Double Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes

COOKIES

Peppermint Bark Cookies, from Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
  
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes (about 3 ounces)
• 2 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes.

Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

When cool, chop cookies into desired sizes, about penny-sized if using for cupcakes, or larger if eating as cookies. If desired, crumble extra cookies and add to cupcakes just before baking for a special surprise.

CUPCAKES

For cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water
• Crushed peppermint bark cookies or 1 1/4 cups mini bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin pans with paper liners.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well incorporated after each addition. Beat in vanilla, half of flour mixture, then 1 cup hot water. Add remaining flour mixture; beat just until blended. Let batter stand until cooled and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter among muffin papers (about ¼ cup batter each).

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely in pans.

For ganache:
6 oz white chocolate (or 1 cup white chocolate chips)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp creme de cacao
Red, green, or blue food coloring, (optional)

Melt white chocolate chips over double boiler (or carefully in microwave). Stir in 1/4 cup whipping cream, reheating if necessary. Stir in 1 tbsp creme de cacao and a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Chill until spreadable.

Assembly:

When cupcakes and ganache are cool, melt 3 oz dark chocolate plus 1 tsp canola oil in microwave or on the stove.

Using pastry bag (or ziplock bag with a hole cut in the tip, if desperate), apply ganache to cupcakes in a spiral motion. Drizzle with melted chocolate, and top with a bit of peppermint bark cookie, or cookie crumbles, if desired.


Some cupcakes may fall apart or crumble. Not to worry! With any leftover cupcakes and frosting, cake pops can be made!

CAKE POPS:

Leftover cake
Leftover frosting (ganache)
Leftover chocolate, melted
Skewers, straws, or Popsicle sticks
Sprinkles, special sugar, or cookie crumbles (optional)

Crumble cake pieces until they are fine crumbs. Adding a teaspoon of frosting at a time, combine cake crumbs and frosting, just until the crumbs hold their shape when formed into a ball. Form each into a 1 1/2 inch diameter ball, and place on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Place in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Melt leftover chocolate. Dip each cake ball into the chocolate, return to parchment paper, and immediately spear with skewer, straw, or popsicle stick. Quickly garnish, and return to freezer briefly, to harden.

Can be left at room temperature. Serve at room temperature.

Peppermint Candy Brownies!

These might just be the best brownies you'll ever consume.

This is a "cocoa brownies" recipe adapted from Bon Appetit magazine to be much more festive, and delicious!

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cold large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Starlight mints or candy canes, crushed

4 oz. white chocolate

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the top, saving about 1 tablespoon of the finest powder from the crushed candies.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Melt white chocolate carefully in microwave, or on double boiler. Drizzle over warm brownies, sprinkling with leftover peppermint candy powder for a frosty look.

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.