Chocolate Peppermint Bread Food

CHOCOLATE BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in another bowl. Stir 1 1/4 cups water, the egg yolk and butter into dissolved yeast; then stir in the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, with your hands. Stir in the chocolate chips last. Knead on a lightly floured surface until velvety, elastic and moist, 8 to 10 minutes.
• If done in a mixer, follow the same stages but add the chocolate chips together with the flour using the paddle. When it is blended, change to the dough hook and knead 2 minutes at low speed then 2 minutes at medium speed.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and cut in half. Shape into round loaves and place on an oiled baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer. Cool on a rack. Slice and enjoy for breakfast or a snack.

EASY CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT LOAF CAKE RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark or nonstick pans and 2-3 minute longer baking times). Grease and lightly flour mini loaf pans. In a large bowl, blend together mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, water, milk and extract at low speed for 30 seconds. Continue mixing at medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes for mini loaves (40-50 minutes for full-sized loaf) or until top springs back to touch and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pan. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and 1 teaspoon water. Add a few drops of water at a time to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cakes and top with candy pieces. Tip: Mini chocolate chips will distribute throughout the cake and create a more uniform chocolaty texture. If using regular chocolate chips, toss them with a teaspoon of flour before incorporating to help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.

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 SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Grease an 8-by-8-inch brownie pan with butter and line the bottom and two sides with parchment. Set a rack in the lower-middle position of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and set on medium-high speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and salt until creamy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the yolk and vanilla, and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cocoa, and mix until everything comes together, about 1 minute, stopping once during mixing to scrape down the paddle and the bowl.
• Scrape the dough into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula and your hands, press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible. Use a fork to prick the dough all over. Bake until the shortbread smells chocolatey and feels set and dry, 30 to 35 minutes. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and set aside.
• Remove shortbread from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees. Using the parchment, lift the cookies out of the pan onto a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Make the meringue: Pour water into a medium saucepan to come 1 1/2 inches up the sides and bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat.
• Whisk the egg whites, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer just to combine. Set the bowl over the simmering water (bowl should not touch water) and heat the egg mixture, stirring and scraping constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the sugar dissolves, the mixture is hot and steamy, and the temperature registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 4 to 6 minutes. (Be patient and cook the egg whites slowly so they don't curdle.)
• Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and whip the mixture until stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes. Whip in the peppermint extract and scrape the meringue onto the shortbread.
• Evenly spread the meringue with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. If using liquid food coloring, add a few random drops onto the meringue. If using gel food coloring, use the tip of a toothpick to randomly dab the tiniest bit of food coloring onto the meringue. Using the tip of an offset spatula or spoon, swirl the color into the meringue, creating peaks and streaks.
• Bake on the wire rack set on the sheet pan until the meringue feels dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Turn off the oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon. Allow the cookies to cool in the oven, about another hour. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the cookies into random pieces. The cookies will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.