Also followed this recipe EXACTLY and the cookies came out beautifully. Yes, the dough was a bit dry at first. Just keep mixing. It looks dry and clumpy and then voila! it is a perfect chocolaty mixture! Crushed some of the peppermints into large pieces and some finely. Some of the candy melted in (to make the cookie pepperminty throughout) leaving some of the larger pieces on top. I've never been much of a baker until this Christmas, but these cookies are sure to be made again next year!

These cookies were very disappointing. Followed the recipe EXACTLY* and the cookies came out horribly. They spread out far too wide and the peppermints completely melted into the dough. From the photo, it looks like they must have added the candies halfway through baking rather than rolling the balls beforehand, which would account for the complete failure of this recipe to look anything like the photo. Plus, they taste like melted candy. Boo.