I’m all about peppermint this holiday season. No matter where I go or what I’m doing, I try to add a minty twist to all my festivities. From my morning cup of joe to my afternoon treats, there is just nothing that gets me into the holiday spirit than a little peppermint flavor. Over the last few weeks, the boys have been begging for cookies because, well, that’s just what I do at Christmas. In the past I’ve had the twelve days of cookies with a different kind every day. But with the craziness of this year, I knew we were going to have to settle for one day of Christmas cookies and it was going to have to be super special. So, I put my thinking cap on. I decided to make a cookie sandwich. And then I decided to give it a little peppermint twist! And oh my Christmas….were the results divine! Here’s how you can make them too!
What You Will Need
For the Cookies:
1 Cup of Butter
1 and 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Peppermint Extract
1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
2 and 3/4 cups flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
8-10 Candy Canes (Crushed)
For the Filling:
1 8 Ounce Package of Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup of Crisco Vegetable Shortening
1/2 Cup of Butter
1/2 Tablespoon of Peppermint Extract
1/2 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
3 Cups of Confectioners Sugar
Red Food Coloring (Gel works best)
How to Make Them
Needless to say a cookie sandwich can’t happen without the cookies so let’s start there! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then cream together your butter and sugar. Mix in your peppermint extract, vanilla extract and egg and beat them together well. Then add your dry ingredients a little at a time (flour, baking soda and baking powder) to form your dough.
Now, while the peppermint extract in these gives them the taste of peppermint already, I decided to add crushed candy canes for both the look and crunch it added. Simple remove your candy canes from the wrappers, place them in a plastic bag and use a meat mallet to crush them.
Dump your crushed candy cane into your cookie dough and then use your hands to gently kneed your dough, mixing it all together well. Once your dough is ready, roll it into small round balls and place each one about two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
Next, take a fork and gently press down your cookies. The goal is not to flatten them out but simply to allow them to bake a little bit flatter so that they will be perfect for turning into cookie sandwiches!
Bake your cookie for 8 minutes at 375 degrees or until they are golden brown. The peppermint will melt slightly and may even stick to your pan a little so allow them to cool completely before removing them from your pan.
While your cookies are cooling, it’s time to mix up some peppermint cream cheese filling to make these sandwiches really rock! In a mixing bowl, cream together your cream cheese, Crisco and butter. Add in your 1/2 Tablespoon of Peppermint Extract and 1/2 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract. Finally, mix in your Confectioners Sugar a little at a time and beat for approximately five minutes to make your icing super fluffy! As the last step, add in your red food coloring to turn your icing to the perfect candy cane shade!
Once your icing is ready, fill a piping bag with a large tip with it and lay your cookie on a plate. Cover the flat side of your cookie with icing, going in a circular pattern to cover the entire surface.
Once your bottom cookie is completely covered with icing, place the other cookie on top and gently push them together to create the perfect peppermint cookie sandwich!
Now, while this cookie sandwich is absolutely fabulous, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share with you another way that we enjoyed a fabulous seasonal treat! If you have ice cream lovers (like I do) you can easily use Edy’s Peppermint Wonderland Ice Cream between your two cookies for the ultimate ice cream sandwich!
Whether cold or not, both of these cookie sandwiches are a perfect way to sweeten up a cold winter day!
Happy Holidays!
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