Peppermint and Chocolate

I recently became an Arbonne Independent Consultant and wanted to spoil the guests at my 2 launch parties.  I had decided to throw a "Pampermint" peppermint party, so I could make some themed desserts.  Searched pinterest and found 2 recipes I just HAD to try. Home made peppermint patties (which became peppermint patty bark) and chocolate peppermint cookies.

Chocolate peppermint cookies on the left, peppermint patty bark on the right.

What you will need for the peppermint patties;
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons shortening

Mix condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar and peppermint extract on medium speed. Add more powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until dough is stiff. (if it is not thick enough, the patties will not set) Roll dough into 3/4" balls, place on parchment paper then flatten. Place flattened dough in freezer for up to 30 minutes.  While the dough is setting, start warming chocolate chips and shortening. (place chocolate and shortening in smaller pot on top of a large pot which has 1/2" water. Use low heat.) Place chilled patty on fork and dip in chocolate until covered, then place on parchment paper. Keep covered patties in fridge for easy storage.

Now, for those of you who don't make the dough stiff enough like me...My modification was making peppermint patty bark.  I took the squishy patties placed them all in the melted chocolate, stirred the mixture a handful of times. Placed a piece of parchment paper in a 9x13 pan, poured the mixture in and put it in the freezer for an hour. It wasn't as pretty as the cookies would have been, but the lack of stirring meant that you still managed to get the peppermint patties in throughout the melted chocolate. Yummmy!

Original recipe can be found here

The second recipe was the chocolate peppermint cookies.

What you will need;
1 cup flour, plus more for the countertop
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 large candy canes, or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
2 pounds of white chocolate

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Mix in peppermint extract, and slowly add dry mixture. Split dough into 2 separate bags and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325F. Roll out one ball of dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut into 2" circles (I used a small mouthed glass), and place 1" apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. (they do not get thicker or wider upon baking). Roll and cut scraps one. Repeat with remaining disk.  Bake for approximately 12 mins, or until cookies are dry to the touch. Let them cool.

Begin to melt chocolate. Crush peppermint candies. (I used a blender) Dunk cookies in melted chocolate, place on parchment paper and sprinkle peppermint candy on top. Place cookies in fridge to set chocolate.

If you are short on time, one modification that I have not tried, but believe would work quite well is; buy chocolate wafers and add the peppermint extract to the white chocolate. (I have not seen chocolate wafer that are peppermint flavoured, but they are the same consistency of the cookies made in this recipe)

Original recipe found here

Chocotzel cookies

Just found my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe and added an extra ingredient..  I've been on board with the sweet and salty phase that has taken over the baking world, so to add the salty to this sweet recipe I went with pretzel pieces.  I sure am happy with my decision.  I think the only way it could get better is if I replaced half of the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips, which I will definitely be trying next time.  Wonder what I will call those... Chopretscotch, Chobutzel..  Gonna have to work on the name..

For this recipe you will need;

3/4 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pretzel pieces (pretzels broken up)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars.  Add vanilla and egg, blend mixture.  In a separate bowl combine; flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.  Add dry mix to wet ingredients.  Fold in pretzels and chocolate chips.  Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.  Heat oven to 350 F and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Make one inch round balls of cookie dough, place 1.5-2" apart and slightly flatten. (the cookies in this recipe do not widen in size, but they fluff upward)  Cook for 8-10 minutes.  These cookies are done before they brown on top.  Let cool, then try to keep little paws (and big paws) off of them!

For original chocolate chip recipe go here

Zucchini cookies

Made 2 different kinds of zucchini loaves and wanted something a little different with my final zucchini baking adventure of the year, so I went with a cookie recipe.  I had never heard of such a thing, but the recipe called for cinnamon and cloves so I figured it couldn't be too bad...  Sure am glad I decided to try it out, 'cause they are yummy, and reasonably healthy (when compared to other cookies that is..) so you don't feel too bad eating them!

