Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Ingredients

 * 1 cup margarine, (2 sticks)
 * 1 1/3 cup sugar
 * 1 tsp peppermint, flavoring
 * 1/2 cup egg, whites at room
 * -temperature
 * 3 cup all-purpose flour
 * 1/2 cup cocoa
 * 2 tsp baking powder
 * 1/4 tsp salt

Directions
Cream margarine and sugar together at medium speed untill light and fluffy. Add flavorings and egg whites, and mix at medium speed for 1 minute, scraping down bowl before and after adding flavorings and egg whites. Stir flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together to blend well; add to creamy mixture. Mix at medium speed to blend well. Cover and refrigerate from 3 hours to overnight. Return dought to room temperture. Roll our on a lightly floured board to ¼ thick. Cut with a 2 ½ round cutter or an equivalent cutter. Place on cookie sheets that have been sprayed with pan spray or lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies are almost firm. Remove cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Note: cookies will be soft if kept in an airtight container. If you want them crisp, freeze them or keep them in a container that isn"t airtight. Food exchanges per servings: 1 starch/bread exchange + 1 fat exchange calories: 115, fat: 5g, cho: 16g, na: 98mg, pro: 2g, cholesterol: 0