Chocolate Peppermint Stars Food

CHOCOLATE-AND-PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• Finely grind peppermint candies in a food processor.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, then vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in flour mixture until combined, about 2 minutes. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut out star shapes using 2 1/2-, 4 1/2-, and 5-inch cookie cutters. Cut a smaller star from the center of each cookie using cookie cutters that are about 1 inch smaller than the larger cutter used. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart. Bake until slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Fill the center of each cookie with ground peppermints. Bake until candy melts, about 6 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.

PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in crushed candies. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into shapes with a floured 2-1/2-in. star cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, milk and extract; stir until smooth. Tint with food coloring if desired. Spread over cookies.

PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, and salt and heat over medium-low heat. When the cream mixture just begins to steam, add the chopped chocolate, and stir, until melted. Stir in the peppermint oil. Divide the hot chocolate among mugs and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer beat together the butter with the sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla. On a low speed beat in the flour mixture a little at a time. Gently mix in chocolate chips.
• On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop teaspoons of the batter about 2 inches apart. Bake until just cracked on top, about 8 to10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Cool completely.
• For the glaze: In a small bowl mix together the sugar; mint extract and water until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let cookies stand until set, about 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SHOOTING STAR CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and boil the kettle. First, make the chocolate cake. Liberally grease the bundt tin with butter, then dust with flour and shake out the excess. Put the cocoa in a bowl with a pinch of salt, cover with 150ml hot water from the kettle, mix until smooth, then set aside to cool. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold everything together. Stir the soured cream into the cocoa mixture, then add to the other bowl and mix until just combined, then scrape into the prepared tin. Bake for 35 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 15 mins in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• When the cake is cool, transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and make space for the cake and tray in your freezer. Slice the cake into pieces roughly the thickness of your star cutter, then pull each piece out a little, so there is space around each one. Pop the cake in the freezer for 2 hrs, or overnight.
• When the cake is firmly frozen, lay each slice on its side, keeping them in the same circular pattern, and cut out a star, using the cutter, from the middle of each piece. Leftover cake can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months, ready for making a trifle. Return the cut-out stars to the freezer.
• Now, make the peppermint cake. Grease the same bundt tin and heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each, then add the flour, soured cream and peppermint extract. Give everything a good mix and scrape half the mixture into the bundt tin. Remove the stars from the freezer and line up in a circle on top of the cake mixture (pointy sides up) - make sure there are no gaps and that the stars perfectly line up. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top, easing it around the stars until they are just covered. Bake for 45 mins until risen and golden brown and a skewer poked into the side of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the icing, melt the chocolate in short blasts in the microwave, or in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring it occasionally. Set aside to cool a little. In a large bowl, beat the icing sugar and butter until pale and smooth. Add the chocolate and peppermint extract, and mix again until combined. When the cake is completely cool, place on a serving plate, then swirl over the chocolate icing, easing it about halfway down the sides to create a snowy effect. Place the Maltesers on top of the cake. Will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add egg, then yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles, and place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.
• Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer parchment, with cookies, to wire racks, and let cool.
• Sift crushed candy, and separate larger pieces from dust, reserving both. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of either candy pieces or dust on top. Repeat, sprinkling half the cookies with pieces and the rest with dust. Refrigerate until set, up to 3 hours. Decorated cookies are best served the same day.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT STARS

Steps:

• Make Cookies:
• Make Buttery Sugar Cookie dough as directed, but reduce the flour to 1 1/3 cups and add the cocoa. Whisk the flour and cocoa together.
• Halve dough and wrap each half in wax paper, shaping each into a flattened rectangle, then store each half in a resealable plastic bag. Chill dough until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• While oven heats, roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) between two large sheets of wax paper to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, quick-chill on a baking sheet in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator until firm.)
• Peel back top sheet of wax paper and cut out as many cookies with cutter as possible. Transfer cookies, as cut, to a lined baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart. (If dough becomes too soft to remove the cookies, quick-chill on a baking sheet in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator until firm.)
• Gather, reroll, and chill scraps to form more cookies.
• Freeze or chill cut-out cookies on baking sheet until firm before baking.
• Bake cookies, one sheet at time, until edges are a shade darker and centers are set, 9 to 12 minutes. For picture-perfect cookies, use cookie cutters while cookies are hot from the oven to trim edges. (Keep trimmings for snacks.) Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough. (Cool baking sheets and use fresh parchment between batches.)
• Decorate Cookies:
• Using the offset spatula or a small rubber spatula, spread cooled cookies with a thin layer of melted chocolate, then sprinkle with some crushed candy canes.
• Let cookies stand at room temperature until the chocolate has set, about 1 hour.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray six 9-by-2-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line each cake pan with parchment paper and spray parchment.
• In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa with hot water until smooth. Whisk in sour cream; let cool. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each; scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes and let cool completely, top sides up.
• Meanwhile, fit a pastry bag with a large plain round tip; fill pastry bag with one-third of the buttercream and set aside.
• Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a cake plate or lazy Susan. Transfer one layer to cake plate and pipe buttercream around the perimeter of the cake. Using about 1 cup remaining buttercream, fill between the buttercream perimeter to create an even layer of filling; sprinkle with some of the crushed peppermint candies. Top with another layer of cake, top side down. Repeat process, filling the cake, piping the buttercream perimeter, creating an even layer with remaining frosting, and sprinkling with peppermint candies, until all the cake layers have been stacked. Spread remaining frosting all over tops and sides of cake; sprinkle top with peppermint candies. Garnish sides of cake plate with any remaining candies; serve.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SNAPS

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and mix the sugar with the peppermint essence. When the chocolate has melted, cool for 1 min, mix with the sugar, then pour into the tray. Spread to a very thin layer and chill until completely firm. Snap into shards to serve. Perfect as a garnish for puddings or with an after-dinner coffee.