Oh So Good....PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

I think you’ll agree these Peppermint bark cookies will literally be the most festive cookies on your Christmas cookie trays. They are sooooooo D’Licious!!

Note:  If you are not a fan of peppermint... I highly suggest making these anyway and substituting any flavor extract and festive topping that floats your boat!

Peppermint Bark Cookies
There are 3 parts to these babies!

1. Super soft chocolate sugar cookies
2. White chocolate flavored with peppermint extract
3. Crushed candy canes

These yummy, soft chocolate cookie is a roll-out cookie flavored with cocoa powder. The chocolate sugar cookie dough is very easy to work with and requires approximately 1 hour of chilling in the refrigerator– 2 hours is even better. And, if you really want to get ahead, you can chill the cookie dough for up to 2 days. You’ll notice in my sugar cookie recipes that I roll the cookie dough out before chilling. Over the past several years, I learned that this method is much easier than chilling the cookie dough in a ball and then trying to roll out a cold chunk of dough. Dividing the dough in half before rolling makes the process easier because smaller sections are more manageable to roll out.

Helpful tip: Flour is helpful when rolling out cookie dough. It helps prevent the dough from sticking to the surface and rolling pin. However, we are making chocolate sugar cookies, use cocoa powder instead of flour for extra chocolate flavor!

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES
 
Ingredients:

·         3/4 cup (172g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
·         1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
·         1 large egg, at room temperature
·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
·         1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour  - (spooned and leveled)
·         3/4 cup (63g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (or dutch process)
·         1 teaspoon baking powder
·         1/8 teaspoon salt
 
Instructions:

1.       In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
2.       Sift the flour and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the baking powder and salt until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.
3.       Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment to about 1/4″ thickness. Stack the pieces (with parchment paper between) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours. Chilling is mandatory. If chilling for more than a couple hours, cover the top dough piece with a single piece of parchment paper. You can chill up to 2 days.
4.       Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. The amount of batches will depend on how large/small you cut your cookies. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and using a cookie cutter, cut in shapes. Transfer the cut cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
5.       Bake for 10 minutes– the cookies will still appear soft. Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Peppermint White Chocolate

1. Once the chocolate sugar cookies are cool, dunk them in pure white chocolate. Flavor the white chocolate with some peppermint extract and thin it out with a little oil. The thinner the chocolate, the easier coating the cookies will be.
2. Use white chocolate baking bars, such as Bakers or Ghirardelli brands, found in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. They’re usually on sale this time of year! Don’t use white chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and are processed so that they DO NOT melt in the oven. Dunking cookies in melted white chocolate chips is impossible.

 Dip, Dip, Dip Tip:

• Use candy dipping tools to make this job easier…. the 2 or 3 pronged tool are best for dipping cookies. A fork works too, but the inexpensive dipping tools make the white chocolate coating very clean and neat.

ENJOY!
Have a VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!