Mmmm.........

When the boys were young, we used a Countdown to Christmas calendar. It had a pocket for each day that held a strip of paper with an activity that would help us get ready for Christmas. Even though I haven't used that calendar for many years, I still like the concept of spreading out the holiday activities, and try to do one or two things every day to make the season less hectic

I made these rich, decadent cookies to take to a party tonight.  The recipe's from Martha Stewart.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Ghirardelli chips--no chopping required!)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 10 ounces chocolate (Martha suggested using a double boiler, but I did mine in the microwave). Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in melted chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until combined (do not overmix). Fold in 6 ounces chocolate and cranberries.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets. In batches, bake cookies until edges are dry and tops are cracked, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let stand on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool.

(Note: I wanted smaller ones than the recipe called for, so I used a 2-teaspoon scoop and decreased the baking time proportionally.  I ended up with almost 7 dozen bite-sized cookies.)