Conference turris::cooks

    Well, you could always buy mint chocolate chips, melt them down and
    reform them into bigger pieces.
    
    L
    

    
    I was at a craft store, Michael's, last night (in Atlanta) and
    in the cake decorating aisle they had all kinds of chocolates
    for cooking that you are talking about.
    
    Try a craft shop where you live...better yet, save gas and call
    around.
    
    Good luck,
    Kristen

    Just an update for those of you following this saga....
    I did get several references on where to find these mint
    chocolate wafers. Most craft and candy stores do carry chocolate
    wafer, but they don't have mint flavored cholocate. A fellow noter
    and another friend did find them for me, though (Horray!)
    Info. is as follows:
    
    - Bordon, Inc. 134 Cambridge St. Cambridge, MA. (617) 498-0500
      Hours: 9-6 Mon. - Friday, Some Saturdays 9-3 (call first)
      This is an candy factory outlet store near the Museum of Science in 
      Boston/Cambridgeside Galleria/Lechmere Station. They don't ship small 
      quantities (although they made is sound like this might be negotiable).
      Price: $1.95/lb.  (NOTE: The box label says 'Richfield Candy Co.', I
      think. Not sure if they're a subsidiary of Bordon or not.)
    
    - Burnham and Brady, Inc. 34 Burnside Ave., E. Hartford, CT (203)
      528-9271. Will ship, no minimum quantity. Delivery is several days
      after order as these are not stock items. They must be made to
      order. Price: $8/lb.
    
    
    NOTE: Cookie recipe is in the next reply
    

MINT SURPRISE COOKIES
---------------------
						BAKE AT 375 oF for 10-12 min.

INGREDIENTS:

3 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. butter or margarine
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tblsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
mint chocolate wafers
walnut or pecan halves


DIRECTIONS:

1. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, cream butter and gradually add sugar and brown 
   sugar. Cream well.
3. Blend in eggs, water, and vanilla. Beat well.
4. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. Enclose mint chocolate wafers in dough (enough to cover wafer).
6. Top with pecan or walnut half.
7. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 oF for 10-12 minutes.

    Curious, why wouldn't an "andes" mint work?  My guess is that it would
    melt and eliminate the "surprise" aspect; the wafers are tempered and
    remain whole during the baking process?  This sounds like a great
    recipe, but I do wonder if I can substitute a mint candy, rather than
    search in my area for the wafers???? 
    

    I've made them succesfully with "Thin Mints".  These are the candies
    that are about the size of a half-dollar, chocolate coated, with a
    white mint filling.  I learned after the first batch to line my cookie
    sheet with foil or wax paper - when the inside melts it can create
    qiute a mess if the cookie dough isn't wrapped entirely around the
    candy or if it just leaks!
    
    Using the Thin Mints you get the mint flavor and a thin layer of
    chocolate in the middle of the cookie - you don't see the white layer
    since it melts into the dough.  (and no, you don't have to change
    the recipe at all to compensate for the melting mint)
    
    These are on my "must have" list of cookies for every holiday!
    
    Conni

  >  Curious, why wouldn't an "andes" mint work?  My guess is that it would
  >  melt and eliminate the "surprise" aspect; the wafers are tempered and
  >  remain whole during the baking process?  This sounds like a great
  >  recipe, but I do wonder if I can substitute a mint candy, rather than
  >  search in my area for the wafers???? 
    
    I've used the Andes candies when I've made these. As long as the dough
    completely covers the candy, you don't lose the surprise aspect. I do
    break them in half. They aren't *exactly* like I remember as a child,
    but they're sure close enough.
    
    Sue
    

    RE: last several....
    
    My mother-in-law has tried several methods...using many of the mint
    chocolate chips and using 1/2 of an Andes or thin mint. Both work,
    althought the chocolate chips method is much more time consuming...
    I was just trying to find these wafers as that would allow her to
    make the cookies 'the old-fashioned' way. I thought this would be
    a nice Christmas surprise for her (and her kids...who haven't had the
    'original' recipe in years!). For those of you who can't find the
    wafers locally, substitute the Andes mints.  

    This is really late, obviously, but couldn't you buy plain milk or
    semi-sweet wafers (like the candy-making wafers or the large Nestle
    chips they make now) and put them in a tightly covered container with
    cheesecloth or cotton soaked with pure peppermint extract?  I know that
    when I buy chocolates at truly fine chocolate shops (a luxury!), they
    refuse to put peppermint creams in with the rest unless you're going to
    eat them immediately.  They always say that the rest of the chocolates
    will taste like the peppermint.
    
    You've found sources, so it doesn't matter.  Has anyone tried this,
    though?
    
    Susan