Chocolate Mint Pinwheels

Another one of the cookies I made this year was chocolate mint pinwheels - these are really tasty! I got the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookies Cookies Cookies.

If you're a fan of chocolate and mint, you'll definitely like these. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg 
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• green food coloring (I used the Wilton's gel (paste) kind.)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Yield: 48 cookies

Beat the butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed until the butter is softened (about 30 seconds). 

Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add the egg, milk, and vanilla extract. 

Beat until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Divide the mixture in half and place one half in a separate bowl. 

Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/8 tsp. salt, the peppermint extract, and the green food coloring to the half of the shortening mixture you took out.

Stir together until combined. 

Add 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/8 tsp. salt, and the unsweetened cocoa powder into the remaining half of the shortening mixture.

Mix well.

Place each mixture between 2 sheets of wax paper. 

Using a rolling pin, roll each mixture into a 12x11 inch rectangle.

Peel off the top sheet of wax paper off of each rectangle and flip the green dough on top of the chocolate dough.

From one of the 12-inch sides, roll the dough up. 

Wrap the 12-inch roll of dough in wax paper.

Chill for at least 4 hours (I did it overnight).

Cut the dough into 1/4 inch-thick slices and place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 13 minutes at 375ºF or until the edges are firm and the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

I've been busy making Christmas cookies this week - so far, I've made peanut brittle, pecan brittle, sandies, and candy lasses. This year I also made Peanut Butter Blossoms - if you're a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, you'll like these a lot. 

I basically used the recipe for whole wheat peanut butter blossoms from Better Homes and Gardens Cookies Cookies Cookies - except I didn't use any whole wheat flour or chopped peanuts (I used crunchy peanut butter, not smooth).

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (the nutty or crunchy kind)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• sugar (for coating the cookies)
• Hershey's kisses 

Yield: About 54

Beat the shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and brown sugar.

Beat until the dough becomes fluffy.

Add the egg, milk, and vanilla.

Beat until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Gradually beat in the baking powder, baking soda, and flour until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in sugar.

Place the balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. 

Remove and immediately press a Hershey's kiss the center of each cookie.

Cool the cookies on a wire rack. 

These are really tasty, but they are a little difficult to store since you can't layer them without smushing the Hershey's kisses. So make sure you have plenty of boxes to store them single-layer in.

Have you started any Christmas baking yet?

Sandies

We make sandies every year - they're also called Mexican wedding cakes and Russian teacakes, among other things.  There's lots of different recipes for them, but my mom found that this one from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookies Cookies Cookies book works best - the cookies don't crumble at all.

The recipe is called Honey Sand Balls.  We substitute pecans for the walnuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup pecans
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• sifted powdered sugar

Yield: approximately 48 cookies

Begin by chopping the pecans (I used a blender attachment).

Beat the butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and honey with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.

Beat in the flour, pecans, vanilla, and salt.

Mix thoroughly.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 325ºF for 14 minutes. The cookies should be lightly browned.

While the cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar.

Cool on a wire rack and roll cookies in the powdered sugar again.

Enjoy!

Mint Brownies

Every year, we make some kind of chocolate-mint cookie - some years it is chocolate mint pinwheels, some years it is brownies.  I made mint brownies this year - I made them last year too, but I messed them up by not waiting until they cooled to try to cut them.  It's definitely important to wait when the recipe says too - even if they do smell delicious and you're hungry!

The recipe for the brownies comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookies Cookies Cookies book, but we use our own recipe for the chocolate glaze.

Ingredients:

• Brownies
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 18 Andes creme de menthe thins
• Chocolate Glaze
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 tbsp. hot milk
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• dash of salt

Yield: 36 brownies

Chop the Andes candies into small pieces.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat.

Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Lightly beat until combined.

Stir in the flour.

Spread the batter into a greased 9x9x2-inch baking pan.

Sprinkle the chopped mint candies over the batter.

Bake at 350ºF for 27 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.

To make the chocolate glaze, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.

Mix the hot milk with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Add a dash of salt.

Pour in the chocolate mixture, stirring until smooth.

Spread the chocolate glaze over the brownies.  Allow the glaze to set for at least one hour.

Cut into bars and enjoy!