Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Our Best Bites Recipe, that my neighbor Tilese makes every year. So good!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour. lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled with a knife
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (12 oz) bag dark or semisweet chocolate chips
48 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped (one 10 oz bag)

Preheat oven to 350°

Cream together softened butter, shortening, and sugars 1-2 minutes on medium high until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and peppermint. Combine baking powder, soda, salt, flour and cocoa powder in a separate medium sized bowl. Add to butter-sugur mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

To prevent cookies from flattening, refrigerate dough 30-60 minutes. Drop dough by the Tbspful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just set but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool 1-2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to cooling rack. Top each cookie with an unwrapped kiss Allow cookies to cool completely, long enough for the candy to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, the refrigerator to re solidify the candy kiss.