- April 19, 2024
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Christmas is my favorite holiday. I think it has to do with the traditions. While I was growing up, my dad used to take my sister and me every year to the tree farm to cut down our own Christmas tree. I had to have the biggest tree. Year after year, our light-up angel had to be squeezed in between the treetop and the ceiling.
In college, our tree didn’t get decorated until I came home. Even now, I return to my parents’ house to place my hand-painted ceramic ornaments on the tree. While singing along to my favorite Christmas album, Dolly Patron and Kenny Rogers’ “Once Upon a Christmas,” I am always amazed that mom has kept mine and my sister’s handprint wreaths that we made in Miss Linda’s kindergarten class all those years ago.
As a child, my sister and I made Christmas cookies with my grandmother every year.
As an adult, making faces on reindeer-shaped sugar cookies is not my favorite; but as a kid, I loved the decorating process.
Now, it’s more about the traditional winter flavors. Top of the list is peppermint. Of course, chocolate is always in my baking flavor profile, and the combination of the two is joyous.
I think these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies are going to become a new tradition in my house.
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Yields 2 dozen cookies
What you need:
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons spooned and leveled bleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 3/4 cups sugar, divide
1/4 cup of canola oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm, not hot
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup powdered sugar
What to do:
In a medium bowl, beat together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or, for a quicker melting process, in the microwave on 50% power for one minute, stir, and microwave for 15 seconds more and stir; set aside.
In a mixer, beat together 2 1/2 cups of sugar, oil, butter and corn syrup to blend. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract.
Then on low, beat in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and beat in on low speed.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Take out about one-quarter of the dough at a time to shape. Roll the dough into 3-inch balls.
Pour the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar into one bowl and the confectioners’ sugar in another bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball lightly in granulated sugar first, then very heavily in confectioners’ sugar. (By rolling in plain sugar first, the confectioners’ sugar does not soak in so much and stays on the surface better).
Arrange cookies 2 inches apart.
For crisp cookies, bake 12 to 14 minutes. For a chewier cookie, bake 10 to 12 minutes. Bake one sheet at a time.
