Holiday Chocolate & Peppermint Bark Cookies

For a blog with a name like How the Cookies Crumble, it's kind of ironic how few sweets you see on my page. I've never had much of a sweet tooth, however, I do love to bake! I just need a place to dispose of my treats once they are made. As a Christmas treat for my office I made the delicious Peppermint Bark cookies with a recipe I got from PreventionRD. I followed the first part of this recipe exactly but chose to go without the white chocolate at the end. I'm sure it's delicious both ways.

Chocolate & Peppermint Bark Cookies from PreventionRD and Cookin' Canuck


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red & white candies or candy canes (about 3 ounces)
2 oz. high-quality white chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment, letting it hang over the sides of the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue to beat for an additional 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla extract and egg yolk. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually beat in the flour mixture, until just combined. Do not overmix.

Scatter the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and gently press it, with slightly moistened fingers, to form a flat layer. Prick all over with a fork.

Bake the cookie layer until golden brown and slightly puffed, and edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25-30 minutes. Place on a cookie rack and immediately sprinkle chopped bittersweet or semisweet (or a combination of the two) over the cookie layer. Let the chocolate sit for about 3 minutes. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate into an even layer over the surface of the cookies. Immediately sprinkle 3 ounces crushed red and white peppermint candies, or candy canes, over the chocolate layer.

Place chopped white chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over a simmering pot of water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Using a fork, drizzle the white chocolate over the peppermint candies. Chill for approximately 30 minutes.

Gripping the overhanging parchment paper, lift the cookies out of the pan and place on a work surface. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the cookies into pieces. Yeild: 40 pieces.

Nutrition Information (per piece): 115 calories; 6.1 g. fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 18 mg. sodium; 15 g. carbohydrate; 0 g. fiber; 0.7 g. protein

These cookies are absolutely amazing and were a huge hit! These are definitely a new holiday favorite! Don't worry mom, I froze half the batch to bring home to you next week. Enjoy!

What's your favorite holiday treat? Post your favorite recipe or link back to your blog recipe.