Chocolate And Peppermint Stars Food

CHOCOLATE-AND-PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• Finely grind peppermint candies in a food processor.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, then vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in flour mixture until combined, about 2 minutes. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut out star shapes using 2 1/2-, 4 1/2-, and 5-inch cookie cutters. Cut a smaller star from the center of each cookie using cookie cutters that are about 1 inch smaller than the larger cutter used. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart. Bake until slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Fill the center of each cookie with ground peppermints. Bake until candy melts, about 6 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of paper to hang over the sides.
• Make the shortbread: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add butter and process until a smooth dough forms. Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake until firm to the touch, and sides of the crust are beginning to pull away from the pan, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.
• Make the filling: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar, butter, cream and peppermint extract. Beat until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste. Press filling evenly over shortbread. Chill to set the filling for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Use parchment paper overhang to lift the shortbread and peppermint out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares (there should be 36 squares). Place squares on a rack placed over a parchment-lined sheet tray, and let them come to room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt 7 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat, add remaining 2 ounces chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
• Add coconut oil, if using, and stir the chocolate until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate on top of a cut peppermint square, using the back of the spoon to spread chocolate to the edges. Be sure to fully cover the top of the square with chocolate. (Leave the sides exposed, though it's O.K. if some of the chocolate drips down.) Repeat with remaining squares.
• Let squares sit at room temperature until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• Sift flour, cocoa, and salt into medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients; beat until dough holds together. Divide dough in half. Shape each piece into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm enough to roll, at least 45 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Set rack in center of oven and preheat to 300°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using 3-inch star-shaped cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather scraps into ball. Wrap; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until tops feel firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely. Repeat rolling, cutting, and baking until all dough is used. Do ahead Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.
• Stir chocolate in small metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water until smooth. Using small spoon, drizzle chocolate over cookies in zigzag lines. Sprinkle with crushed candies. Drizzle remaining chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour. Do ahead Can be made 3 days ahead. Store cookies between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature.****

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• Make Cookies:
• Make Buttery Sugar Cookie dough as directed, but reduce the flour to 1 1/3 cups and add the cocoa. Whisk the flour and cocoa together.
• Halve dough and wrap each half in wax paper, shaping each into a flattened rectangle, then store each half in a resealable plastic bag. Chill dough until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• While oven heats, roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) between two large sheets of wax paper to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, quick-chill on a baking sheet in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator until firm.)
• Peel back top sheet of wax paper and cut out as many cookies with cutter as possible. Transfer cookies, as cut, to a lined baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart. (If dough becomes too soft to remove the cookies, quick-chill on a baking sheet in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator until firm.)
• Gather, reroll, and chill scraps to form more cookies.
• Freeze or chill cut-out cookies on baking sheet until firm before baking.
• Bake cookies, one sheet at time, until edges are a shade darker and centers are set, 9 to 12 minutes. For picture-perfect cookies, use cookie cutters while cookies are hot from the oven to trim edges. (Keep trimmings for snacks.) Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough. (Cool baking sheets and use fresh parchment between batches.)
• Decorate Cookies:
• Using the offset spatula or a small rubber spatula, spread cooled cookies with a thin layer of melted chocolate, then sprinkle with some crushed candy canes.
• Let cookies stand at room temperature until the chocolate has set, about 1 hour.

PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in crushed candies. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into shapes with a floured 2-1/2-in. star cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, milk and extract; stir until smooth. Tint with food coloring if desired. Spread over cookies.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SHOOTING STAR CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and boil the kettle. First, make the chocolate cake. Liberally grease the bundt tin with butter, then dust with flour and shake out the excess. Put the cocoa in a bowl with a pinch of salt, cover with 150ml hot water from the kettle, mix until smooth, then set aside to cool. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold everything together. Stir the soured cream into the cocoa mixture, then add to the other bowl and mix until just combined, then scrape into the prepared tin. Bake for 35 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 15 mins in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• When the cake is cool, transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and make space for the cake and tray in your freezer. Slice the cake into pieces roughly the thickness of your star cutter, then pull each piece out a little, so there is space around each one. Pop the cake in the freezer for 2 hrs, or overnight.
• When the cake is firmly frozen, lay each slice on its side, keeping them in the same circular pattern, and cut out a star, using the cutter, from the middle of each piece. Leftover cake can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months, ready for making a trifle. Return the cut-out stars to the freezer.
• Now, make the peppermint cake. Grease the same bundt tin and heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each, then add the flour, soured cream and peppermint extract. Give everything a good mix and scrape half the mixture into the bundt tin. Remove the stars from the freezer and line up in a circle on top of the cake mixture (pointy sides up) - make sure there are no gaps and that the stars perfectly line up. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top, easing it around the stars until they are just covered. Bake for 45 mins until risen and golden brown and a skewer poked into the side of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the icing, melt the chocolate in short blasts in the microwave, or in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring it occasionally. Set aside to cool a little. In a large bowl, beat the icing sugar and butter until pale and smooth. Add the chocolate and peppermint extract, and mix again until combined. When the cake is completely cool, place on a serving plate, then swirl over the chocolate icing, easing it about halfway down the sides to create a snowy effect. Place the Maltesers on top of the cake. Will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARS

Steps:

• For Layer#1:.
• Melt chocolate and butter, stirring frequently.
• Cream eggs and sugar; add flour and chocolate mixture.
• Mix well and spread in 8x8 pan.
• Bake at 350F for 20 min; turn oven off and bake 5 min more.
• Let cool.
• For Layer#2:.
• Cream sugar and butter together.
• Blend in cream and extract.
• Spread on cooled crust layer and refrigerate until chilled.
• For Layer#3:.
• Melt chocolate and butter together; pour over peppermint layer.
• Chill& cut into small squares (this is rich!).

