Day 7: Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Day 7 -- we've more than half way through the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! Hang in there, the back nine of this countdown is all good recipes all the time. It's like the Lifetime Channel. 24 hours a day of Golden Girls. Perfection.

These cookies look like they're made of candy cane clouds.
I should write Hallmark cards.

Today's recipe is for Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies. Candy canes are popular around Christmas time, sure. Every year I try to make a cookie that involves candy canes. Last year I tasked my spouse with chopping all the candy down to a dust like substance so that I could dip my chocolate covered sugar cookies in the candy canes. By the way, I promised in the beginning that I would never share spouse stories, but I'm breaking that promise when I tell you now that he came back into the kitchen with HUGE chunks of broken candy canes. Like a every candy cane was just in 8 pieces. You can't attach a chunk of candy canes to a cookie like that. Come on now.

Tonight's recipe is a chocolate sandwich cookie with peppermint buttercream to mix up your Christmas cookie selection. These cookies sound amazing.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
(Warning, Refrigeration Ahead)

Ingredients
Cookies
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 large egg

Filling
1 cup & 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops or more of red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed red-and-white striped candy canes

Instructions for Cookies
1. Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients; beat until blended. Refrigerate dough 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough by level tablespoonfuls, then roll into smooth balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Using bottom of glass or hands, flatten each ball to 2-inch round (edges will crack). Bake until cookies no longer look wet and small indentation appears when tops of cookies are lightly touched with fingers, about 11 minutes (do not overbake or cookies will become too crisp). Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer chocolate cookies to racks and cool completely.

For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add peppermint extract and 2 drops food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended, adding more food coloring by dropfuls if darker pink color is desired.

Spread 2 generous teaspoons filling evenly over flat side of 1 cookie to edges; top with another cookie, flat side down, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies and peppermint filling.

Place crushed candy canes on plate. Roll edges of cookie sandwiches in crushed candies (candies will adhere to filling). (Cookie sandwiches can be made ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.)

 

I will most definitely be baking these this coming week. I think Santa will really like them.


Source: Epicurious > Bon Appetit
URL: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/christmas/christmascookieschocolatecandycanes/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Candy-Cane-Cookies-233372