggs, coffee and extracts.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
• Add dry ingredients gradually to batter in bowl until combined.
• By hand, stir in chocolate chunks and nuts
• Drop onto parchment lined baking sheet, approx.. ¼ cup each or use scoop.
• Press down lightly with damp fingers.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack.

Icing:

• In mixing bowl, beat butter until soft. Add remaining ingredients alternating dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Frost cooled cookies.
• Garnish with crushed candy canes or chopped pistachios if desired.