Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

My friends Denise and Kellie hosted a Cookie Swap this week. I didn't think I would be able to make it (finals!), but then how could I miss it? Cookies! Friends! Fun! promised the invitation. I rearranged my schedule and called my favorite babysitters (mom and pop) and looked for a knock-your-socks-off cookie recipe. You'd think I'd have one by now, but I wanted a brand new knock-your-socks off cookie recipe. I spotted this brand new cookie recipe in the December Bon Appetit. You know how I feel about chocolate and peppermint at Christmas time, but still, it had to be extra special. I checked the Internet to see what any other cooks had to say about Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies-four forks and rave reviews all the way around. Can I add my forks to the pile? Yum! This is my new favorite Christmas cookie. Sorry Santa, I doubt you're getting any. Take a look: The cookie base is like a rich crackly brownie with chunks of chocolate. It's topped with more melted chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
And this is what you end up with. Candy Canes and Chocolate. A Christmas match made in heaven. Like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Holly and Ivy. Scrooge and Jacob Marley. Frosty and um....Mrs. Frosty. Rudolph and Clarice. Grinch and Max.

I might have eaten all the cookies myself, but then I remembered the Cookie Swap! I packed these little treasures up in a tissue paper lined box and headed over to the Cookie Swap at Denise's gorgeous house.

Denise and Kelly made the whole party so pretty. Look at all these adorable decorations!

All of the beautiful cookies and recipe cards were arranged on the counter top for sampling.

It was hard not to be greedy since the cookies were amazing, but then I remembered that I was going to be taking some home so I settled down. A little. The cookies were second only to the conversation. Remind me to take a break and talk to friends more often. I think I'd like to do this once a week. Or once a day. Or maybe twice a day. Or maybe I should just move in. Denise? Kellie? Could you clean out the spare bedroom?

Look at all the cookies I came home with!

Kellie's butter cookies: The butter flavor is so luxurious!

Lainie's M and M cookies. I know these guys. They're like old friends that you never see enough of.

I'm not sure if these whoopie pies came from Jen or Robyn but all I know is I didn't get one bite. West ate all three of them in less than 24 hours. Please don't call social services. Once in a while he eats something that grew in the ground.

Nancy and Lexie brought these white chocolate coated ginger cookies. They pack a whopping ginger punch and I couldn't get enough of them. I might have to make some tonight.

Denise made these darling little coconut-marshmallow-chocolate balls. It was almost like a bumpy, rich little truffle. You'll love them.
And these? You recognize these, don't you?

I raced home after the party and then the babysitters and charges had another party with the cookies. Within 48 hours, I didn't have a single cookie left. But I've got the recipes and you can bet you'll be seeing them right here.

Money Saving Tips: But chocolate chips on sale throughout December. These cookies are a good use for already broken candy canes.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

$5.00 for 50 small cookies

2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (do not exceed 61% cacao; 15 to 16 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large eggs
4 candy canes or 16 red-and-white- striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed Read

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir 2 cups chocolate chips in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Measure 2/3 cup melted chocolate; transfer to small metal bowl and reserve for drizzling.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add sugar and both extracts; beat until smooth. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat in melted chocolate from medium bowl. Add dry ingredients; beat just to blend. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Measure 1 level tablespoonful dough; roll dough between palms to form ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked all over and tester inserted into center comes out with large moist crumbs attached, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment paper to racks to cool completely.
Rewarm reserved 2/3 cup chocolate over small saucepan of simmering water. Using fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over, arranging some pieces with red parts showing. Chill just until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight in freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Up Next: Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Marshmallow Filling

Candy Cane Ice Cream Cake for New Year's

This morning we have visitors coming: my brother from California with his five children, my mother and father in law from New York, my sister-in-law from Arizona with her three kids, and later my niece from Nevada with her four children. (Post Edit: I just found out another niece with her three is on her way also. It's a good thing my mom and I live just 100 footsteps from each other so we can keep all of our company housed and fed. Plus, we don't miss out on any of the fun!) But there is one more visitor on the list. This top-secret visitor is coming especially to see West, but we are sworn to secrecy until after New Year's. I'm bursting with his good news, but I must tape my mouth shut for the remainder of 2009 and hold it in.

