DAY 4: Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Sandwich Cookies
These are similar to whoopie pies, but not quite as rounded. Made with a cake mix, the cookies are quick to put together.
The filling is a peppermint cream, with crushed candy canes baked into the top cookies and in the peppermint filling.
I tinted the filling pink to complement the candy canes. Alternately, you could leave out the crushed candy canes and tint the mint frosting green. Or leave out the mint extract all together for soft homemade Oreo cookies.
RECIPE:
Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Sandwich Cookies
Cookies:
2 chocolate cake mixes
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
About ½ cup crushed candy canes
Filling:
½ cup salted butter
2 Tbs cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp peppermint extract
Red food coloring (very small amount)
2 cups (8 oz) powdered sugar
¼ cup crushed candy canes
Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat all cookie ingredients until well mixed. Chill cookie dough for 60 minutes, or until dough is firm enough to roll. Roll into small balls (I use a level small cookie scoop, and then roll into 1″ balls). Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Place about ½ cup crushed candy canes in a small bowl. Dip the tops of HALF of the cookie dough balls into the crushed candy canes.
Bake for 8 minutes. Drop cookie sheet on counter to flatten cookies slightly. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Spread one cookie (without candy canes) with about 1 Tbs of the filling. Top with a cookie with candy canes. Store cookies in the refrigerator.
Filling:
Beat butter, cream or milk, vanilla, peppermint extract, and food coloring until combined. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Add additional cream or milk, if needed, to make a spreadable (but thick) frosting. Stir in crushed candy canes.
Makes about 3 dozen sandwich cookies
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