Hope you’re enjoying the weekend! I’ve been home with a sick boy all weekend. Poor boy is missing an important baseball tournament ~ five games in one weekend and I don’t think he will make any of them. Every few hours he wakes up from the couch and tells me he is ready to pitch in the next game. He calls his dad to hear a play by play of what’s been going on, and then he goes back to sleep. What’s a mom to do? Needless to say, my detox from carbs has come to an end and the KJ bottle has been opened. See this peppermint bark above… I’m stuck in a house with a sick boy, his naughty dog, and this. Take pity on me please.
I made these peppermint bark cookies last holiday season after seeing a recipe in Gourmet magazine (original recipe posted here). I decided to try it again with a secret shortcut. This time of year gets crazy, so I embrace any shortcut in the kitchen, as long as it doesn’t compromise the taste. Thanks to Betty… Betty Crocker that is, these cookies are even simpler and equally as yummy as the original recipe.
Here’s how it all comes together:
The secret shortcut involves using a package of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. The only other ingredients you use are a stick of butter, an egg, a cup of chocolate chips, and a few candy canes.
The dough comes together quickly with little mess. The trickiest part is smoothing it out in the pan. If you take a handful of dough at a time, flatten in your hands like a pancake and put it in the pan, it works much easier than trying to spread the dough. Don’t skip the parchment paper in the bottom. It allows you to lift it out of the pan and cut it into pieces when it’s done.
Once the dough bakes for about 18 minutes, sprinkle a cup to a cup and a half of chocolate chips on it while it’s still hot and let it sit for three minutes.
After three minutes, the chocolate chips have melted enough making it a cinch to spread on top of the cookie crust.
Immediately, sprinkle with crushed candy canes, and if you like drizzle white chocolate over the top. Put it in the fridge for a half hour or so to set and then cut into pieces.
These cookies can be easily varied. Switch out dark chocolate for semi-sweet, add Reese’s or Oreos instead of candy canes… the sky’s the limit.
I’m hoping to take these to a party tomorrow night with some of my girlfriends. Crossing my fingers the boy feels better, or I’m going to be stuck with two batches of this yumminess! Someone come save me!!
Click here for the printable recipe.
