Saturday, December 12, 2009

Tis the Season for Sweets: No-Bake Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Tis the season for parties, gatherings and lots of reasons to bring some sweets. We needed to bring a dessert to a party tomorrow, but after long week, I didn't have the time and energy to bake. So, using only a microwave, I made these lovely chocolate peppermint cookies. If you followed my original baking blog, these will look familiar but I decided to use semi-sweet chocolate as well as white this time.

You will need:
• peppermint candies or candy canes
• white chocolate chips
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Nabisco famous chocolate wafers
• peppermint extract (optional)

1. Start by crushing the peppermints in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.

2. Using a sieve, separate the fines from the larger chunks.

3. This will give you two different options for the candy cane topping. I prefer the chunky peppermint pieces versus the fines.

4. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Add a drop or two of peppermint extract and stir. Drop the chocolate wafer into the bowl and spoon the melted chocolate over the top. Carefully remove using a spoon to lift the cookie from underneath, and place on wax paper. Sprinkle immediately with the candy cane pieces.

5. Don't worry if the chocolate spreads on the wax paper, once it hardens you can trim the edge.

6. If you want to speed up the hardening, place the cookies in the refrigerator.

And there you have it, chocolate-covered crunchy wafers that look festive and taste great. Make sure you keep them in cool place as the chocolate could melt if it gets too warm.