Peppermint Swirls Food

PEPPERMINT SWIRL FUDGE

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. square pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside., In a small saucepan, melt chips; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in frosting and extract. Spread into prepared pan. Randomly place drops of food coloring over fudge; cut through fudge with a knife to swirl. Sprinkle with candies. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set., Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT SWIRLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour. Divide dough in half. Stir peppermint extract and food color into one half of dough. Divide each color of dough in half.
• Shape each piece of dough on generously floured surface into rope, 12 inches long. Place 2 ropes, 1 red and 1 white, side by side. Twist ropes. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough.
• Cut twisted ropes into 1/2-inch pieces; shape each into ball. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/4-inch thickness with greased bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.
• Bake cookies 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

PEPPERMINT COCOA SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookie dough: Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt onto a piece of parchment or into a medium bowl; set aside.
• 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 vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just incorporated. Remove half of the dough, shape into a rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• For the filling: Add the cocoa powder to the remaining dough and use your hands to knead it in until completely combined. Shape the chocolate dough into a rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate with for 30 minutes.
• Roll each dough piece between 2 pieces of parchment to a roughly 11-by-8-inch rectangle. Refrigerate the rolled dough for an additional 20 minutes.
• Stack the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate, then peel away all of the parchment except the piece on the bottom of the chocolate dough. Use the parchment to help roll the dough into a tight spiral to form a tight log. Cover the log in plastic wrap and freeze until solid, 1 to 2 hours.
• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Cut 1/4 inch off each end of the log with a sharp knife to reveal the swirled pattern. Slice the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices, about 34 total. Divide the slices between the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through the cooking time, until the tops of the cookies are no longer tacky, about 10 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the add-ins: Once the cookies are cooled, microwave the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 15 seconds, until completely melted. Dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate, then sprinkle or dip in the crushed peppermint candies. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. While beating, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the peppermint.
• Fold the top of a pastry bag fitted with a round tip over and down a few inches. Dip a paintbrush in the food coloring. Starting inside the pastry tip, brush a stroke of food coloring from the tip to the top of the bag. Repeat with 3 more evenly spaced strokes. Fill the bag with the meringue; try to spoon it directly into the center so as not to smudge the food coloring (though some smudging is inevitable). Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds of meringue spaced 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until the meringues are no longer glossy and feel light and dry when picked up, about 1 hour. Open the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off and shut the door. Leave the meringues in the oven until they are completely dry inside, about 2 hours. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

PEPPERMINT SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*.
• Beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Stir in flour.
• Divide dough in half.
• Stir peppermint extract and food coloring into one half.
• Divide each color of dough in half.
• Shape each piece of dough on generously floured surface into rope, 12 inches long.
• PLace 2 ropes, 1 red and 1 white, side by side. Twist ropes. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough.
• Cut twisted ropes into 1/2-inch pieces; shape into a ball.
• Place about 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Flatten to about 1/4-inch thickness with greased bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set.
• Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

MR. FOOD'S PEPPERMINT SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the sour cream and vanilla; mix well.
• Place 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture in a small bowl and stir in the peppermint extract and red food color; mix well. Pour remaining cream cheese mixture into the pie crust.
• Drop the peppermint mixture by spoonfuls into the mixture in the crust and swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.
• Bake cheesecake for 30-35 minutes or until edges are set (the center will be slightly loose). Allow the cake to cool for 1 hour, then cover it and chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
• To make it holiday-festive, garnish each slice of cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream and a miniature candy cane.