Bready or Not Original: White Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Cookies
Last week, I posted a Peppermint Bark Cookies recipe modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine. This week, I share a reworked version of the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies I’ve made for about two decades. This White Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Cookies recipe includes white chocolate melted into the dough, resulting in a smooth, sweet cookie that gets only better with the addition of peppermint bark.
A whole bag of white chocolate chips is included in this recipe. A cup is melted for the dough; the rest is added as chips, right along with the coarsely chopped peppermint bark.
These cookies are incredible. I preferred them over last week’s take, though both are excellent.
Modified from Bready or Not: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.
Bready or Not Original: White Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Cookies
Equipment
- microwave-safe small bowl
- cookie scoop or spoon
Ingredients
- 10 ounces white chocolate chips divided
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 11 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups peppermint bark coarsely chopped, divided (about 12 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 1 cup of white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power in short increments, 20-25 seconds, and stop to stir between passes until the chips blend smoothly; take care, as it can burn fast! Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, vanilla, and eggs until they are creamy. Mix in the melted chips. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Fold in the remaining chips and 1 cup of peppermint bark.
- Use a tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to place dough in rounded lumps on cookie sheet. Using the reserved stash of peppermint bark, press a few pieces onto the top of each dough ball. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops just begin to turn light golden brown. Immediately add a few more pieces of peppermint bark onto the top of each cookie. Cool on the sheet for several minutes, then move to a rack to set for about 3 hours; this process can be speeded up by briefly placing cookies in the fridge.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Best eaten within 5 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Peppermint Bark Cookies
This Peppermint Bark Cookies recipe, modified from a holiday Bake from Scratch issue, is the first in a small series of such experiments.
One thing I’ll say straight up: peppermint bark can be expensive, and this recipe will look much prettier with nicer bark. I used cheap Palmer Peppermint Bark from Dollar Tree for this recipe, and it doesn’t look as nice as my other experiments.
That said, the cheap stuff can still make tasty cookies. These morsels are soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate and peppermint flavor. They make for a great holiday treat. If you want to make them year-round, stock up on peppermint bark while you can get it–if you’re lucky, score some on clearance right after Christmas.
Bready or Not: Peppermint Bark Cookies
Equipment
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper
- large cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 ounces peppermint bark chopped, divided
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- flaked sea salt for topping optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
- In another bowl, combined the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet, beating until just combined. Measure out 1 cup of the peppermint bark and add that to the dough, folding it in. Add the chocolate chips and fold in.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Use cookie scoop to dole out dough, spaced out, on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are set and turning golden brown. Immediately press a piece or two of the reserved peppermint bark onto each round. Add a small pinch of flaked sea salt to each, if desired. Let set until bark pieces solidify, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Store cookies in a sealed container up to 4 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chewy Molasses Cookies
These Chewy Molasses Cookies are perfect holiday cookies. They are loaded with warm spices, with just the right hit of sugary icing.
These are not massive cookies. They are dangerously bite size, the cookie chewy with the icing forming a pleasant sweet crunch.
Note that the dough needs to be made ahead of time so that it can chill for at least an hour, but up to a few days is fine. You can also freeze the dough, if desired.
Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking 2021.
Bready or Not: Chewy Molasses Cookies
Equipment
- small cookie scoop or spoon
- parchment paper
- spoon
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons half & half or milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses and egg.
- Gradually mix in the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Make sure everything is combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for anywhere from an hour to a few days.
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to dole out dough onto pan. Flatten each ball slightly; they won’t spread much.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until set with a crackling top. Let cool a couple of minutes, then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
- Once the cookies are cool, combined the icing ingredients. Glaze should be thick but spreadable. Coat the back of a spoon and transfer that to the top of a cookie, spreading to evenly coat. Cover cookies until icing is used up; the amounts should be a close match. Let them set for an hour for the icing to solidify, then pack into a sealed container.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Earl Grey Shortbread Bars
Whether you are coping with cold weather right now or psychologically easing into winter (something I know well from my time in Arizona), these Earl Grey Shortbread Bars will make you feel warm and cozy. Also, caffeinated.
These bars are dense, soft, and a touch crumbly, the flavor of warm spice throughout. The drizzle of glaze adds sweetness and prettiness.
The tea flavor is quite strong here–it actually seemed to get bolder after a day–so the 1/4 cup amount is best made for people who like Earl Grey. I used Bigelow bags, but the amount of tea likely varies across brands. If you want a milder flavor, use less tea.
Bready or Not Original: Earl Grey Shortbread Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- spice grinder or mortar and pestle
- wax paper or plastic wrap
- heavy glass or other weight
- piping bag or freezer bag
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/4 cup Early Grey tea leaves about 4-5 Bigelow bags
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks) room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk or half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- Use a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle to grind the Earl Grey leaves down a bit more, but not fully to powder. Move the tea to a medium bowl and stir with the flour and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, followed by the vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture to incorporate.
- Dollop the dough into the prepared pan. Use a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap to spread out the dough, then use something like a heavy glass to evenly compress the dough into the pan.
- Bake until shortbread is firm with golden edges, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.
- After the pan comes to room temperature, mix the glaze ingredients. Transfer them to a piping bag or to a freezer bag. Snip the corner to pipe the glaze in stripes over the pan. Let set for an hour, then use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
- Store in sealed container at room temperature. Bars will keep for an least 2 days.
