Peppermint White Chocolate MandM Cookies (Merry Christmas!)

This year, I'm spending Christmas with the Monkey Scientist's family.  His mom is an expert baker and I wanted to help contribute to the endless flow of Christmas cookies she's producing.  I picked up a couple bags of these MandMs at Target (uhh they were white chocolate and peppermint, of course I bought 2 bags) a few weeks ago but I'd been fighting not to eat them so I could make cookies! (I knew if I opened the bag without a plan, I'd eat it all in a day or two. I lack self-restraint.)




I whipped these up yesterday so that I wouldn't be contributing to the chaos once the Christmas cooking really begins.  We have them in an airtight container (along with his mom's famous sugar cookies) and I think they might last through tomorrow!  There is never a lack of good food around here - especially baked goods.  I was glad I could contribute a little something.



This is my first year not heading up north in New Hampshire to ski over Christmas, I think in my whole life.  Things were just a little too crazy for me to travel over the holidays.  Luckily, the Monkey Scientist and I will get a good weekend of skiing in just after the New Year.  It doesn't sound like the skiing I'm missing has been very bad lately, anyways!  I'm certainly missing my family, but looking forward to seeing most of them in a few weeks. I'm also lucky the Monkey Scientist's family takes me in as one of their own!  It's my first Christmas with a tree, rather than a pile of presents at the bottom of the stairs or under the fireplace.



These cookies are super sweet and minty - just how I like them!  They would be perfect to leave for Santa under the tree as well.  They came out a little bit puffy for me, which I tried to fix with my rapping against the oven door trick, but I think you could also reduce the flour a bit.  I also left out the candy canes because the Monkey Scientist thinks they stick in his teeth too much.  Regardless, they taste wonderful!

Have a happy holiday!



White Chocolate Peppermint MandM Cookies
slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients
2 1/2-3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup White Chocolate Peppermint MandM's

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. In the bowl of the standing mixer, cream the butter and sugars until blended. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing on low until fully incorporated. Mix in the white chocolate chips and MandM's.
5. On a baking sheet (I lined mine with a Silpat) drop the cookies in tablespoon-sized balls about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Bang the pan against the open oven door or your stove-top to flatten the cookies. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cookies are browning around the edges (but still soft in the middle).
6. Remove from the oven and let rest on the cookies sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Candy Cane Biscotti

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is baking cookies.  Last year, we had an office cooking baking contest.  I'm a litttttttle bit competitive, and in the end I squeaked by and won by 1 vote with these cookies.  Seriously delicious.



This year, I was thrilled that I was invited to a cookie swap that 2 of my friends were holding.  I was very torn about what I wanted to make, but in the end I decided on these Candy Cane Biscotti.  I feel like biscotti can be a little controversial, because people expect it to be rock hard, but it's one of my absolute favorite cookies to make.



Let me start by saying homemade biscotti is completely different than the small bricks that you might find somewhere like Starbucks.  They're crunchy, but not break-your-teeth hard by any means. My go-to cookie last winter was gingerbread biscotti and it was always a hit. I also loved making cinnamon sugar biscotti, and it made me fully trust Tracey's biscotti recipes.  I also love that biscotti stores well for a bit longer than other cookies - I actually brought some home on the plane for my family last December.



These particular biscotti are perfect for the holiday season.  It turns out crushing candy canes is not so easy - we crushed right through several plastic baggies.  I recommend using freezer bags.  I also over-tempered the white chocolate so I was only able to dip 4 biscotti.  Listen to Tracey, use bars instead of chips.  You also might need to bake them a little bit longer than the recipe says, although my oven might be off.  I wanted to brown the tops a little bit more. I really should purchase an oven thermometer one of these days.



Our cookie swap ended up being so much fun! I was really impressed with some of the cookies the girls made.  Folks seemed to enjoy these biscotti, and I think they turned out pretty delicious.  They weren't hard, and the peppermint gave great Christmasy-flavor.  Plus, even without the white chocolate, they're quite pretty!  This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and put out for Santa on Christmas Eve.  They're sure to put you in the holiday spirit!



Candy Cane Biscotti
from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup crush peppermint candy canes, plus extra for garnish
14 oz white chocolate (use bars, not chips)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the candy cane pieces.

3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into a log that is roughly 9-inches by 1 1/2-inches. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the logs are light golden brown and cracked and top. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the logs cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Reduce the oven to 325 F.

4. Working with one log at a time, cut into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal using a serrated knife. Transfer the biscotti to the baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the biscotti are light golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

5. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Dip half of each biscotti cookie into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off before transferring to a sheet of wax paper. Garnish with extra crushed candy canes while the chocolate is wet, if desired. Let the chocolate set then store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen