Peppermint Bark

I first made this in 2006. Ever since, this has become like a tradition during the holidays. It is an easy way to make the holidays more festive. This recipe is from Ms.Paula Deen of Food Network.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 10 min
Inactive/ setting time: 45 min
Makes: 2 lbs. of candy

Ingredients:


White chocolate: 2 lbs.(about 1 kg.)
Candy canes, crushed: 1- 1 1/4 cups
Peppermint extract(optional)

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavouring at this point, if desired). Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle).

Ginger-bread man

Ever since I read the book on the Ginger-bread man to my son, he has wanted me to make them at home. So, I decided to make him some, with his help to prep. Also, he cut out the men all by himself(with the cutter, of course). What better time to make it other than for the Holidays? This recipe is from www.simplyrecipes.com. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Preparation time: 15 min

Cooking time: 8- 10 min/ batch

Makes: 16 (5-inch long) cookies

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour: 3 1/4cups, sifted

Baking soda: 3/4 tsp

Unsalted butter: 3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature/ softened

Dark brown sugar: 1/2 cup, packed

Ground ginger: 1 tbsp

Ground cinnamon: 1 tbsp

Ground cloves: 1/2 tsp

Ground nutmeg: 1/2 tsp

Black pepper: 1/4 tsp, finely ground

Salt: 1/2 tsp

Egg: 1, large

Unsulfered molasses: 1/2 cup

Raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces: optional

For the Royal Icing: 

Egg white: 1

Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp

Confectioner's sugar: 1 3/4 cup

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each in plastic. Chill for atleast 1 hr, or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5- 10 min. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll out, work in a little more flour. 

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5- 10 min to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips or candy pieces in the center of each cookie, if desired for "buttons". 

Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp, but not darkened, 8 to 10 min. Remove from oven.  Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired. 

To make Royal Icing:

The traditional way to make Royal Icing is to beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. With modern concerns about salmonella from raw eggs,you can either use powdered egg whites or heat the egg whites first to kill any bacteria. With the heating method, mix the egg white and lemon juice with a third of the sugar, hat in a microwave until the mixture's temperature is 160 deg F. Then remove from microwave, and beat in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Using the powdered egg whites method, combine 1 tbsp egg white powder with 2 tbsp water. Proceed as you would otherwise. (Raw egg white alternatives from the 2006 Joy of Cooking)

If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Fill a piping bag with the icing to pipe out into different shapes(or use a plastic sandwich bag, with the tip of one corner of the bag cut off). Keep the icing covered while you work with it or it will dry out.