Mmmm, the flavors of Christmas! For me they are gingerbread, eggnog and peppermint 🙂 A decade or so ago, Bon Appetit magazine featured this Peppermint Bark Cookie. It’s a shortbread base that’s topped with melted chocolate, crushed candy canes, and then drizzled with white chocolate. When cooled, this bar cookie is broken into irregular pieces—yes! A bar cookie! This is a very easy cookie to make, and it tastes like Christmas, mmm…

Recently, I doubled this recipe and baked it in a full sheet pan, then I cut the bark into approximately 1″ squares, thus deleting the ragged corners and broken pieces. This resulted in about 7 dozen 1″ squares. I gave half to my daughter for her cookie trays and half went straight into my freezer for my Christmas cookie teas, exchanges, and boxes.

I can’t think of anything more Christmas-y than a plate of Gingerbread Folk, Egg Nog Spritz, and Peppermint Bark Cookies. I have posted more cookies, too! Just do a search on “cookie” or “bars” 🙂

Peppermint Bark Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 ounces (about 1 cup) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped—try to use a better chocolate than chocolate-chips-in-a-bag
• ½-¾ cup finely chopped red-and-white striped hard peppermint candy canes—6-8 candy canes
• 3 ounces (½ cup) white chocolate—such as Lindt or Perugina—don’t use white chocolate chips if you want really, really good flavor

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray a jelly roll pan or quarter sheet pan with nonstick spray, then line bottom of pan with a long strip of 9″ wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.
3. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl, and set aside.
4. Using electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes, then gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy about 3 minutes more.
5. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk, then gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.
6. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. Bake until light golden brown and slightly puffed, and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes—check after 20, mine got overcooked.
7. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle chopped chocolate over hot shortbread, then let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over the melted chocolate.
8. Melt white chocolate—I put the chocolate in a small freezer Ziploc and microwaved on 50% power for 90 seconds, squish it around to melt thoroughly.
9. Cut a hole in corner of bag, and drizzle white chocolate all over chocolate and candy canes. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
10. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces.

DO AHEAD: These cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator in airtight containers between layers of waxed or parchment paper. Store in freezer for longer storage.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen—this is FUN!