Peppermint Twists and a Cookie Exchange
Peppermint Twists are a yummy cookie that combines the flavors of chocolate and peppermint.
We decided to participate in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this year. It's a cookie exchange that helps raise money for a charity. This year, it raised $$13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids' Cancer.
However, since there are 3 of us, in 2 different states one of us needed to do the actual cookie baking and sending. So I volunteered. Hey, then I get to do the cookie receiving and eating as well! (I think I was the smart one, on this one!) Initially I thought of making candy cane cookies, but I was afraid they would break in shipment, so I decided to go with Peppermint Twists instead.
These are a pretty simple cookie, and the combination of peppermint and chocolate is always yummy. My only advice is this: when it says refrigerate for 30 minutes, it means refrigerate for 30 minutes, not overnight. My chocolate dough got a bit crumbly, since things came up and I didn't get back to the cookies until the next day.
📖 Recipe
Peppermint Twists
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter,, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Red or green food coloring
- ½ cup mini candy canes,, crushed (about 20) - divided use
- 4 cups all-purpose flour,, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder,, divided
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate,, melted and cooled
- 1 egg white,, beaten
- 2 Candy Canes,, crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt. Add eggs and peppermint extract; mix well. Remove 1 cup of butter mixture and place in a medium bowl; set aside. To remaining mixture, add red or green food coloring (until desired shade) and ¼ cup crushed candy canes.
- Add 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder; mix well. On a large sheet of waxed paper, press dough into a large rectangle (about ½-inch thick), cover with a second sheet of waxed paper and chill 30 minutes.
- Add melted chocolate to reserved butter mixture; mix well. Add 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder and mix until well blended. On a large sheet of waxed paper, press dough into a large rectangle, (about ½-inch thick) cover with a second sheet of waxed paper and chill 30 minutes.
- Remove dough rectangles from refrigerator and roll each into larger (9x16-inch) rectangles. Brush one layer with egg white and place other layer on top. Trim long edges. Roll up lengthwise into a tight roll, resulting in a 16-inch long log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
- Slice into ½-inch slices, and bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
What is your favorite holiday cookie? Have you ever participated in a cookie exchange, and if so, did you enjoy it?
Looking for more great cookie recipes?
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This post is part of our Christmas Desserts & Candies Series be sure to come back tomorrow and the rest of December for more Desserts & Candies! Also check out all our Christmas Posts in one place at our Homemade Christmas page.
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Don't forget to pin!
These are just adorable! Thanks for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." I hope you will be able to join us again this week. Merry Christmas!
Such a pretty cookie! Thanks
for linking up with the Tasty Tuesday's Link-up. I have pinned your
post to the Tasty's Tuesday's Pinterest Board!
Thanks for pinning, Tammy!
I was a part of this cookie swap. It was a lot of fun and I hope to participate next year. I cant believe we had 555 different types of cookies swapped!
Chrystal, I was really surprised so many bloggers participated! And that so much money was raised! What a fun time- I can't wait to do it again next year!
These look so good! Thanks for sharing at Talking Tuesday, Pinned for later.
Thanks for pinning and stopping by, Mary Ellen!
G'day! GREAT idea, true!
WISH could try one right NOW too!
Viewed as part of Foodie Friends Friday Christmas Cookie Exchange
Cheers! Joanne
@mickeydownunder
Thanks, Joanne! I'm glad you stopped by!
These look delicious! All of the cookies in the cookie exchange have. I wish I had read into it more when I first heard about it--I didn't know it was being done to raise money--how neat (and yummy)! 🙂
Thanks for sharing these on the Daily Blog Boost today! I love the idea of the pinwheel, too!
- Brooke -
I have never thought about making my candy cane cookies into pinwheels...what an awesome idea! I forget mine in the refrigerator all the time. I just leave them out on the counter until they soften up again. 😉
Lisa, that's a good idea about letting them soften up. Fortunately, they still tasted great, they were just a bit harder to work with! Thanks for stopping by!