Bittersweet Chocolate Peppermint Quick Bread Recipes

DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT FUDGE

Steps:

• Combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter, peppermint extract, and salt in a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Heat in the microwave on medium-high until chips are melted, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
• Pour chocolate mixture into an 8x8-inch silicone baking dish; top with crushed peppermint candies. Lightly press candies, using the back of a spoon, into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until set, 1 hour.

GHIRARDELLI PEPPERMINT BARK BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, allowing about 1 inch of paper to extend over opposite sides of pan; lightly coat with cooking spray.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter and 1 1/3 cups chocolate baking chips on medium (50% power) for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and combined. Whisk in sugar until grainy. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture until just combined. Fold in half the peppermint bark. Pour mixture into the prepared pan; smooth the top.
• Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Lift brownies from pan using parchment as handles and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Set cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Place remaining 1/3 cup chocolate baking chips in a medium glass bowl. Warm cream in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let stand for 2 minutes; whisk until smooth.
• Pour over brownies and spread to the edges with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle evenly with remaining peppermint bark. Before serving, let stand or refrigerate until glaze sets.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT QUICK BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugars; mix well. Blend in eggs, sour cream and extract. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda; mix well. Stir in MALLOW Bits.
• Spread into 9x5-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min.; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT LOAF BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° In a medium bowl, mix yogurt,sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and milk; until blended. In a separate bowl add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda sand salt. Mix together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly incorporate the yogurt mixture, be careful not to over mix. Fold in chocolate chips Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pan or 3 mini loafs. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour for 1 large loaf or 30 - 35 minutes for 3 mini loafs, or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

FRIED BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE BREAD

Steps:

• Generously butter 1 side of each baguette slice. Place 8 slices, buttered sides down, on a work surface and cover each slice with chocolate, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Top with remaining 8 slices, buttered sides up, to make 8 sandwiches.
• Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry 4 sandwiches, turning over once, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer sandwiches to a plate and wipe skillet clean. Fry remaining sandwiches in same manner. Serve warm.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Grease an 8-by-8-inch brownie pan with butter and line the bottom and two sides with parchment. Set a rack in the lower-middle position of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and set on medium-high speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and salt until creamy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the yolk and vanilla, and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cocoa, and mix until everything comes together, about 1 minute, stopping once during mixing to scrape down the paddle and the bowl.
• Scrape the dough into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula and your hands, press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible. Use a fork to prick the dough all over. Bake until the shortbread smells chocolatey and feels set and dry, 30 to 35 minutes. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and set aside.
• Remove shortbread from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees. Using the parchment, lift the cookies out of the pan onto a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Make the meringue: Pour water into a medium saucepan to come 1 1/2 inches up the sides and bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat.
• Whisk the egg whites, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer just to combine. Set the bowl over the simmering water (bowl should not touch water) and heat the egg mixture, stirring and scraping constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the sugar dissolves, the mixture is hot and steamy, and the temperature registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 4 to 6 minutes. (Be patient and cook the egg whites slowly so they don't curdle.)
• Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and whip the mixture until stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes. Whip in the peppermint extract and scrape the meringue onto the shortbread.
• Evenly spread the meringue with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. If using liquid food coloring, add a few random drops onto the meringue. If using gel food coloring, use the tip of a toothpick to randomly dab the tiniest bit of food coloring onto the meringue. Using the tip of an offset spatula or spoon, swirl the color into the meringue, creating peaks and streaks.
• Bake on the wire rack set on the sheet pan until the meringue feels dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Turn off the oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon. Allow the cookies to cool in the oven, about another hour. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the cookies into random pieces. The cookies will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Spray 2 (9-inch) glass pie plates with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, chocolate and peppermint extract with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour and 1/3 cup cocoa. Divide dough in half. With lightly floured hands, press dough evenly in pie plates.
• Bake 22 to 24 minutes or until edges just begin to pull away from sides of pie plates. Cool in pie plates 5 minutes. Carefully cut each round into 16 wedges. Cool completely in pie plates on cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa and enough of the milk until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over wedges; sprinkle with candies.