Cookies are always a good idea.

Seriously.

So why not bake a giant cookie to help you ring in the New Year?

Since I wanted our giant cookie to look like a clock, I used melted chocolate to make some numbers.  I used dark cocoa chocolate melts, but you could also use regular chocolate chips for this, too.

I melted them at 50% power in a baggy, then cut off a small corner to squeeze out the chocolate onto some parchment paper.  I let these harden while we made the cookie.

And the easiest way to shape your cookie into a circle is by using a circular pan.  I don’t have any fancy “giant cookie pans” or anything, so we smushed our cookie dough into a regular cake pan.  On top of a piece of parchment paper, though, that I had cut into a circle just smaller than the pan.  The paper keeps the cookie from sticking.

Use your favorite cookie dough here.  I went with chocolate chip, and I even used a box mix since we had some of those BOGO deals from Publix taking up room in the pantry, but you could use any recipe you like.

You need to watch it as it’s cooking.  Since it will be thicker than a regular cookie, the middle will still be a little soft when the edges are done.  You just kind of have to judge.  Usually the middle will feel a little underdone to some people (unless you overcook it), but that’s what I love about them.  It’s kind of like a cookie-brownie.

When you take the baked cookie out of the oven, let it sit for a minute or two, and then lay the chocolate numbers on top of the cookie, very gently pressing to make sure it stays in place.

The heat from the cookie will melt the bottom of the chocolate numbers and as the cookie cools the numbers will harden again.

To make the pattern easier, put the 12, 3, 6, and 9 on first, and arrange the other numbers in between them.

I drew on the hands of the clock afterwards, since I wasn’t really sure what size I’d need.  You could draw the hands ahead of time when you make the numbers, though.  And if you really want to make them ahead of time but you’re really worried about the size, make a few and choose the best when the cookie is done.

Once the cookie and numbers had finished cooled, I stuck some candles in it and we sang Happy Birthday to Mother Earth in celebration of the New Year.  My girls loved blowing out the candles at the end of the song.

Oh, and I did actually remove the cookie from the pan after we took out the candles and before we cut it.  It only cracked a little on the edge when I stuck a cake server under it to transfer it to a plate, but I didn’t take any photos after that.  Was too busy eating.  :)

Do you have any special New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day foods?  Let me know!