What you will need;

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup grated zucchini
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup raisins

2-3 cookies sheets
parchment paper (I have been a recent convert, I used to bake with aluminum wrap but find nothing sticks to parchment paper...)
Time... This recipe is recommended to sit for at least 1 hour prior to baking, so I prepared the dough while the loaves were cooking the day prior

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and zucchini.  Combine dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Fold in raisins.  Let sit for at least one hour. (mine were in the fridge for almost 24 hours and turned out amazing!)  Pre heat oven at 375 F.  Roll 1 inch balls of cookie dough and flatten on cookie sheets to 1/2 " height.  Place cookies approximately1.5- 2" apart. (they did not expand while baking) Bake for 8-10 mins.  Cool, then enjoy!

I really enjoy the flavour of these cookies, and will be definitely be making them again.  One thing I would change (if schools were not nut free), is that I would add either some pecans or walnuts, but they were just fine without them.  They were a nice change to the typical zucchini recipe.

Original recipe found here

Raspberry zucchini loaf

 My mother-in-law generously gave me 2 very large bags of frozen raspberries a couple weeks ago and wasn't too sure what I would do with them, but knew I would be able to put them to good use eventually.  While looking for new and interesting zucchini recipes I happened to stumble upon one that would make use of both the zucchini and the raspberries, how perfect!  The flavour combination seems like more of a summer dessert, but my family could probably use a quick break from the fall samplings I have been giving them..

What you will need

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup fresh raspberries (I used raspberries that were frozen but that I thawed prior to baking with)

2 pre greased medium sized loaf pans

Pre heat oven at 350 F. Beat sugar and eggs together until slightly fluffy.  Add zucchini, apple sauce and lemon juice.  Combine dry ingredients; flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Blend dry ingredients with wet ingredients.  Fold in raspberries slightly, so as to create a swirl effect.  Pour into pans and then bake 45-50 mins. (original recipe states to bake for 30-35 mins, or until golden brown and then cover with foil.  However, my loaves did not brown on top until loaves were cooked through at approx. 50 mins)  Let loaves cool for 10-15 mins.  Slide butter knife around the edges of the loaves to avoid sticking, place hand on top of loaf, flip pan upside down, give a couple wiggles to the pan and it should pop out.

"Swirl effect"

The raspberry flavour definitely takes over this loaf, which I don't mind one bit!  Brings me back to my childhood, picking raspberries at the park off the bush that was growing out of one of the neighbours chain link fences.  We would go visit that bush almost every day in hopes of finding new berries!

 My one complaint about these loaves is that it is too moist...  Next time I would try straining the raspberries and zucchini.

2 raspberry zucchini loaves on the left, 2 chocolate zucchini loaves on the right.

Original recipe located here

Chocolate zucchini loaf

After compiling some zucchini recipes this morning, I had to go with the classic chocolate zucchini loaf first.  Who doesn't enjoy its moist, chocolatey yumminess?  Lucky for me, the zucchini was already shredded yesterday, so I got to jump right into baking!

What you will need

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 packed cups grated zucchini (don’t peel it)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 Medium sized loaf pans, pre greased

Pre heat oven at 350 F.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until a slightly fluffy consistency is reached.  Add the apple sauce and vanilla, mix.  Add the dry ingredients; flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt, mix.  Add zucchini and chocolate chips and fold ingredients into mixture.  Pour into 2 pre-greased medium sized loaf pans.  Bake for 50-60 mins, or until the top begins to "crack open".  Let sit for 10-15 mins in loaf pan, then slide a butter knife around the edge of the loaf to loosen it from the sides. Place your hand on the top of the loaf and turn the pad upside down, give it a couple little shakes and it should slide ride out.

Then enjoy!  I was a good mom and offered up the end piece to my daughter, but since she is still in "I don't like the crust mode", I got to eat it! : )  One day she'll learn that is the best part, but I definitely won't be pushing her to change her mind...

Although my favourite way to enjoy this loaf is fresh out of the oven, you can freeze it.  I like to stock up my freezer with a few different types of loaves for those last minute get togethers when you would like to bring a little snack for your friends or family to enjoy.

Original recipe is found here. Two modifications that I made were using apple sauce instead of oil, which I almost always do, and using only 1/2 cup of chocolate chips vs the original 1 cup. These are my attempts at keeping it as healthy a snack as possible, plus, as long my munchkin sees chocolate she's happy!