Tag: peppermint

Candy, Desserts, Recipes

Peppermint Bark Pretzels

Sarah

Peppermint bark pretzels… a delightful salty-sweet treat! Great for gift-giving, Christmas cookie platters, or a fun cooking activity with your kiddos. 

Peppermint bark pretzels... a delightful salty-sweet treat! Great for gift-giving, Christmas cookie platters, or a fun cooking activity with your kiddos. 

In the continuing chronicles of “Sarah makes easy Christmas recipes” we have this winner of a recipe… Peppermint Bark Pretzels. Just like the Sweet and Spicy Pretzel Snack Mix from the other day, this easy recipe comes together in just a few minutes and tastes freakin’ AMAZINGGG. Yup, amazing! It was serious self-control that allowed these little bites to go from baking sheet to gift bag (aren’t they the cutest?! ALDI!) with only sneaking one or two. #scoutshonor

Peppermint bark pretzels... a delightful salty-sweet treat! Great for gift-giving, Christmas cookie platters, or a fun cooking activity with your kiddos. 

If you love the salty-sweet combo, you’ll love these pretzels! They’re probably a little more on the sweet side since I made them with white chocolate AND peppermint candy cane pieces, but the salty pretzel totally came through too.

Peppermint bark pretzels... a delightful salty-sweet treat! Great for gift-giving, Christmas cookie platters, or a fun cooking activity with your kiddos. 

I think chocolate dipped pretzels would be a great easy recipe to make with kids because they’re pretty foolproof and don’t require tons of precision to still taste good. Sometimes melting chocolate can be a little hairy BUT if you use either high quality chocolate OR those handy-dandy trays of almond bark, your results will be much improved. My little kitchen helper didn’t really help with these (he was more interested in running around the house with the spray bottle aimed at our naughty cat who cannot. leave. the. Christmas. tree. alone. to. save. her. life.) but he sure was enthralled with mama taking photos on the porch!

Peppermint bark pretzels... a delightful salty-sweet treat! Great for gift-giving, Christmas cookie platters, or a fun cooking activity with your kiddos. 

If you need a last minute food gift for the teacher/babysitter/coach/neighbor in your life, definitely consider these! We made them for our son’s daycare teachers and paired them with a small gift card and a note. So easy and cute! Hope you enjoy… and MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends!

Peppermint bark pretzels... a delightful salty-sweet treat! Great for gift-giving, Christmas cookie platters, or a fun cooking activity with your kiddos. 

one year ago: Cranberry Dessert Pizza
two years ago: No-Bake Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars
three years ago: Orange Spritz
four years ago: Baked Fish Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
five years ago: Cranberry Orange Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
six years ago: Classic Sugar Cookies
seven years ago: Cranberry Scones

Peppermint Bark Pretzels

  • Servings: 3 cups
  • Print

inspired by Yay for Food

ingredients:

  • 11 ounces good quality white chocolate – I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
  • 3 cups mini pretzels
  • 3-4 candy canes, crushed – I used a food processor

Directions:

Line a couple baking sheets with wax paper.

Melt white chocolate chips according to package directions (typically, I use the microwave and heat for 30 seconds on 50% power, stir, then heat for 15 second bursts until melted). When chocolate is melted, dip the pretzels in to coat. Allow excess chocolate to fall off, then place on wax paper. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes, and repeat.

I didn’t worry about fully coating the pretzels, and once I got a good rhythm going I was able to dip a handful of pretzels, lay them out, sprinkle with candy cane pieces, and repeat. I had to reheat the chocolate once for a few seconds towards the end.

Since I used a higher quality chocolate and it’s chilly out, I didn’t have to place these in the refrigerator to set but if it’s warmer, that may be necessary. I forsee trying these in the future with other types of chocolate or even drizzling with a different type of chocolate or nuts. Yum! So many possibilities.

 

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Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

Sarah
Soo….these cookies. Total Pinterest find. Wasn’t really sure how I felt about the recipe itself even though they looked amazingly delicious. See, I’m not a big chocolate cookie fan. But I loved the idea of the M&Ms, which then became the sole reason for a trip to Target, the only place where White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms can be found. As if you need a reason for a Target trip. Right? [But truthfully, for me, I do… as Target is pretty much on the opposite side of town and a huge pain to get there.] I digress…
White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies | The Pajama Chef
These cookies are everything I thought they would be… AND MORE! They are rich and chewy… and absolutely beautiful. Don’t you think?

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies | The Pajama ChefTwo kinds of chocolate and two kinds of mint is a combination that cannot be beat. I mean, chocolate and mint together is classic, but white chocolate peppermint in the M&Ms provides the extra boost to the more traditional cocoa that makes the cookies uber chocolatey and thick as well as to the epitome of peppermint during the Christmas season: candy canes.

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies | The Pajama Chef
I know it’s Christmas eve, and you probably have a billion things to do. But I highly suggest that you head on out to Target to get some White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms before it is too late and they disappear for another year. These cookies are so worth it. And in case you’re finding this recipe many months after Christmas, do not despair–I think the base chocolate cookie for this recipe is the best I’ve ever had, so other M&Ms and candy/chips would be an awesome substitute. I’m thinking peanut butter M&Ms and peanut butter chips? Or Reese’s Pieces and dark chocolate chips? Or Coconut M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips? Or even something really outlandish like Skittles and sprinkles? Why doesn’t anyone ever bake with Skittles? Oh, the mysteries of this life… [note to self: try this one day]. In the meantime, I think I’m off to have another cookie.

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies | The Pajama Chef
P.S. I’ll be back with more recipes, menu plans, and more after the New Year, but until then probably won’t be around much. 🙂 Merry Christmas!!

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies [slightly adapted from no. 2 Pencil]
click to print
Ingredients:
  • 14 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 10 small candy canes, crushed [~ 1/3 cup]
  • 1 bag White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts and mix on low until combined. Then add eggs one at a time, mixing on low after each addition.
Slowly add flour and baking soda, mixing on low until dough forms.
Fold in candy cane pieces with spatula, then roll dough in balls of about 1 tablespoon each.
Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly, then press in 4-5 M&Ms on top of each cookie.
Bake for 10 minutes, then cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.
Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 28-30 cookies.
Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Sarah

peppermint sugar cookiesAnother day of Christmas vacation, another day spent running, watching HGTV and TLC, reading, and cuddling with the kitty. Oh, and thinking about these amazing cookies. I’ve already made them twice in about a week. Does that tell you anything? Granted, I needed two batches for our Christmas goodie bags… but that may or may not have been due to the fact that once I tasted one hot out of the oven, I wanted to save some for myself. But that’s besides the point, right? Let’s get back to the cookies.

These Peppermint Sugar Cookies are Christmas in cookie form. Sugary, buttery, pepperminty. Rich, sweet, unmistakably seasonal. They may be now up there in the runnings for favorite Christmas cookie. After just one year… incredible, right?

Peppermint Sugar Cookies [from We Are Not Martha]
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tarter
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies [about 20 peppermint candies or 7 candy canes]

Directions:

Crush candy canes/peppermint candies. I used a ziploc bag and a rolling pin, but you could use a food processor too. Be sure to leave some pieces on the bigger side because one of the best part of these cookies is the way the peppermint pieces melt as the cookie bakes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Add egg and vanilla, and mix well. In another bowl, stir together flour, cream of tarter, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, and blend until fully combined. Add 1/4 cup of the crushed peppermints and stir to combine.

In a smaller bowl, stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup peppermints.

Now, roll dough into 3/4 inch balls and roll in the sugar/peppermint mixture. Place dough on baking sheet about 2 inches apart [otherwise the cookies will bake into one massive cookie…ask me how I know].

Bake for about 8-11 minutes, depending on how soft or crispy you prefer your cookies. Store dough in the fridge in between batches. Cool on the baking sheet for about a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes about 24.

Click here for the printable: Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Shared at Life as Mom, it’s just Laine.

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?