Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

1. Stage

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Since we cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes, the mixture should be almost white.

2. Stage

Beat the eggs and vanilla into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

3. Stage

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.

4. Stage

After the dry ingredients are combined, gradually beat them into the creamed mixture, making sure there are no pockets of flour left in the dough.

5. Stage

Stir the semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips into the cookie dough with a spatula.

6. Stage

Using rounded teaspoonfuls, drop the chocolate cookie dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. (If you don't already have a cookie scoop on hand, it's one of the most helpful cookie baking supplies for frequent cookie bakers.)

7. Stage

Bake the cookies until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them rest for two minutes on the baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Editor's Tip: If you want to have perfectly round cookies, take a round cookie cutter, and swirl each cookie around in a circle on the baking sheet to round out the rougher edges.

8. Stage

Melt the white baking chips in the microwave, and stir until smooth. Editor's Tip: To play it safe and avoid burning the white chocolate chips, microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring between each round. Here are more ways how to melt chocolate if you'd prefer to use a double boiler or another method.

9. Stage

In another bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Then, beat in the melted white baking chips. Add in enough milk to reach desired consistency for the frosting—more milk will make a thinner frosting, and less milk will create a thicker frosting.

10. Stage

Frost the peppermint chocolate chip cookies, and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.