Holiday baking, 2019 (part 1)

The holiday season is my favorite excuse to amp up on baking.  It's a year-round sport for me but come late November through the month of December, baking takes on a whole extra level of sweetness.  I'm savoring this time in the kitchen, and I thought it'd be fun to once again cobble together pics of some of the baking that's been going on in my kitchen.  We're baking plenty of family-favorites, with some new recipes mixed in.

Let's start with the peppermint-chocolate macarons shown above.  I'm no stranger to trying macaron recipes and even though it's always a high-wire act with uncertain results, I can't help myself.  Since it's the holidays, it's all about the peppermint - my son's favorite flavor this time of year - so I went with the chocolate and peppermint combo using Martha Stewart's recipe in her latest book, Cookie Perfection.  I wish I could say my macarons were perfection but I did have some cracked shells.  Overall, though, we ended up with a solid batch of macarons.  It was the first time I flavored the macaron shells with peppermint (as opposed to adding it in the chocolate ganache filing) and we really liked the result.

Did I mention it's all about the chocolate-peppermint right now?  I snuck in an early batch of my son's favorite peppermint brownies a few weeks ago.  By request, I'm actually making another batch today as I type this.  

For me, it's time to stock up on almond paste during the holidays.  A batch of pignoli cookies hit the table this season and I also made the cherry-almond macaroons just yesterday.  

They bake up, and disappear, very quickly.  I love having almond paste around and making some version of these chewy almond macaroons whenever I have extra egg whites on hand.

During this season of warm drinks, it's also nice to have simple cookies like hazelnut biscotti around for dipping.  I love a dry, crunchy biscotti filled with nuts!  It's also a great option when you want something a little less rich - that way, you have space for all the other chocolates and treats around us this time of year.  

Chocolate mint crunch bars

Baking is a year-round "sport" for me but there's an added layer of purpose and excitement around it when we start talking about holiday baking!  I must start thinking about Christmas cookies, and holiday baking in general, the minute the temps start dropping.  Peppermint things start popping up in the kitchen, and it's been happening already.  It's also no coincidence that chocolate and mint is one of my son's favorite combos.

A new and simple chocolate-mint idea popped up into our kitchen last week, and it was inspired by my teen.  We keep a candy dish near our door, with a mixture of small chocolates.  The other day, my son took a small Nestle Crunch, then followed it with an Andes Mint; he then started raving about how delicious the combination was!  It gave us all a good laugh but it got me thinking...

...I could easily make that combination happen for him!  So I went out shopping for some puffed cereal and this 3-ingredient chocolate mint crunch bar came to life.  

I literally chopped up a mix of semi-sweet chocolate and Andes Mint candies, melted it down, and stirred in puff cereal before setting it into a pan to set.  Using Andes Mint packs a strong minty punch and eliminates the possible issue of the melted chocolate seizing if you were to add peppermint extract to it instead.

This fun little happenstance project was a hit with the teen, who was tempted to write to Nestle requesting a mint version of their Crunch bar!  He was very pleasantly surprised when I presented him with his inspiration.  We can all vouch that a chocolate-mint crunch bar is a very delicious thing, and we're happy to make and eat our own homespun version of it for now.

Chocolates Andes mint cookies

'Tis the season for chocolate and peppermint, and lots of it!  It is quite possibly my son's favorite holiday flavor combination so it's well represented at my house right now and I'm always on the lookout for more spins to try. 

One of my little one's favorite treats is this peppermint brownie concoction I cobbled together a few years ago.  He just loves it and I usually make a batch for him at Christmastime.  But this year, I swapped it for something different but still very familiar. 

We're having chocolate Andes mint cookies instead.  We are fans of those green foil-wrapped Andes mints, which also play a prominent role in those brownies that my son adores.  These cookies have largely the same flavor - moist chocolate with a big splash of mint.  

I spotted the recipe in the most recent Food Network magazine.  I think I've mentioned before that my son and I like to do the quizzes in the magazine together when there is one.  Well, there was no quiz in this issue but this recipe caught my eye.  As you can see, it's a chocolate base cookie and it's studded with an equal amount of dark chocolate chips as well chopped Andes mints.

These cookies were a big hit at my house and I'm already making a second batch to share with friends.  It's a moist cookie filled with chocolate flavor (from cocoa in the dough as well as the chocolate chips) and mint (from the Andes mints and peppermint extract) - an easy combination to love.  

Since it's Christmastime, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the top of some of the cookies.  For even more color, I sprinkled some candy cane bits on a few of the cookies using the white chocolate as "glue".  Taste-wise, the cookies don't need the embellishments but I love a little festive decoration on our treats at this time of year.  

Peppermint brownies topped with candy cane and dark chocolate drizzle

I've made it a point to slow down and enjoy the holidays.  For me, that means being selective about what I choose to take on, keeping my schedule light, getting things done in advance, and just taking the time to sit down and enjoy the season.

