December 11, 2013

Peppermint Crunch Biscotti

I really cannot believe that December is going so quickly! My kids and I are full time in holiday mode. My two sons have already had a couple of Christmas musical performances and my daughter’s violin performance is next week. We are attending a Madrigal Christmas performance at the high school where I teach and I have the holiday radio station on every waking moment.

Erik and I spent the weekend in downtown Chicago with friends and saw all the beautiful Christmas lights. I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet but we HAVE seen Elf. (That movie just cracks me up) So what I’m trying to say is that I am thoroughly enjoying the Christmas season thus far.

I have really decided this season to be picky and choosy with the activities we do so this time of the year doesn’t become one big hassle. Listening to Christmas music is a plus! Enjoying the company of friends is a plus! But writing out Christmas cards, spending all my time fighting crowds in the mall and decorating the house from head to toe did not make the cut this year.

I am not writing cards because I figure that with all the social media out there now a days, if people want to see pictures of the kids, they know where to find them. We don’t do presents for adults in our family because it got to the point where we were just exchanging gift cards anyway. And we let the kids write out Christmas lists but we always tell them that they are only getting one or two things on their list so there is no chasing to store after store trying to find every present on their list. And finally, yes decorations always look beautiful, but what goes up, must come down so this year, we are putting up the tree and maybe a couple other things but then, I am done.

The one thing I make sure to leave time for is holiday baking!! There is nothing like delicious Christmas cookies to really get me in the holiday mood. And one thing I can never get enough of is peppermint. And luckily there are so many different types of peppermint chips out there to make a variety of Christmas treats.

One type of chips I haven’t used yet are these beautiful Andes peppermint crunch chips. They are so pretty and versatile that there are any number of treats that you can make with these. All you need to do is look around the food blogs to find ideas. Look at these Peppermint Chip Brownies from Inside BruCrew Life. Or these Peppermint Magic Bars from Mom on Timeout. There are literally great ideas everywhere you look right now!

Well I knew I wanted to use these beauties on Christmas cookies. But I wanted something a little different than just your typical drop cookie.. And then it came to me: Biscotti. Two things that I love to bake are desserts and breakfast treats. Well Biscotti works well for both. It is basically like having dessert for breakfast which I am perfectly fine with.

The addition of these peppermint crunch chips to the biscotti make them perfect for the holidays. Pair it with a nice cup of coffee and you are golden!! I am already sad to think that all these peppermint chips are going to disappear when the holidays are over. 🙁 So I am stocking up now so I can enjoy this peppermint biscotti well after the holidays are over!!

Peppermint Crunch Biscotti

Ingredients

1/2 c.unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 10 oz. bag of Andes peppermint crunch chips (divided)
6 oz. of white chocolate (bar form, not chips), chopped
1/2 TBLS of vegetable shortening

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and mix until incorporated.
In a medium bowl mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture in 3 different additions and mix until incorporated. (Dough will be thick)
Using a wooden spoon, mix in 1 cup of the peppermint chips, saving the rest for garnish later on.
Form the dough into 2 long rolls (Approximately 12 inches long) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Push down on the logs to flatten slightly. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes. Using a long serrated knife, slice into 1 inch slices on the diagonal.
Place slices cut down back on the cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Flip each cookie over onto the opposite cut side and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
Prepare the glaze by placing the chopped white chocolate and vegetable shortening into a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 30 second increments, stirring until smooth.
When cooled, dip an end of each cookie into the melted white chocolate and sprinkle reserved peppermint chips on the top. Drizzle white chocolate on the rest of the cookie and lay each cookie on waxed paper until dry. Makes approximately 24 cookies.

http://two-in-the-kitchen.com/peppermint-crunch-biscotti/