If using Oreos, twist the sandwiches apart and use a butter knife to scrape out the cream filling. You can discard the filling, or eat it. You won't need it for the cookies. Split 8 Oreos to make 16 chocolate cookies. Set the cookies aside.

Place a piece of wax or parchment paper on a baking sheet and set it aside. You will place the cookies here to cool.

Set a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water and dump the chocolate chips into the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate chips until they melt completely and you have a smooth, glossy chocolate sauce. Stir in the peppermint extract. Start with ¼ teaspoon, stir it in and taste it. If you'd like more peppermint flavor, stir in a drop or two at a time until you reach the peppermint flavor that you prefer. I leave the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water during the dipping process because it needs to stay smooth and melted.

Working with one cookie at a time, submerge it into the chocolate sauce and use a fork to flip it over and coat all sides. Once the cookie is coated in chocolate, use the fork to lift it out of the chocolate and tap the fork several times on the side of the bowl, allowing the extra chocolate to run off the cookie and back into the bowl. This will also help smooth out the tops of the cookie. Place the cookie on the parchment paper and continue with the rest of the cookies*. Once all the cookies have been dipped, you can transfer the baking sheet to the fridge for faster cooling or you can leave it at room temp for a couple hours, until the chocolate firms up