Best Peppermint Pretzel Cookies

Trina is pretty much the most amazing cookie chef I've ever met.  She has a way of tossing everything into one pot and coming out with something delicious.  I sort of volunteered her to do refreshments for a work meeting with me in December just to get a chance to bake with her. 

She showed up with a bag of treats from the drugstore, and these delicious cookies came from that.  The salt of the chocolate-covered pretzels is what really sets these off, but the chocolate peppermint combination screams Christmas to me.  It's definitely one to be written down and recreated!

Source: Trina Best
Yield: 5 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 oz   85% dark chocolate bar, chopped and melted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 cups flour
12 oz Andes peppermint crunch chips
1 single-serving bag white chocolate peppermint coated pretzels, crushed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat room-temperature butter in a large bowl until soft, then add sugars and mix until smooth.  Add eggs and mix until combined, then add vanilla.  Melt chocolate and let cool slightly before adding to the egg mixture.  Stir until combined.

2. Combine salt, baking powder, and flour in a separate bowl and slowly incorporate into the wet ingredients.  When combined, add in the peppermint bits and crushed pretzels.

3. Scoop onto cookie sheets and bake about 12 minutes, or until firm looking.  Don't let them go until firm to touch.  Let rest on cookie sheet for one minute then transfer to wire cooling racks.  Cool and store in an airtight container.