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer beat together the butter with the sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla. On a low speed beat in the flour mixture a little at a time. Gently mix in chocolate chips.
• On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop teaspoons of the batter about 2 inches apart. Bake until just cracked on top, about 8 to10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Cool completely.
• For the glaze: In a small bowl mix together the sugar; mint extract and water until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let cookies stand until set, about 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT ICING

Steps:

• Place chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil over high heat; stir in peppermint extract. Strain cream into chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes; stir until smooth (mixture will appear oily at first.) Cool until mixture falls in ribbons when spoon is lifted, 2 to 6 minutes.
• To ice cake, set the cake on a serving platter. Tuck parchment or waxed paper under sides of cake (to keep platter clean). Pour icing onto center of cake. Use an offset spatula or a dinner knife to spread evenly over the top and down the sides. Let set, about 30 minutes.

PEPPERMINT STRIPE MOUSSE CAKES

Steps:

• For the red stencil paste: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the egg whites and mix again until incorporated. Stir in the flour and red food color; mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix again briefly.
• With an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of stencil paste over a 17-by-11-inch silicone baking mat. Using a cake comb with 1/4-inch spaced teeth, and starting at one corner of the mat, drag the comb diagonally across the mat and through the paste so that 1/4-inch even stripes of red paste remain on the mat. Repeat the combing process until the entire mat is striped. Place the mat inside a 17-by-11-inch jelly roll pan and freeze for at least 10 minutes. (You may have leftover stencil paste.)
• For the sponge cake: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almond flour, confectioners' sugar, all-purpose flour, whole eggs and egg yolk until combined. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites and granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer until a thick, glossy meringue forms. Gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture. Add the melted butter and gently fold again, being careful not to deflate the batter. Remove the jelly roll pan from the freezer and pour the batter on top of the red stencil paste. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Run a knife between the cake edge and the pan to loosen the sponge.
• Invert the cake onto a sheet of parchment paper and carefully peel away the silicone liner. Trim the edges of the cake away using a small sharp knife.
• Place four 3-inch diameter pastry rings on a baking sheet. Cut the striped sponge into 3-inch-wide strips and trim the length to fit inside the pastry rings. Line each ring with the sponge so that the red stripe design rests against the pastry ring. Refrigerate the cakes while you prepare the peppermint mousse.
• For the peppermint mousse: Place the 2 tablespoons cold water in a condiment cup and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let stand for 1 minute. Place the bloomed gelatin in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks and granulated sugar; mix well. Stir in the hot milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and let stand in the hot mixture for 2 minutes. Add the peppermint and blend with a whisk until the chocolate has melted and is even in color. Let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks with an electric mixer.
• When the chocolate mixture has cooled, pour it into the whipped cream and add a few drops of red food color. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture until well blended. Transfer the mousse to a piping bag.
• Remove the cakes from the refrigerator and place each cake on a length of plastic wrap double the size of the pastry rings. Pipe peppermint mousse into the centers, filling them to the top. Cover the cakes with the overhanging plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• For the Christmas tree toppers: Combine the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Beat until combined; add the milk or cream a little at a time until the mixture comes to piping consistency. Mix in the vanilla extract. Set aside 2/3 cup of the frosting in a small bowl and cover with a damp paper towel.
• Add the green food color to the remaining frosting and beat well to combine. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (4B).
• When the cakes are well chilled, remove them from the refrigerator and cover the tops with a thin layer of frosting from the bowl of reserved white (untinted) buttercream. Place a sugar cone in the center of each cake. Pipe green buttercream stars on the cones beginning at the bottom edge of each cone, and travelling upward to the pointed end. Immediately sprinkle the cakes with the white nonpareils. Place gold and white sugar pearls on the trees using a pair of kitchen-dedicated tweezers. Arrange the small candy cane sprinkles on the tree using the tweezers.
• Melt the yellow candy wafers in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 100% power in 30-second increments. Stir between heating until the candy is smooth. Transfer the melted candy to a small disposable piping bag. Pipe the candy into a small star candy mold with cavities approximately 1.1-inch in diameter, filling just 8 of the cavities. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes, or until hardened. Turn out the stars onto a baking sheet. Use leftover melted candy to attach the flat sides of two stars together, lining them up to match evenly. Let stand until firm, about 2 minutes. Place an assembled star on the top of each tree, pressing them into the icing to adhere firmly. Refrigerate the cakes until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SNAPS

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and mix the sugar with the peppermint essence. When the chocolate has melted, cool for 1 min, mix with the sugar, then pour into the tray. Spread to a very thin layer and chill until completely firm. Snap into shards to serve. Perfect as a garnish for puddings or with an after-dinner coffee.

DEE'S CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MILK SHAKE

Steps:

• Blend ice cubes, peppermint candies, and chocolate chips together in a blender until evenly blended and slightly grainy. Add ice cream, peppermint extract, and red food coloring; blend until smooth. Add milk and blend until desired consistency is reached.