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Marshmallow Popcorn Bars | alidaskitchen.com

Marshmallow Popcorn Bars

Marshmallow Popcorn Bars are a salty, sweet, chocolate and minty combination that are easy to make.  They will make a fun addition to your holiday treat platter this year!

Marshmallow Popcorn Bars | alidaskitchen.com

When it comes to movie theater snacks, everybody has their favorites.  One of my friends favorite snacks is an interesting concoction.  She dumps a box of mint-filled chocolate candies into a warm bucket of popcorn and lets it get all melty, gooey good. It seemed like such an unusual combination at the time, but these days flavored popcorn has become so popular! With holiday baking in full force, I was inspired to transform this favorite snack into a treat fit for the holidays.  Marshmallow Popcorn Bars are salty, sweet, chocolate, mint and super tasty!…

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Peppermint Twist Kiss Cookies

 Peppermint Twist Kiss Cookies are a fun variation of the ever-popular “blossom” cookies with a candy kiss in the middle. These light-tasting peppermint cookies have a red and white swirl that are cute and festive for the holidays or any time! 
Peppermint Twist Kiss Cookies | alidaskitchen.com
Peppermint Twist Kiss Cookies are tasty, fun and festive…perfect for this time of year!  The red and white cookie is a light-tasting peppermint butter cookie, and then topped with a chocolate kiss.
chocolate mint crackle cookies {Alida's Kitchen}

Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies

chocolate mint crackle cookies {Alida's Kitchen}

How fun are crackle cookies ~  they are delicious and so festive!  The powdered sugar looks like a lovely dusting of snow on top of the cookies, putting me in a holiday frame of mind.  Considering we have no snow on the ground, a little winter reminder is very welcome.  (We live in Minnesota, it’s winter, where is our snow???)  So this year, at least for now, we all can enjoy our snow vicariously through these crackle cookies.  I could definitely get used to the powdered sugar variety of snow…especially on top of chocolate cookies.  Even better…on top of mint chocolate cookies.  These Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies are perfectly chewy without being cakey.  They are chocolate with a hint of mint.  They are classic holidays cookies at their finest.  This winter is looking better already!

Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies
 
Yields: 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) light butter, melted
  • ¾ teaspoon pure mint extract
  • ½ cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
  1. Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water (or using a double boiler), stirring frequently.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and cocoa.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and butter. Gradually whisk in melted chocolate and mint extract, until smooth. Fold in flour mixture until combined. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours to overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll in confectioners' sugar to coat. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until slightly firm in center.
  5. Let cool slightly on cookie sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, December, 2011

mint cookies 'n cream brownies {Alida's Kitchen}

Mint Cookies ‘n Cream Brownies

mint cookies 'n cream brownies {Alida's Kitchen}

Chocolate and mint are a classic combination this time of year, and fortunately these brownies couldn’t be any easier to make.  Besides how could you not love chunks of cookies in a brownie!  The cookies I used for these brownies were Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe Joe’s (which are amazing, by the way).   I assume mint Oreo’s, or whatever your favorite brand, would work just great.   The cookies make these brownies so dangerously delicious, they will be a welcome addition to any holiday treat plate!

Mint Cookies ‘n Cream Brownies
 
Yields: 36 brownies
Ingredients
  • BROWNIE:
  • ½ cup light butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ cups chocolate syrup
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 12 mint cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, quartered
  • Cooking spray
  • MINT CREAM:
  • ½ cup light butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons skim milk
  • ½ teaspoon mint extract
  • 3 mint cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, well-crushed
  • additional chopped cookies for topping, as desired
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in chocolate syrup until well blended.
  3. Fold in flour, mixing just until blended. Fold in chopped cookies.
  4. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.
  5. Once cooled, frost with Mint Cream (recipe below) and cut into squares.
  6. In a medium bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add mint extract and then gradually add milk, beating until desired consistency is achieved. Mix in crushed cookies.
  7. Spread over cooled brownies and top with additional chopped cookies, as desired.
Adapted from Taste of Home