TBRG Holiday Recipe Exchange ~ Cookies and Martinit’s from Erin Nicholas

Recipe #1 is featured in Erin’s upcoming short holiday story Tidings of
Comfort and Schnapps and is a peek at the hero and heroine, Cody and
Olivia, from her February 2014 release Going for Four, book four in the
Counting on Love series!  You can find this, and another short holiday
stories from the Nine Naughty Novelists, from December 9-23 at
www.NaughtyNine.com

(Erin’s story is up on Dec 13th!)

Chocolate Candy Cane Overload Cookies

 

Makes about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

 

1 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp peppermint extract (optional)

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temp

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 cup mini chocolate chips

 

Candy cane buttercream

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp

2.5 cups powdered sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp heavy cream

½ cup candy cane dust (about 10 candy canes crushed or pulverized in food processor)

 

Instructions

1. Begin witht the cookies. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Metl the chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir. Continue to melt in 30 second increments until fully melted and smooth. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla. Set side. With a mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy—about 1 minute. Beat in the sugars.  The mixture will be grainy.

3.Mix in the beaten egg/ vanilla. Add the melted chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients on slow speed. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

1. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop about 1 Tbsp of dough and roll into a ball, then flatten. Bake about 10 minutes, or until cookies have just begun to set with centers still soft.

 

As the cookies cool, make buttercream.

 

Beat butter for 1 minute on med speed. Add powdered sugar and mix on slow speed. Increase mixer speed to med and add vanilaa, salt and 1 tbsp cream. Beat for about 1 minutes. Manuall stir in candy cane dust.

If buttercream needs to be thicker, ad more powdered sugar. Add small amounts of cream to thin.

If frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salk.

Frost the bottom of a cooled cookie and top with another to make a sandwich.

 

And recipe #2 comes from Erin’s mom! 😀  Test tasted at Thanksgiving 2013
and on the menu for Christmas too!

Rudolph Martinis

.5 oz chocolate syrup
1.25 oz cherry vodka
1.0oz white chocolate liqueur
1.25 oz half and half
Shake with ice in a martini shaker
Pour
Garnish with whipped cream, licorice, and a cherry