Perfect Peppermint Chocolate Holiday Biscotti

Who doesn't love crunchy biscotti alongside a cup of afternoon coffee?  Drizzle that biscotti with dark chocolate and it becomes irresistible.  But for the holidays?  Dip that chocolate drizzle into crushed candy cane and we have pure peppermint perfection.

Inspired by Liv's girlfriend, Piper, who made the peppermint suggestion last year, I'm only sorry I waited an entire year to make these beauties.

But not before finishing our holiday season with these chocolate dipped biscotti sprinkled with festive crushed candy cane.  Twice baked for a perfect bite, biscotti works as an lovely afternoon treat and just as well as in the morning alongside a cup of steaming hot cocoa.  And... I'm thinking I know a certain world traveler who would love a few of these cookies on a plate by the fireplace as a midnight snack. :)

DIY Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix... the perfect homemade holiday gift

Liv adores a nice steamy cup of Hot Chocolate on a chilly day, and she swears that the silky chocolate eases a winter cold and soothes her sore throat.  Watching her prepare a cup, though, leaves me wondering if it's actually the chocolate drink she likes or the mounds of whipped cream she layers on top.

Last week's cold once again required a medicinal dose of Hot Chocolate and this version sang holiday praises with the addition of a decent dose of peppermint.  And low and behold, a little internet research informed me that my girl is not so far off.  Site after site recounted statements similar to the following:

The decongestant, expectorant, antiviral and astringent properties of Peppermint may help soothe sore throats and relieve dry cough, cold and nasal congestion.

So there we have it!  Straight from current medical journals, peppermint really does help ease symptoms of the common cold.

Peppermint also brings a little joy to our holiday season with it's bright, fresh flavors, and we've put together a simple Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix, placed it in a pretty jar and added a bright red bow for the perfect small holiday gift.  Add a fun mug, a peppermint stir stick, and you have a lovely homemade gift that is sure to bring a smile, or perhaps ease a cold.

Candy Cane Peppermint Truffles

Peppermint seems to be one of the ultimate Christmas flavors, and with red and white spiraled candy canes used as decorations for the yard to the tree, the humble candy cane shines as a sweet tradition of the season.  While I adore looking at the canes, peeling the wrapper off and eating one is not my thing.  Too sweet and a sticky mess, I find them better left on the tree than in my hand.  That being said, a candy cane or peppermint candy crushed and used in a recipe has become one of my favorite holiday ingredients.

Two years ago, Wendy of the Weekend Gourmet, and I discovered a recipe for Peppermint Truffles floating around the web.  I've since forgotten where I saw the original post, however the inspiration comes from a recipe on the Kraft website called Easy Oreo Truffles.

Wendy and I have both adapted our versions to suit our tastes, with my favorite featuring Trader Joe's holiday ingredients.  Though the recipe is simple enough, the dipping part can take a bit of time. With an elf to help you, though (mine is named Liv), and a few time saving tips, we'll have you looking a hero in no time.

Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's provide the base the these fabulous treats, and we use a block of low fat cream cheese as a binder.  My favorite part is the addition of the crushed candy cane or hard peppermint candy.  Bringing an ever so slight crunch to the creamy truffle, the peppermint candies leave the truffles simply bursting with holiday flavor.

Now a tradition in our holiday season, I'd say you can't go wrong with these Candy Cane Peppermint Truffles.  Perfect on your holiday cookie tray, a welcomed personal hostess gift or simply as a nibble before breakfast, I can't get enough of these holiday confections.

Candy Cane Marshmallow Pops

Scanning Twitter this morning I saw a tweet stating that Christmas Eve is just 10 days away.  10 days??   How could I not have realized that the day was drawing so close?  I still have packages to mail, cards to address, cookies to bake and holiday spirit to find.

This year has been difficult for me to find that "Christmas" spirit, and frankly it doesn't really feel much like the holiday season.  I guess living in San Diego might have a bit to do with it with our temperate weather, or perhaps it's the fact that Costco has had Christmas lights and trees for sale since August.  Whatever the reason, I'm just not feeling it.

Liv, however, is quite the opposite.  Her room is decorated with any leftover lights she can find, her stocking has been hung by the fireplace with care and this year she has had a bit of a change regarding Christmas gifts.  Usually her main priority is making a list of things she wants, but this year her priority has switched to a list of things she wants to give.

