Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Recipes

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-12 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle crushed candies over cookies. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Melt chocolate chips in top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Melt white chocolate chips in top of a separate double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable oil and peppermint extract.
• Pour chocolate onto lined baking sheet; spread with spatula. Drizzle white chocolate over chocolate; swirl with a fork.
• Refrigerate until bark is hardened, about 1 hour.

CHOCOLATE SPRITZ (COOKIE PRESS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat butter in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer until creamy; add sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Beat until combined. Scrape sides of bowl down if needed. Stir egg and vanilla extract into butter mixture until just combined; mix in flour.
• Fill the cookie press with dough; press cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges of cookies are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

FILLED CHOCOLATE SPRITZ

Steps:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking soda and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle., Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool., In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients; stir until smooth. Spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with the remaining cookies., In a microwave, melt milk chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set.

PEPPERMINT-STICK SPRITZ

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
• Beat in sugar and baking powder until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
• Beat in egg and peppermint extract until combined.
• Beat in as much of flour as you can with the mixer.
• Stir in any remaining flour.
• Pack un-chilled dough into cookie press fitted with an ½ inch star plate.
• Force dough through press to form 3 ½ to 4 inch long sticks about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• If desired, bend into candy-cane shapes.
• Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• In a small heavy saucepan, melt white chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring frequently.
• Dip one end of each stick into melted white chocolate, letting excess drip off.
• Place on waxed paper.
• Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.
• Let stand until set.
• To store: Place cookies in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.
• Store at room temp for up to 3 days.

PEPPERMINT-SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Glaze can be stored at room temperature, with plastic wrap pressed directly on surface, up to 3 days; whisk before using. (Makes 2 cups.)
• Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter with granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolk, flour, salt, peppermint extract, and milk; beat to combine.
• Fill a cookie press with dough and fit with a wreath disk. Press cookies directly onto unlined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden on edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Working in batches, add a drop of food coloring to a small amount of glaze (about 1/4 cup); use a toothpick to swirl a tiny bit. Dip tops of cookies in glaze, then turn glaze-sides up and place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to catch drips to set. (As you dip, colors will become more combined and no longer look like swirls; change to fresh glaze at this point.) For additional "swirls," dip a toothpick in red glaze and drizzle over cookies. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.