Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Crackles Food

DARK CHOCOLATE CHUNK AND CANDY CANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease two cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Stir
• in the chocolate and candy canes with a wooden spoon.
• Scoop by the heaping tablespoonful onto the cookie sheets. Bake until golden and chewy, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

OREOS AND CANDY CANE CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with parchment. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over hot water, melt dark chocolate; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cookies; spread over prepared pan., Microwave white baking chips on high until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in extract. Drizzle over dark chocolate mixture; sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Cool. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour., Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until the mixture is nice and smooth. Mix in the vanilla and egg. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix just until the dough comes together. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate it for a couple of hours.
• While the dough is chilling away, unwrap the candies and place them in two plastic bags, separated by color. Crush the candies to pieces with a rolling pin. Throw the crushed mints into separate bowls and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll the dough into balls. Place the balls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or baking mats. Flatten them slightly with the bottom of a coffee mug or glass. Bake until just set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt the almond bark in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl and stir until smooth. One at a time, dip the cooled cookies halfway into the melted almond bark. Sprinkle the top sides generously with crushed mints, holding the cookies over the bowls to catch the excess. You can mix red and green on the same cookie, or do some with just red and some with just green.
• Lay the cookies, sprinkled-side up, on parchment paper or a baking mat and allow them to set completely. Serve with a few whole mints on the side.

CANDY CANE BARK

Steps:

• Break candy canes into 2 or 3 pieces and place in a plastic bag and close top; smash with kitchen mallet to take out your frustrations and pulverize the candy.
• In a small bowl, melt chocolate in microwave oven with Medium-Low power, checking every 30 seconds or so; white chocolate burns easily even in the microwave so better safe than sorry.
• Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.
• Stir candy cane crumbs into melted white chocolate and stir well to combine.
• Pour chocolate mixture onto wax paper, spreading thin with a spatula.
• Stash cookie sheet in fridge about an hour or until it hardens.
• Hold wax paper by one corner and start peeling it back, breaking off pieces of the bark; store pieces in airtight container in fridge.
• Keeps well.