Country Inn Cookies

My husbands parents take us on a weekend trip every summer and this year we went to Milwaukee, Wi. We had so much fun spending time together at the market, the beach, and hanging out at the hotel. We stayed at a very nice Country Inn & Suites and they just so happened to have some of the best cookies we have had in a long time. They were chocolate with m&m's and fresh out of the oven when we tried them!

Last night I decided to try and replicate these cookies and boy did they turn out great! I searched and searched for the perfect chocolate cookie recipe and finally found one I thought sounded the best. It was a Martha Stewart recipe, of course.

I spiced it up a bit and came up with these:

Country Inn Cookies
1 C flour
1/2 C unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 C sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
coconut
York Peppermint Patty pieces (if you are not familiar with these they are yumm-o! I used them to decorate some of my cake pops too)

Preheat oven to 325. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Melt 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips with the butter in a microwave safe bowl. I did this for 90 seconds in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one. Once melted, stir well until completely mixed. This might take awhile. You want all of the butter mixed in with the chocolate so there is not a film of it on top.

Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment beat on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Beat until well mixed.

This is where I changed it up a bit. I divided the batter in half and added 2 oz of chocolate chips and a handful of coconut to one half and the peppermint pieces to the other half.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop by spoon fulls (do not flatten) and bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are flat and the surfaces are cracked (the cookies should still be soft). Cook on wire rack and enjoy!

Seriously, these cookies are amazing. They have a brownie taste to them and are so soft and chewy. My favorites were the ones with the peppermint pieces but the coconut ones were good too. Play around with the add-ins, I think chocolate chips and walnuts would be a great combination.

Take some time to bake this weekend and share with me what you made. I always love to hear what other people are making in their kitchens!