Peppermint Candy Shortbread Cookies Recipes

PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl.
• Use a pastry blender to cut in butter. You want very fine crumbs.
• Stir in extract, food coloring, and Andes peppermint crunch chips.
• Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
• Shape dough into a log about two inches in a diameter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours.
• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut slices of cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until cookies are set. Do not over bake.
• Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack. Let cool completely.
• Store in airtight container for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

PEPPERMINT CANDY SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening and extracts until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until thick and creamy. Stir in candies., Spread about 1 tablespoon mixture on bottoms of half of the cookies. Cover with remaining cookies.

PEPPERMINT CANDY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F
• Cream butter, sugar, crushed candy, and vanilla thoroughly using an electric mixer. Gradually blend in flour and cornstarch.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently press down on each cookie to flatten, either using fingers or a flat-bottomed drinking glass that has been dipped in sugar to prevent sticking.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown.
• Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For frosting: combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly until frosting is smooth. Drizzle cookies with frosting and sprinkle with crushed candy.

PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter, sugar, crushed candy and vanilla -- gradually blending in flour and corn starch.
• Form 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently press down on each cookie to flatten.
• Bake in 300°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bottoms start to brown.
• Cool and remove to a wire rack.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until frosting is smooth. Drizzle on cookies and sprinkle with crushed candy.

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.

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.