[rambling + recipe] Peppermint Thoughts

Many of you don't actually know what I do for a living... I'm a freelance corporate instructor. Don't know what that is? That's ok, I don't get it sometimes either. But basically, it means different companies hire me for different amounts of time to teach their employees. Most of the time it's Business English, but sometimes it'll be interview skills or presentation methods, things of that nature.

For the past year I've been with an extremely well-known company (not giving any names but hint: you probably have some of their products within 100 meters of you RIGHT NOW), and today is the last day of my contract.

It's a weird feeling because as great as the company was, the commute was absolutely horrible. I'm on public transportation anywhere from 3-4.5 hours a day and really, with 10 hour days, that starts to take a toll on your body. The past year has been tough - especially with my insomnia, and maybe that's why I've been baking so much.

But it's bittersweet because the people I've gotten to know, the industry I've gotten interested in, and the skills I've further strengthened THROUGH my teaching... all of those have been such gems in my life. I've grown much more as a person through those bus rides and walks, and learned from people who have ruled the industry for the past two, three decades.

So as 2015 comes to a close, I don't know what to feel. It's a mix of swirls and whirls, and in that sense much like a peppermint. The taste sets of a trigger in your mind, and yet there's something so peaceful.

I don't know that there's a point to this... maybe in 2016 I'll have some epiphany about what it was all supposed to mean. But in the meantime, have some peppermints... and think about the swirl of 2015... how was it for you? What were your lows? What were your highs? And where did you find your peace?

And after that... eat some cookies. Because at the end of the day, we all have some room for cookies.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Ingredients:
- 1 stick of butter
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 whole (preferably free-range) egg
- optional: 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract or some leftover crushed peppermint powder
- 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- crushed peppermint (or crushed candy canes, whatever floats your boat!)

Instructions:

1. Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the egg and peppermint extract, beat well.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl (without chocolate chips!)
3. Beat in the dry mixture to your wet mixture in increments - but don't overbeat. You don't want tough cookies (ha!)
4. Stir in your chocolate chips
5. With a cookie scoop (or in my case my handy 1.5 inch icecream scoop), portion out your cookies and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6. During the (what seems like forever) wait, line a cookie sheet with some parchment paper. Lay out your cookie dough about 1.5 inches apart and make sure your dough is a bit flattened to make them bake evenly.
7. Bake for 12 minutes, and as soon as they're out of the oven, sprinkle generously with crushed peppermint. Let cool completely on a wire rack. 
8. Enjoy!