Andes Peppermint Crunch Shortbread Cookies
Things have sure been crazy and busy around here! Christmas is less than a week away. Seems like we’ve had all kinds of activities going on and I can barely sit down, let alone share blog posts with you all. I decided to sit down and try to get a post written up today before our next activity tonight.
I didn’t take this picture, but how cute is this little elf who must be hiding something in his shirt?!
Not long after Thanksgiving, which was really early this year, the boys were begging me to get all the Christmas decorations up. Finally got that done just in time for Kevin’s department Christmas party at our house, hosting about 20 people.
We’ve had the pleasure of attending a high school band concert, since Scott plays the drums in the concert band. Look how sharp he looks in a tux! This kid never lets me take his picture, but I think even he was liking how he looked! ;) The concert was great, but we were a little disappointed that all the drummers were in the back row and a tuba player and his tuba were right in front of Scott. sigh
I actually made them for my book group weeks ago and have been wanting to share them since then. I just took a shortbread cookie recipe, like the Mexican wedding cookies, and instead of adding the chopped pecans, I added the peppermint candy. I then drizzled some of the melted candy over the tops.
Andes Peppermint Crunch Shortbread Cookies, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ c to 1 cup Andes Peppermint Bits (to taste), use some to melt and drizzle on the cookies
Cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix. Beat in the flour and salt just until the dry ingredients are mixed in. Stir in the Andes mints.
Roll dough in to walnut-sized balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper spacing the balls of dough about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt some of the peppermint candies in the microwave in a small glass bowl in 20-30 second intervals on half power. When melted, put the melted candy in a sandwich-sized zip top plastic bag and snip a small hole in one corner. Drizzle the melted candy over the cookies.
We finally had a nice, big snow last week, about six inches. After shoveling the deck and part of the driveway, I wanted to make a snowman. The boys had already played outside sledding and didn’t really want to help, so this is what I came up with almost with no other help from the others.
After making the Andes peppermint shortbread cookies, I thought I’d try another recipe, but with the same idea. Instead of drizzling melted chocolate, I rolled the baked cookies in powdered sugar.
I like this recipe a little better, but preferred the stronger peppermint taste the first cookies had with the drizzled melted candy. That could easily be fixed by added more of the candy to the cookies or evey a little peppermint extract to the dough. They are both good!
Perfect Christmas cookies!
Peppermint Snowball Cookies, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups Andes Peppermint Bits (These are the same cookies where you could substitute pecans for the candy)
Powdered sugar for rolling the cookies in
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Beat in the flour and salt just until combined. Stir in the Andes. Roll dough in to walnut-sized balls and place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for a couple minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Roll each cookie in powdered sugar.
BAKE ON!
The boys’ last day of school was today. Time to really get the holidays going!
