Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a baking brush butter a mini cookie pan or spend the time like a I did and cut out little circles of parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar until it is fluffy.

Add molasses and mix.

Add egg and vanilla extract.

Spoon in flour mixture in patches adding a 1/4 at a time and mixing until just combined after each addition.

Divide the cookie dough into two portions (the dough will cool faster and evenly divided into two portions instead of one big mass of cookie dough) and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer.

Remove from fridge and working on a floured surface roll out gingerbread cookie dough to 1/4 thickness using a rolling pin.

Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of gingerbread dough into the palm of your hand and work into a ball. Press ball into mini cookie pan hole and add 3 - 4 dark chocolate chips.

Repeat process until you have filled the mini cookie pan.

At 325 degrees bake cookies for 10 - 14 minutes.

Remove from oven and and while dough is still soft press shards of crushed peppermint candy cane into cookies.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve.