December 9, 2012

Peppermint Crunch Cookies…from Bell’Alimento and McCormick

Hey kids…you are in for a treat!

My best friend Paula of Bell’Alimento is here to share a cookie with you, and well, I’m over on her blog with a recipe of my own. Since I think you already know my friend, I’m going to let her take it away with these incredible Peppermint Crunch Cookies!

It’s that time of year… Cookie Swap Time!

Have you been invited to one or more? Does it make you break into a sweat or do you immediately feel the urge to put on an apron and fire up the oven? I have to admit I kind of dig them. Maybe it’s the cookie monster in me. Or the fact that I’m currently boycotting cake.

This year in addition to a few in real life cookie swaps I’m doing a virtual cookie swap with my bff Susan. If she lived closer I’d just pop over and drop them off. She’s skinny and really needs to eat more. But since I can not just pop over on a whim, I’m sharing them virtually.

I hope you like peppermint because these little festive beauties are exploding with McCormick’s Pure Peppermint Extract as well as crushed peppermints. ‘Tis the season for peppermint after all! It’s full of layers and flavors and TEXTURE. It’s a light soft cookie that’s bursting with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. That on it’s own would be delicious, but why stop there? Pfft. Not me. We dip them in more melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peppermints.

It’s a holiday party in your mouth.

These are a super quick and easy cookie recipe that you can whip up for your own cookie swap or just because you feel like having cookies.

Baci!

Peppermint Crunch Cookies

What you’ll need:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter – room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces Hershey’s Premiere White Chips – divided
3 ounces macadamia nuts – roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract
8 hard peppermint candies – crushed

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Into the bowl of your mixer add: sugars, butter vanilla and egg. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in: flour, baking soda and salt. Gently fold in half of chips and nuts.
Drop dough by tablespoonful about 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet lined with a silpat. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Allow cookies to cool approximately 2-3 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire rack.
When cookies are completely cool, in small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining chips approximately 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving, until melted. Stir in peppermint extract.
Dip half of each cookie into melted chips, carefully shake excess off. Transfer cookies to a silpat lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with approximately 1/2 teaspoon crushed candy. Allow to sit until chocolate has set.