Peppermint Shortbread Bites – Super easy peppermint shortbread, slices into mini squares and covered with vanilla icing and crushed peppermint pieces.
This year, I got inspired to make Christmas cookie tins for the family. I kept seeing so many awesome recipes that I wanted to try, so why not share them with everyone?
Now, I’ve never made cookie tins before, but it is my understanding that one should make a variety of cookies to make the tin more interesting (no one wants to eat a whole bunch of boring sugar cookies; you gotta spice it up!).
So I made 5 very different cookies to put in the tins:
- Sugar sandwich cookies with vanilla frosting
- Sugar cookie poinsettias
- Chocolate marble hazelnut bark (yes, this isn’t a cookie but its my tin so I do what I want, k?)
- Peppermint shortbread cookies
- Chocolate espresso snowcap cookies
The favorite (from the adults AND kids) seemed to be the peppermint shortbread. I liked it because it had a slight taste of peppermint but not overwhelming in the slightest. My favorite was the chocolate-espresso snowcaps. I loved the texture of them. They had this chewy center with a slight crunch on the outside. So delish.
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But, by far, the most popular cookie was the Peppermint Shortbread Bites. So I’ve included the recipe for you guys below!
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| You can’t see these that well because I left the cling wrap on top, cuz I’m a genius |
Peppermint Shortbread Bites
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
For the coating:
- 3 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies (about 6 candies)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 ounces vanilla melts (almond bark), melted
Instructions
- In large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour and peppermint extract.
- On ungreased cookie sheet, pat dough into 6-inch square, about 3/4 inch thick. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes. This is VERY important because the dough needs to be cold in order for the cookies to keep their shape and not spread out into one big cookie. I'd even recommend freezing it instead of just putting it in the fridge.
- Heat oven to 325°F. On cookie sheet, cut dough into 8 rows by 8 rows, making 64 squares. With knife, separate rows by 1/4 inch. Bake 28 to 35 minutes or until set and edges are just starting to turn golden. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix crushed candy and granulated sugar.
- In small food-storage plastic bag, add melted candy coating. Seal bag; cut tiny hole in corner of bag. I used a small cup to hold the plastic bag to make it easier to pour the candy coating into the bag. See picture below.
- Remove cookies from oven. Cool for 10 minutes. Do not remove cookies from cookie sheet. Pipe candy coating over cookies. Before candy coating sets, sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Place cookie sheet on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Notes
Don’t feel like you can’t make these anymore because the holidays are almost over; they’re so good that you’ll want them year-long.
Enjoy!
Should I store pastries in the refrigerator? I’m extremely worried that this bad habit of mine might affect my health.
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