Peppermint Crunch Bark

Makes about 2 dozen pieces

Adapted recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

16 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, can use chips or if using a bar, chopped into coarse pieces

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

12 ounces white chocolate chips

¼ cup finely chopped peppermint candy canes

Gently melt the dark chocolate, heating it on very low heat or over hot water until it barely melts. Add the peppermint extract and stir. Spread the mixture into an 8 x 12 oval on a piece of parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to set, but not harden.

Melt the white chocolate in the same way and then mix in half of the peppermint candies. Spread the white chocolate mixture over the dark chocolate. Sprinkle the rest of the candies on top, pressing it down gently with a spatula.

Allow to cool and break into pieces, or cut into chunks.

Can be stored up to a week in an airtight container or the freezer for longer.

Apple Walnut Tartlets

Makes 3 dozen

2 mini muffin pans

2 sheets of pie crust

¾ cups walnuts, finely chopped

⅔ cups dried apples, chopped

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

With a 2” round cutter, cut discs from the pie crusts. Spray the muffin pans. Place the disc in the prepared pan and press the dough into the bottom and up the side of the cup. Add 2 tsp of the apple filling. Repeat with the remaining dough and reroll the scraps if there’s more filling.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until edges are golden brown, turning the pans halfway through. Cool the tartlets in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Place the tartlets in decorate wrappers and can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Ginger Cinnamon Icing

Makes 12 standard size cupcakes Adapted from King Arthur Baking Company

Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups (206g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons/1stick (113g) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (106g) brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (170g) molasses
1 large egg
1/2 cup (113g) water

Frosting

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
one 8-ounce package (227g) cream cheese, softened
4 cups (454g) confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 to 2 tablespoons (14g to 28g) milk, enough to make a spreadable frosting
¼ cup chopped crystallized/candied ginger

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups, and lightly grease the cups.
To make the cupcakes: Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and egg.
Add 1/4 cup (57g) of the water to the melted butter mixture, then half the dry mixture, and stir. Add the remaining water and dry mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cups.
Bake the cupcakes for 22 to 24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.
To make the frosting: Beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar and cinnamon, beating well.
Add the milk a little at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.
Fill a piping bag with the frosting, and pipe large swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes. Or simply frost by hand. Sprinkle with the finely chopped crystallized ginger.

Roll Out Sugar Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup unsalted butter
1 Cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes

Beat in extracts and egg.

In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.

DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).

Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Decorate with icing when completely cool

Icing

1lb confectioners sugar

3 Tbs meringue powder

⅓ cup warm water

assorted food colorings

In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, combine the sugar, meringue powder and water until blended and mixture is very stiff, about 5 minutes.

Tint with food coloring and keep icing covered with plastic wrap.