Yesterday we spent her day off from dance rehearsals preparing Peppermint Bark as well as these adorable Candy Cane Marshmallow Pops as treats for her friends at dance class.  Simple ingredients make these little guys easy to put together and with a cute factor off the scale, they were a total hit with the girls this afternoon.

A wonderful idea for treats for a crowd, we simply packaged them in clear cellophane bags, added a printed wish for a "Candylicious Christmas" and tied it all with pretty red ribbon.

Watching her pop out of the car, candy cane striped socks up to her knees, she was instantly surrounded by a group of smiling girls as she passed out the treats.  And the warmth on her face?  It just may have done it.  I got that little feeling in my stomach as my heart swelled by leaps and bounds.  I think I might be feeling it...

Happy Holidays! 

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars

Every year I truly look forward to catching up with distant friends and relatives through the annual Christmas Card.  The photo cards are my favorites giving me a peek at those who are close to my heart but far from my home.  The annual letters are always a special bonus, not only giving the visual peek, but also a few stories and highlights from the year.  Saving the letters for a time when I can grab a cup of coffee (and maybe a nice sweet holiday treat!) with a few uninterrupted moments, a few always stand out from the rest...

So far this year I've caught up with friends from Louisville, KY and I am always amazed at how fast the kids grow.  Family from Minnesota wrote about their latest adventures in Holland, and the Traveling Taylors from Palm Desert caught us up on their latest cruise.  I have to say though, that so far my Father-In-Laws card made me laugh the most.  After a summary of their continuing medical maladies he finished up the letter with the following:

In closing, we leave you with the following questions:

Why is last years Christmas card address list in the linen cupboard with the towels?  Our cars are old.  No keyless entry for us.  So how did we get into our locked car in the Home Depot parking lot, but now can't locate the keys to start the car's engine?

I laughed on and off for about an hour at that one, visually picturing my none too patient mother in law exasperatedly questioning him about how he can lose the keys after he got into the car, then my none too mobile father in law trying to get back out of the car after he had spent minutes settling her into the car and then settling himself in as well.  Him searching pockets and around the seats for the lost keys all the while fielding her exasperated, "How could you?" questions.  I'm looking forward to the live version at our Christmas dinner!

Speaking of Christmas dinner, Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars are the perfect holiday treat!  Discovered last year on Joe's blog, Culinary in the Desert, these didn't last long on our New Years Eve table.  Last night they were just as well received at a local Christmas party with comments including divine, hedonistic, decadent, and celestial!  All apt descriptions of these dense, chocolaty, pepperminty, little squares.

The secret is the crust... crushed Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's (oreo-like peppermint flavored cookies) provide the perfect pepperminty base to the rich chocolate cheesecake filling and luscious ganache-like topping.  A sprinkle of crushed candy canes brings a holiday flair and another welcome dose of peppermint.

Chocolate-Peppermint Thumbprints

Even though Christmas has been at Costco for the last 5 months and the holiday is now only a mere 12 days away, I'm still waiting to feel "holidayish".  We've hung our lights with care, wrapped presents, printed the annual Christmas letter, and decorated the tree.  But I'm still not feeling it.  Somehow the days seem to blur into one another as I write my lists and check them twice, but they are just days... not "holidayish days".

What better way to get me into the spirit than baking cookies?  Cookies with crushed candy canes - even better!  Chocolate-Peppermint Thumbprints have been on our holiday platters for a couple of years and are always well received.  With only a few ingredients to put together, they don't require an extended amount of time (though they do pack an "extended" amount of calories!).  A mint enhanced chocolate ganach-like filling topped with crushed candy confections provide the ultimate Christmas mood enhancer!

Shopping at our local Henry's the other day I stumbled upon (and had to have!) this canister of E. Guittard Cocoa Rouge, an unsweetened rare red dutch process cocoa which provided a robust, rich chocolate flavor that I haven't had with many other cocoas.  Beautifully dark in color, but with a deep cinnabar hue, this cocoa is not only lovely to look at, but definitely a bonus when it comes to baking.  I recently discovered Gittard chocolates when I made our White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups  for Thanksgiving using the white chocolate chips which melted like a dream.  Heading back to World Market where I had just happened to pick up a couple of packages because it was handy I've been faced with empty white chocolate shelves, leading me to believe that Guittard chocolates are not only popular with me...

Here's hoping that you are feeling "holidayish"!  I'm headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a Chocolate-Peppermint Thumbprint.