If you’re tired of my not-really-recipe recipes, then today’s offering is for you. Not that these are particularly hard – they are just made from scratch and require a little extra time and effort on your part.
Chocolate and peppermint is such a classic Christmas combination, but when I made the chocolate peppermint bars, I was worried that people would be burned out on the flavors and wouldn’t eat them. Boy, was I wrong! Those were gone so fast and several people and work asked if I could bring more! So I’m revisiting that flavor combination, only with a slightly darker chocolate flavor and a bit more crunch. But still with icing, because that makes everything more delicious.
Chocolate Peppermint Drops
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8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup finely crushed peppermints or candy canes, plus more for garnish
6 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional
In a large saucepan, melt both chocolates and the butter together over low heat. Stir occasionally until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and immediately mix in the sugar and the crushed peppermints. Stir to combine. Set aside and let cool for 30 minutes.
Stir in eggs, one at time, mixing well. Stir in extracts. Mix in dry ingredients and then the chocolate chips, if using. Batter will the stiff. Chill dough for 1-2 hours, or until it’s firm enough to roll into balls.
Roll chilled dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and space evenly on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheat 325° oven for 12-14 minutes. Cookies will look dry and cracked. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle more crushed peppermints on top, pressing lightly so they will stick. Let cool for a few minutes on the pans before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Frost, if desired.
Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
Stir sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream together until all the powdered sugar has dissolved. If icing is too thick, thin with more heavy cream, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Spoon into a plastic bag, seal, snip off the end, and pipe onto cookies. Alternately, you can create a much thinner icing using more cream (or milk) and drizzle the cookies with the glaze.
This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooooh, these look yummy. I might make these with those andes mint chips instead of peppermints, because that’s what I have…. and maybe no icing, so they’ll freeze easier…mmmm…
I think they would be great with the Andes mint chips! The rich chocolate pairs really nicely with mint of any kind.
*sigh* Mint and chocolate. WHY.
These look SO AMAZING. I would be the unsuspecting victim to bite into one and then find out it’s mint.
How would these taste with nuts instead? ;p They look so GOOD! (and your photograph is superb!)
I think they would be great with nuts. The chocolate is very rich and fudgy so I think it would stand up nicely with other flavors. Maybe just add a teaspoon and a half of vanilla instead of the mint extract?
And thanks for the picture compliment! I’ve been struggling with just my iphone camera these days, but this one turned out rather nicely!