Although Christmas is only a couple of days away, I couldn’t resist sharing this AMAZING recipe with you. This is one of the best cookies I have made – seriously! I first made this last year after seeing the rave reviews it got on Prevention RD’s blog and couldn’t leave them off my Christmas baking list this year.
It’s a buttery shortbread base topped with rich chocolate and bits of peppermint and a white chocolate drizzle – it’s really perfection in a cookie. It’s not too late to crank this one out before Christmas – I promise you won’t regret it.
Chocolate and Peppermint Bark Cookies REcipe
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 40 pieces
Rich buttery shortbread is topped with a thin layer of chocolate and some chopped candy-cane to create the best Christmas cookie.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped red & white candies or candy canes (about 3 ounces)
- 2 oz. high-quality white chocolate
Instructions
- Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment, letting it hang over the sides of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue to beat for an additional 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla extract and egg yolk.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually beat in the flour mixture, until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Scatter the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and gently press it, with slightly moistened fingers, to form a flat layer. Prick all over with a fork.
- Bake the cookie layer until golden brown and slightly puffed, and edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25-30 minutes. Place on a cookie rack and immediately sprinkle chopped bittersweet or semisweet (or a combination of the two) over the cookie layer. Let the chocolate sit for about 3 minutes. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate into an even layer over the surface of the cookies. Immediately sprinkle 3 ounces crushed red and white peppermint candies, or candy canes, over the chocolate layer.
- Place chopped white chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over a simmering pot of water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Using a fork, drizzle the white chocolate over the peppermint candies. Chill for approximately 30 minutes.
- Gripping the overhanging parchment paper, lift the cookies out of the pan and place on a work surface. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the cookies into irregular pieces