Add the baking soda and salt, and resume beating on medium again for another minute, or until they"re incorporated.

Add the egg and beat on medium until the batter is smooth (an additional minute should do it). Add the peppermint and chocolate extracts, and mix for about 30 seconds.

Shut off the mixer and sc.r.a.pe down the bowl. Then add the melted chocolate and mix again for another minute on medium speed.

Shut off the mixer and sc.r.a.pe down the bowl again. At low speed, mix in half of the flour. When that"s incorporated, mix in the sour cream.

Sc.r.a.pe down the bowl again and add the rest of the flour. Beat until it"s fully incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and give it a stir with a spoon. Mix in the pecan pieces by hand. (A firm rubber spatula works nicely.) Use a teaspoon to spoon the dough onto the foil-lined cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (If the dough is too sticky for you to work with, chill it for a half-hour or so, and try again.) Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F., for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they rise and become firm.

Slide the foil from the cookie sheet and onto a wire rack. Let the cookies cool on the rack while the next sheet of cookies is baking. When the next sheet of cookies is ready, pull the cooled cookies onto the counter or table and slide the foil with the hot cookies on the rack. Keep alternating until all the dough has been baked.

When all the cookies are cool, set them out on wax paper for frosting.

CHOCOLATE b.u.t.tER FROSTING:.

2 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

cup b.u.t.ter, room temperature

2 cups powdered (confectioner"s) sugar

1 and teaspoons vanilla extract

approximately 2 Tablespoons cream (or milk)

Unwrap the squares of chocolate and break them apart. Put them in a small microwave-safe bowl. (I use a 16-ounce measuring cup.) Melt them for 90 seconds on HIGH. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.

When the chocolate is cool, mix in the b.u.t.ter. Then stir in the powdered sugar. (There"s no need to sift unless it has big lumps.) Mix in the vanilla extract and the cream. Beat the frosting until it"s of spreading consistency.

Hannah"s 2nd Note: This frosting is the no-fail type. If it"s too thick, add a bit more cream. If it"s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Frost your cookies and leave them on the waxed paper until the frosting has hardened. (If you"re like me, you"ll sneak one while the frosting is still soft, just to test it, of course.) When the frosting has hardened, arrange the cookies on a pretty platter and enjoy. They store well in a covered container if you separate the layers with wax paper.

Hannah"s 3rd Note: Lisa says that when she"s in a hurry and doesn"t have time to make a frosting, she just sprinkles the cookies with a little powdered sugar while they"re still warm. She does a second sprinkling when they"re cool and calls it a day.

Yield: Approximately 6 dozen cookies.

CINNAMON CRISPS.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

2 cups melted b.u.t.ter (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)

1 cup white sugar

2 cups brown sugar (loosely packed)

2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical!)

1 teaspoon salt

4 and cups white flour (not sifted pack it down in the

cup when you measure it)

Dough ball rolling mixture:

cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt the b.u.t.ter. Add the white sugar and brown sugar, and mix well. Let the mixture sit on the counter and cool to room temperature.

When the sugar and b.u.t.ter mixture is cool, stir in the eggs. Mix well.

Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Add flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

Use your impeccably clean hands to roll the dough into walnut-sized b.a.l.l.s. (If the dough is too sticky, chill for an hour before trying it again.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl to make the dough ball rolling mixture. (Mixing it with a fork works nicely.) Roll the dough b.a.l.l.s in the mixture and then place them on a greased (or sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray) cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet. Flatten the dough b.a.l.l.s with a greased metal spatula or the palm of your impeccably clean hand.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for 10 to 15 minutes. (The cookies should have a touch of gold around the edges.) Cool the Cinnamon Crisps on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Yield: Approximately 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

COCALATTAS.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup melted b.u.t.ter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, pound)

cup white (granulated) sugar

cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons coconut extract 38

teaspoon salt