Chocolate-Covered Chocolate Mint Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 - 1 cup butter.
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate

Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into your stand mixer's bowl fitted with the steel whisk attachment. Add the 3/4 cup of butter and mix on high speed to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, peppermint oil, and vanilla and pulse until a dough forms. If the dough is having a hard time forming after massaging it a bit with your hands, add more butter! (butter solves everything)

Remove the dough from the stand mixer and shape into a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick disks and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Switch the baking sheets from top to bottom and rotate from front to back and continue to bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cookies are light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on racks. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool between batches. Do not handle the cookies until they are cool, or they'll break; they're very delicate.

Melt and temper the bittersweet chocolate (see additional notes below). Keep the chocolate warm while you dip the cookies.

Cover a work surface with parchment paper. Dip the cookies one by one in the chocolate, using a fork to turn them over and then lift them out of the chocolate. Set the dipped cookies on the parchment. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

This recipe was inspired by Oprah's version

Tempering chocolate can test your temper!! But it is an important step in order to protect the appearance of the chocolate, especially if you plan to freeze them. Without tempering, the chocolate can appear blotchy and modelled. 

The instructions I found the most success with are the instructions communicated by Fine Cooking accessed here.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Baking!!