Not-so-thin mints

In the summers, when his college swimmers were off doing internships in big cities or being lifeguards at home, my coach would turn his attention to coaching elementary-aged kids.  He had a lot of fun with his "little guys," and came up with some unusual enticements for good swimming technique.  One of his favorites was to help with holding the head still and looking straight up during backstroke.  He would give each kid a small candy - say, a Hershey's kiss - and have the kid float on their back, place the candy on their forehead, and then kick or swim to the other end of the pool without dropping the candy, where they'd then get to eat it.

Of course, it's not only the little guys who need to work on their technique; all swimmers have room for improvement in their stroke.  So a couple of times a season, we "big guys," too, would kick across the pool with a candy on our foreheads - often a York Peppermint Pattie.  I'm not sure how much that really helped any of us with our head position, but we weren't about to turn down candy during practice. 

There was something about being in the pool that made those peppermint patties so much better than usual - the chlorine flavor already in the mouth brought new complexity to the chocolate and heightened the fresh, cooling sensation of the mint which in turn made breathing - and getting more pool water in your mouth - more refreshing.  It may sound a little strange, but I remember those pool peppermint patties quite fondly.

Take note, Ferran Adrià: chocolate, mint, and chlorine is an inspired combination.

But I'm no molecular gastronomist.  Call me a coward, but I tend to stay away from using toxic gases in my cooking.  For my own purposes, chocolate and mint will have to stand on their own.  Luckily, they're up to the challenge.

My thin mints ran out a few days ago, so I decided to make some chocolate-mint cookies of my own.  But frosting seemed like way too much complication, and I generally prefer a thick, chewy cookie to a crisp wafer, so I adjusted a recipe for double chocolate cookies.  And for once in my life, I actually tested a few different combinations: I made batches with just peppermint extract, with peppermint and vanilla, and with peppermint, vanilla, and a couple of teaspoons of espresso powder.  Just peppermint had the biggest minty punch, while the vanilla brought a nice complete flavor, mellowing the harsher chocolate notes with a subtle minty finish.  The coffee gave the chocolate a toasty aroma but completely overwhelmed the mint. I think the peppermint and vanilla pairing was the most successful - but if you feel like working some chlorine into the mix, be sure to tell me how it turns out!

Triple chocolate not-so-thin mints
Adapted from the fantastic New Best Recipe

These are rich, chewy, toothsome bites.  The melted chocolate and cocoa powder bring an intense chocolate flavor, while the mint brings a bright freshness, particularly in the finish.  Peppermint extract is strong stuff - a quarter teaspoon gives plenty of minty kick.  Cookies keep well tightly covered on the counter for a few days, or frozen for a few months - just pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds to reheat.

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 cups all-purpose flour
heaping 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
8 ounces chocolate chips (about 1 1/4 cups) (optional)

In a double boiler, melt the bittersweet chocolate, then remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In a second small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the peppermint and vanilla extracts, then set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, then mix in the sugar and brown sugar, beating until well combined.  Next, beat in the egg mixture until smooth, then stir in the melted chocolate, mixing until homogeneous.  Finally, use a spoon to gently mix in the chocolate chips (if using) and flour mixture, beating until just combined.  Cover the batter tightly and let rest 20 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Roll balls of dough in your palms, using about two tablespoons of dough per cookie.  Place cookies about two inches apart on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the sheet and switching from the top to bottom rack after 5 minutes.  Cookies may appear undercooked, but they will continue to set as they cool.  Let cool 10 minutes before removing from the sheet.