Bittersweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick) or 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate or 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces vanilla candy coating, melted (or chocolate chips or cubes, beware, though, that chocolate won't be as wax as candy coa)
• 3/4 cup finely crushed peppermint candies or 3/4 cup finely chopped pistachio nut

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 375°f mix sugar, butter, vanilla, egg, cream cheese and chocolate in large bowl until smooth. mix flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture.
• 2 divide dough in half. roll each half 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered surface with cloth-covered rolling pin. cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• 3 bake 8 to 10 minutes or until dry and set. remove from cookie sheet. cool on wire rack.
• 4 roll edge of cookies about 1/4 inch deep in candy coating; immediately roll in candies or pistachios.
• 5 place on waxed paper.
• 6 let stand about 10 minutes or until coating is set.