There's plenty of cooking and baking (let's not forget eating) involved at this time of year and I enjoy it immensely.  But in an effort to not go crazy or wipe myself out in the name of the holiday season, I've reined in my holiday baking.  I didn't want to look at my Christmas baking list (yes, I have one) like they were must-do's that I had to fit into my schedule.  Instead, I cut it down into a short list of want-to-do's, a handful of recipes that really appealed to me - things I think my family and I will enjoy - so I could also focus on making old favorites.  While there is always room for something new, I want to keep some traditions at Christmastime.

Well, these peppermint brownies were not part of the plan but they made it into my December baking rotation and I'm so glad it did!  It started when I saw these brownies and the look of the chocolate drizzle and crushed candy canes really drew me in.  I suppose I've just got peppermint on the brain come December and, well, brownies are one of the simplest dessert comfort foods that I crave (to make and eat) often.  So since I couldn't stop thinking about peppermint brownies and since brownies are generally easy/no-major-equipment-required affairs, I went for it. 

I was feeling a bit adventurous because instead of following that recipe for the brownies I saw, I did a little spin-off of several recipes, though I kept that original candy cane and chocolate topping that I liked so much.  For my version, I also called on the brownie recipes from Baked, Smitten Kitchen's favorite based on unsweetened chocolate, as well as Pioneer Woman's mint brownie bites, which has melted Andes Mints in it!

I started with the Baked brownie recipe in mind because I adore the fudgy texture of those brownies but things got really side-tracked from there.  I decided to omit the brown sugar used in the Baked recipe so that the chocolate flavor could come through more.  Along that thought, I went with unsweetened chocolate (what both the Smitten Kitchen and Pioneer Woman recipes use) for deep chocolate flavor.  I had intended to only add peppermint extract for the mint flavoring but couldn't resist the idea of melted Andes Mints!  I have to admit I have them in the house all year round in a candy dish. 

The brownies turned out to be a real hit!  I know it's hard to go wrong with brownies in general but these were moist and had a nice balance of chocolate and clear peppermint flavor.  The Andes Mints really add minty flavor to the brownies themselves while the unsweetened chocolate rounds it out and makes them a bit more serious and less sweet.  The dark chocolate and crushed candy cane on top make them look festive for the holidays and accentuate the flavors going on.

My seven year old loved these, which makes me really happy!  I intended to pack up the majority of these brownies as a gift and he protested and actually asked me to make more "because they're so good!".  I'm not bragging; I just couldn't believe how much he liked them because I think he's been on a bit of a chocolate overload lately (gotten picky with his selection) since I bake so often.  I think the peppermint flavor really appeals to him (the boy can down a large candy cane in minutes) and kids seem to appreciate brownies with a little frosting or topping on them.  Either way, I felt like I hit a home run or scored a winning goal with this one, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Chocolate peppermint-chip cookies

December is here!  I love this month and what it symbolizes.  It's the holidays!  Everyone's a little nicer (though maybe a little bit more harried too) and it's the season of goodwill, giving, and indulgence.  Speaking of indulgence, am I the only person who secretly enjoys walking down the Christmas aisles at Target or the supermarket?  I was just telling my husband how I wish I could rip open all those bags of treats and sample everything!  A girl can dream.  On the home front, there are many goodies I need/want to make for Christmas but I told myself not to go crazy.  I've narrowed my choices to a couple of standbys and a few experiments this holiday season and we'll see how it goes.  My main focus is to relax, have fun, and enjoy the season.

I feel especially lucky to live so close to New York City at this time of year.  Sure, the crowds are insane but the city has so much to offer. 

Along the theme of winter and Christmastime, I'm offering these chocolate peppermint-chip cookies today.  To tell you the truth, I actually made these months ago when mention of the holidays would've gotten me some funny looks.  I just had a hankering to try it out so I did.  The thing is I love mint and especially mint with chocolate.  Think: mint chocolate chip ice cream, Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, and mint chocolate candies like Andes.  I love them all and when I think of Christmas, peppermint is one of the flavors I think of.  I am a huge fan of the peppermint bark William-Sonoma sells every year around the holidays - the ridiculously smooth chocolate mixed with peppermint oil and bits of crunchy peppermint candy on top are such an amazing combination.  Those flavors were the inspiration behind these cookies.

The basis for these chocolate peppermint-chip cookies are Martha Stewart's double chocolate cookies, which are among my favorites.  These cookies are brownie-like, slightly crackly on top and dark and chewy in the center as long as you don't overbake them.  I thought I'd just make a slight twist to those awesome cookies by adding some peppermint extract to the dough in place of vanilla extract and incorporating some Andes Mint baking chips.  We enjoyed the result a lot and it's a nice little change for the holidays.  You might consider giving these a try if you like that chocolate-mint combination.