Peppermint Bark Cookies

I know, I know, it’s too early for Holiday cookies, right? Of course, I’m not one of those who starts listening to Christmas music on Halloween, so it definitely seems early to me. But, I had an awesome reason for dusting off my holiday cookie “must-make” list – I am participating in a bake along with some amazing bloggers. Skip to my Lou, A Southern Fairytale and According to Kelly are hosting the event, and if you’re already making plans for the holidays, these ladies will really help you out.

I really love to give homemade gifts, but the holidays are just so darn busy that sometimes it’s hard to wrap your brain around all of the planning that goes into it. I always seem to have lofty aspirations of beautiful cookie trays, cute little candies, pastries, breads…and it never happens. It’s too much work, especially among the shopping, events, family gatherings…it’s just too much.

This is why I chose to contribute an amazingly easy holiday cookie to the Bake Along this year. And how cute are they in a mason jar? A little ribbon, a darling tag and you have an adorable portable gift. Easy, quick, and sure to please. Love it.

Now, we really need to talk about these cookies. So, I might be a bit biased because I LOVE peppermint bark, but these are possibly the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Bold words, for sure, but I’m not exaggerating. The cookies are dark, fudgy and cakey, and they’re topped with peppermint bark made right on top of them.

I didn’t add any mint flavoring to the cookie or chocolate bark at all. Instead, I chopped up some Hershey’s peppermint candies and used those as the mint flavoring. This accomplished a couple of things – it kept the cookie soft (no crunchy candy on top) and maintained the chocolate flavors so you aren’t overwhelmed by mint.

Awesome.

I also feel like I need a disclaimer since I used a cake mix – I’m usually anti-mix, but these cookies are so fantastic that I’m willing to make an exception. I actually made a cake-cookie from scratch, and while it was good, it just lacked the fudgy-ness (fudginess?) of the cookies from the mix. So, I give these my blessing. I know, I can’t believe it myself.

If you love peppermint bark as much as I do, you need to give these a try. Enjoy!

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Peppermint Bark Cookies
Yield: 28 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes ♦ Bake Time: 10 minutes per batch

Cookie Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines Devil’s Fudge)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 Tablespoons (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a slipat mat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients with a hand mixer until well combined. Batter will be thick.

Using a small cookie scoop or a small spoon, drop balls of dough onto the prepared sheet. To ensure uniform baking and size, I rolled mine into 1-1.5 inch balls, and baked nine cookies per sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the cookie sheet, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bark Ingredients:

6 ounces dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped
8 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
10 ounce bag of Hershey’s Kisses Mint Candy Cane, chopped (you won’t need the whole bag)

Directions:
After the cookies are cooled, use a double boiler or the microwave to melt the chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Using a small, offset spatula, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate onto each cookie. Place cookies on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or until the chocolate layer has hardened.

Meanwhile, rough-chop 1/3 of the mint candies. Melt the white chocolate chips using the same double boiler or microwave method. Carefully spread a layer of white chocolate over the cookie, and sprinkle with the chopped candies. Return to refrigerator for 10 minutes to harden.

Once the chocolate has hardened, the cookies will be fit for packaging and sending to your loved ones. Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration: Adapted from Sweet Sugar Belle and The Garden of Yum.