Melt the baker's chocolate and set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, Crisco and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, making sure they're fully incorporated. Mix in the peppermint extract and melted chocolate.
On low speed, gradually blend in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
Roll out half of the chilled dough on a floured surface until 1/4 inch think. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Don’t put more than 12 cookies on a pan.
Re-roll the scraps until you’ve used up the dough and then roll out the remaining chilled dough. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size cookie cutter used.
Chill each sheet of cookies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 5 to 6 minutes. The middles should be soft but not wet and doughy.
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.