A yummy way to dispose of old candy canes!

You know those candy canes that are leftover after Christmas every year? The ones you find hiding in the back of a cabinet in late August? Personally, I always tuck them away with grand plans to use them as hot cocoa stirrers or something equally as cute but then forget about them.

This year, I was making a batch of chocolate chip cookies using my new favorite recipe, found on the Neiman Marcus website (yes, the ritzy department store). Anyway, after I had scooped about half the batch I had the brilliant idea to crush up the 5 or 6 candy canes sitting in a bowl on my table and throw them into the remaining dough. The result: my new favorite holiday/post holiday treat! I mean, peppermint and chocolate together - what's not to like?!

The only change I made to the recipe was that I used regular instant coffee granules in place of the espresso powder, which I did not have lying around. I would also suggest baking for 18 minutes instead of 20 if you prefer a chewier cookie. They came out pretty crunchy at 20 minutes, although placing them in a plastic storage bag along with a piece of bread remedied that overnight. I recommend enjoying this cookies warm (zap them in the microwave for a few seconds) with a lovely peppermint mocha or hot cocoa. Yum!