Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bark Food

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE COOKIE BARK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder until combined. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and salt until combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg yolk and peppermint extract and continue beating until well combined.
• Add flour mixture and mix on low until dough comes together in a ball with no streaks of flour.
• Place a large piece of plastic wrap on work surface. Form ball of dough into a square block and cover with a second piece of plastic wrap. Roll dough in an oblong shape about 10"x 12" and a little more than an 1/8" thick. Take care not to make the edges thinner than the center of the dough as they will be the first to cook.
• Remove top piece of plastic wrap and flip rolled out dough onto a large ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until center looks dry and firm. Watch the edges as you don't want them to burn. I baked mine about 13 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Sprinkle white chocolate chips evenly over the surface. Return pan to oven for 1 minute to help chocolate melt.
• Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly over cookie. Once you get it spread out, tap the pan on the counter a few times and the chocolate will settle into a smooth layer.
• Sprinkle surface with finely chopped peppermint candies. Allow cookie bark to cool on baking sheet until chocolate hardens.
• Once the chocolate is firm, break the bark into pieces. I cut a few sections and then started breaking the rest. The cookie will stick a bit to the pan, just slide a thin spatula around the edges. Break those pieces and move them aside so that you'll have room to loosen the next section with the spatula.

PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

Steps:

• For the chocolate cookies: Cut two 13-by-18 pieces of parchment. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low, then gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 2 minutes more.
• Place a sheet of parchment on a work surface. Transfer the dough to the parchment and cover with another sheet of parchment. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into an even layer that reaches the edges of the parchment. Slide the parchment and dough onto a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the top parchment from the dough and bake until firm and no longer shiny, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool completely.
• For the peppermint bark: Put all but 1 cup of the white chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and stir until one-third of the chocolate is melted.
• Remove the bowl from the saucepan; keep the saucepan over low heat. Gradually stir the reserved 1 cup white chocolate into the bowl, a few pieces at a time, until all of the chocolate is melted; return the bowl to the saucepan for 5 to 10 seconds at a time as needed. Do not rush this step: It may take up to 10 minutes to melt all the chocolate.
• Wipe off any moisture from the bottom of the bowl. Stir the peppermint extract into the chocolate, then quickly pour over the cooled cookie base and spread in an even layer with a rubber spatula or small offset spatula.
• Sprinkle immediately with the peppermint candies, gently pressing the pieces into the white chocolate. Set aside at room temperature until firm, about 2 hours.
• Lift the bark cookie out of the baking sheet using the parchment and break it into pieces.

PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter, vegetable shortening, light brown sugar, and white sugar in a separate large bowl until creamy. Beat eggs, vanilla and peppermint extracts, and red food coloring into butter mixture until smooth. Gradually beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients until dough is smooth. Fold white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes into dough.
• Pinch off 1-tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, roll into balls, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Lightly flatten cookies with the bottom of a drinking glass.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are set but not browned, 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to finish cooling on wire racks.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES - BON APPETIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.
• Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.
• Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.
• Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
• Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator in airtight containers between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK - CHRISTMAS

Steps:

• Line a 9x12 pan with parchment paper.
• Melt the dark chocolate (use the method you prefer, either double boiler, or microwave - cook 30 seconds in a heat-proof bowl, stir and repeat until you have a smooth consistency.
• Pour the melted dark chocolate on the parchment paper, spread the chocolate out until it is about 1/3" thick. You can do this by hitting the pan on the countertop repeatedly, or maybe you could use a spatula to spread the chocolate.
• Melt the white chocolate, using the steps above. After the chocolate is smooth, pour it on top of the dark chocolate - trying to make the layers the same thickness. (it's best to do this step while the white chocolate is still very soft -- I've had them separate when I broke them into pieces, I think the layers "stick" together better if the white chocolate has not hardened).
• Unwrap the starlite mints, or peppermints of your choice and put them into a heavy duty ziplock bag. Using a hammer or meat tenderizer - crush the mints then, while the white chocolate is still melted sprinkle on top.
• Let the chocolates harden in the refrigerator for 2 hours, then break the candy into pieces. This needs to be stored in the refrgerator if you live in a warm/humid climate.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl until combined.
• Combine butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in half of the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in peppermint bark pieces, pecans, and crushed candy cane pieces.
• Place 1 tablespoon-sized balls of dough 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops of cookies just begin to set, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE CHIP AND PEPPERMINT COOKIE BARK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In resealable food-storage plastic bag, place mints. With rolling pin or flat side of meat mallet, coarsely crush mints.
• In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, break up cookie dough. In fine strainer and over dough, pour crushed mints; shake lightly so tiny pieces fall onto dough (reserve larger pieces of mints for garnish). With hands, knead tiny pieces of mints into dough; press dough in bottom of pan.
• Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips and oil on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth.
• With fork, drizzle half of melted chip mixture over cooled bars. Sprinkle with reserved crushed mints. Drizzle with remaining melted chip mixture (if mixture begins to firm up, microwave 10 to 15 seconds). Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Break into irregular 2- to 3-inch pieces. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.
• Cut this bark into bars instead of breaking it into pieces, if desired.

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.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line a 9x13" baking pan with aluminum foil.
• Break up the white chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a double boiler set over simmering water, or in the microwave according to the package directions.
• Do not let the chocolate burn!
• Remove from heat and stir in the 1/3 cup of crushed candy canes.
• Immediately pour this mixture into the prepared pan and spread spoon with a rubber spatula, leaving a 1/2" border around the edge of the pan.
• Don't worry if it doesn't look perfectly shaped, but try to get it as evenly flattened as possible.
• Melt semisweet chocolate pieces.
• Drizzle the melted semisweet chocolate all over the surface of the white chocolate.
• Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of crushed candy canes.
• Set in the fridge until it firms up- this only takes a short time (about 15 minutes or so).
• Cut or break the bark into serving pieces.
• Jagged edges are ok.
• These will look nice wrapped in plastic tin and tied with pink& white curling ribbon to give as holiday treats.

PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Spread 1/3 of the peppermint candy over a 9x13-inch baking pan lined with wax paper.
• Melt the milk chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, just until melted. Pour the melted chocolate over peppermint candy in the prepared pan. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the candy on top of the milk chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes.
• Melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Stir in the oil-based peppermint flavoring. Pour the white chocolate over the milk chocolate, then spread the remaining 1/3 peppermint candy on top.
• Refrigerate until the white chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Cut or break into pieces to serve.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Melt semi-sweet/dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl over a pan of hot water.
• Line a 9"x13" dish with aluminum foil.
• Pour into dish and spread evenly. Chill.
• Melt white chocolate.
• Cruch candy canes in a plastic bag.
• Pour white chocolate on top of semi-sweet/dark chocolate and spread evenly.
• Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces over white chocolate.
• Refrigerate until set.
• When chocolate is hardened, break into pieces.