Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cut-Out Cookies

Unfortunately as the holiday season comes to an end, so does the abundance of chocolate peppermint flavored baked goods. But before you toss the tree or start boxing up the decorations, allow yourself one more batch of holiday cookies, specifically these soft, chocolatey cookies drizzled with dark, melty, minty chocolate. They come together quickly, only require about an hour in the refrigerator, and are super fun to roll out and cut into different shapes. I personally think that drizzling on copious amounts of the dark chocolate as soon as the cookies come out of the oven is the best part, but you can decide for yourself when you make them.

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

-1/2 cup of cocoa powder

-1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon of salt

-1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

-3/4 cup of granulated sugar

-1/4 cup of dark or light brown sugar

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-4 ounces of dark chocolate 

-2 teaspoons of peppermint extract

-2 candy canes, crushed

Recipe:

-Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 3 minutes

-Add in the egg, egg yolk & vanilla extract and beat until fully combined

-Whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then slowly add it in to your butter mixture and beat just until combined

-Divide dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

-Flour a clean surface and roll out your dough to about 1/2 of an inch thick

-Cut as many cookies out as you can and then re-roll out the dough and cut again 

-Place cut-outs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

-Bake for 14 minutes- the cookies should be dry when you touch the tops

-While the cookies are cooling(still on the baking sheet), melt the dark chocolate and peppermint extract together in the microwave

-Use a fork to drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies

-Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the drizzled cookies, and place entire tray into the refrigerator for 10 minutes
-ENJOY

(adapted from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/12/chocolate-peppermint-snowflake-cookies.html)

Mini Peppermint Icebox Cakes

By now you all know that chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite combinations, so it's no surprise I decided to put a minty twist on the classic icebox cake. If you're uneducated on the topic of icebox cakes for some ridiculous reason, they are "cakes" made up of crispy cookies layered with whipped cream, and then refrigerated overnight which allows the cookies to soften a bit. The individual size makes these airy icebox cakes are the perfect dessert, snack, or even breakfast. The light, fluffy and refreshing peppermint whipped cream pairs perfectly with the soft, cake-like, intensely chocolatey cookie flavor. In an effort to stop grabbing stacks of them every time I walked by the container, I used Nabisco chocolate wafers for these mini cakes. You could definitely make your own crispy chocolate cookies, or just use another type of cookie. No matter which flavor combinations you choose, I promise you'll end up with some adorable and delicious little cakes that you won't be able to stop forking into your mouth.

Ingredients:

-1 cup of heavy cream

-1 tsp of peppermint extract (plus extra for brushing)

-2 tbsp of powdered sugar 

-1 package of Nabisco chocolate wafers (or 35 medium sized crispy cookies)

-chopped peppermint bark or crushed candy canes for sprinkling

Recipe: 

-whip the cream until soft peaks form, then add in the peppermint extract and sugar

-continue to whip until firm peaks form and set aside

-lay out some cookies and lightly brush/dab them with the peppermint extract

-layer about a tablespoon of cream on top of one wafer and top with another wafer, and repeat until you've used 5 wafers

-you can leave the cakes bare, or use another two tablespoons of cream to cover the top and sides

-if you've decided to cover the cakes in whipped cream, feel free to sprinkle on any peppermint-y garnishes you desire

-place in the fridge and let them sit overnight (i know, it's really difficult)

-take those beauties out of the fridge and admire them for all that they are 

-EAT THEM ALL