Chocolate Buttons

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375F

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, beat together first 5 ingredients

Step 3: Beat in baking soda and as much flour as you can. Mix in remaining flour with a spoon

Step 4: Shape dough into a ball and divide in half

Step 5: Roll out half of the dough between two sheets of waxed paper, to 1/16 inch thickness

Step 6: Cut out 1 - 1 1/2 inch round cookies and place cut outs on an ungreased cookie sheet

Step 7: Bake 4-5 minutes, until edges are firm

Step 8: Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool

Step 9: For the icing, melt the chocolate and shortening over low heat.

Step 10: Remove from heat and stir in mint extract

Step 11: Let chocolate mixture stand just until cool enough to handle, then transfer to a piping bag and snip off the tip

Step 12: Drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies, or pipe on chocolate to make cookies look like buttons

Step 13: Let cookies stand until icing hardens