But let's talk about the good news that I can share with you: this beautiful ice cream cake for New Year's Eve. I love making ice cream cakes for New Year's because I can make it today and it will sit happily in the freezer until I'm ready to serve it-at midnight or otherwise. An ice cream cake in the winter is so unexpected; I love the suprise value of a frozen dessert in the cold and snow. Just be sure to sit in front of the fire for this one. And you know, ice cream cakes are so delicious and easy to make, but ridiculously expensive to buy. I mean really really ridiculously expensive, don't you think? I'm glad you agree.

I start off with a Texas sheet cake baked in two rounds, which will yield two ice cream cakes. You can use a cake mix if you're rushed, but never ever use a brownie for the base. Trust me when I tell you that they freeze rock tooth-breaking solid. Choose any flavor ice cream, but this peppermint candy cane Dreyer's flavor is F-U-N for the holidays. Press softened ice cream into the same size cake pan and freeze both parts separately. Stack them together and run a knife around the ice cream to smooth the edges. Make a quick batch of ganache and cool it down in the fridge for an hour or two. It's basically spreadable hot fudge and it will make you go weak in the knees. Frost the entire cake and refreeze until serving time. Give it a little squirt of whipped cream just before serving, and if you're more organized than I am, you could even sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top. Imagine them here, please. I'll be back tomorrow with one more dessert for New Year's.

Candy Cane Ice Cream Cake

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 10 servings

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 gallon favorite ice cream flavor or Peppermint Dreyers

Ganache:

1 cup cream

1 and 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Grease two 8 or 9 inch rounds. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, soda and salt. In a saucepan bring the water, oil, butter and cocoa to a butter and whisk until smooth. Pour over flour mixture and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Pour into chocolate cake mixture an dstir until smooth. Scape into pan and bake for 18-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove cake from pan and place on plate. Freeze for at least two hours.

Line same cake pan with saran wrap. Place softened ice cream into pan. Freeze for at least two hours. Remove ice cream from pan and place atop cake. Run knife along side to smooth edges. Freeze again.

Make ganache by placing cream in large microwaveable bowl and microwaving on high just until cream simmers. Stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Place ganache in fridge and chill until cold, at least one hour. Frost cake with knife and refreeze until serving time. Serve with whipped cream.

Up Next:

One more make ahead dessert: Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Tart

Tuesdays with Dorie Chocolate Glazed Peppermint Eclairs

Can it really be Tuesday? Already? Halfway through June? Please..... Someone slow this summer down. It's time for treats on Tuesday with my TWD baking group. Quit going to the bakery, join us, and together we will rule the galaxy.

I'm in the middle of a super colossal family reunion with 80 family members. I think I should shout these words to help you understand: SUPER COLOSSAL, PEOPLE. Our TWD assignment this week was a gorgeous cream puff ring, filled with peppermint whipped cream, glazed with a shiny bittersweet ganache. But, when you're having a SUPER COLOSSAL family reunion, a cream puff ring is a little fussy. Usually I make diminutive half-batch versions of Dorie's treats because there are only 4 people in my nuclear family. This time I made a dimunitive double batch version, because of the SUPER COLOSSAL amount of people in my extended family. Little Eclairs to share the love. First of all, you must make your cooked choux paste dough. If your batter looks strange and you think you may have ruined it, keep going. It looks strange and ruined when it is perfect. In fact, I had a friend who made three batchs of choux paste, threw them all in the trash (ruined, she was sure) and had to serve frozen cream puffs at a baby shower. With the addition of eggs, the cooked pastry will have a shiny gleen, and begin to look more like a normal soft dough.
After the pastries bake, slice them, fill them, glaze them, eat them. Smile. Repeat.
You can find the complete recipe at the beautiful blog, A Consuming Passion. My only modification was the size and shape of the pastry.

Coming Tomorrow:

20 minute North African Chicken with Couscous and Minted Feta Sauce