drop everything and go make these cookies

Seriously.

My friend, Disco Mom, as a part of her month-long mouth-watering Virtual Goody Plate, included a recipe for Surprise Mint Cookies (a.k.a. Junior Mint Meltaways).

You might remember that I love a good surprised-filled cookie. And so last week I went on a quest for Junior Mints. Oddly enough, it took me a few tries before I found a store that actually had Junior Mints in stock (I guess the rest of the neighborhood got a hold of the recipe, too), but I eventually came away victorious.

The cookies are simple to make and delicious to scarf down -- I mean, eat daintily. (On second thought, I really do mean scarf down. They are really, really good.) Think chocolate chip cookie dough, sans the chocolate chips but with instead a Junior Mint hidden inside. The mint melts as it bakes, creating a cookie infused with minty chocolate.

Because my heart just can't leave you here, sitting in your own drool, without sharing the recipe, I will post it below. All kudos for these cookies really should go to Disco Mom, without whose recipe I wouldn't be aware of this little bite of heaven, so if you want to thank her personally, feel free to here. (She also posted pictures, which I, in my eagerness to scarf them down, didn't do.)

Surprise Mint Cookies
a.k.a. Junior Mint Meltaways

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

A large box of Junior Mints (movie theater size)

1. Sift together the flour, soda and salt. In a separate bowl cream the sugar, brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla and combine well. Add the flour mixture a little at a time and beat until well combined. Chill dough for 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. Make a slight indentation with your thumb and place a Junior mint in it. Use your fingers and thumb to cover the mint with dough. Keep the mint as close to the top of the cookie as you can, just enough to cover with dough. The minty filling will seep down and make the bottom super sticky if it's too low. Even though there is plenty of butter in the dough you should lightly coat your baking sheets with cooking spray in case the bottoms become sticky from the candy.

3. Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool for about 4-5 minutes on sheets before moving to a cooling rack. Decorate cookies any way you like [DM drizzled melted chocolate chips over the top of hers] or leave plain [I was lazy -- err, I mean too eager to eat them -- and took this route...they're still tasty plain]. Enjoy!

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen (i.e. not nearly enough)