Peppermint Bark Smookie’s

8 MORE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!

Holy cow! Where has all the time gone? Between various Secret Santa parties, birthday parties, holiday get-togethers, work and my blog, it seems like time has just flown by! I STILL haven’t even started my Christmas shopping – yikes!

Somehow I always manage to make time to cook and bake… at least I have my priorities straight! Today I am co-hosting the Twelve Days of Sharing which is hosted by In Jennie’s Kitchen. These Peppermint Bark Smookies are my contribution to the Virtual Cookie Jar which is HUGE and I wish I had time to make all the fabulous goodies that are in it! The 12 Days of Sharing is helping to raise awareness of Childhood Hunger in America! You can do your part and help the hungry kids in America by making a donation and you could even win some of the fabulous prizes…

Smookies are some of my favorite treats to make, especially for kids! They just love them… and unwrapping them as they come out of the oven and are toasting warm and ready to eat! Smookies are a modern take on a s’more and instead of using graham crackers you can use your favorite kind of cookie, I made some Smookie’s a few months ago and they were fabulous! For these Peppermint Bark Smookies, I chose to use my boyfriends favorite recipe for sugar cookies since I know he will be eating all the leftovers and the dough! (hey, I have a super cute New Years Eve outfit that I have to wear… so only limited amounts of cookie dough for me!)

So once you have your cookies, homemade peppermint bark, and a few marshmallows you are ready to go (recipes below). You construct a smookie as you would a regular s’more, Cookie on the bottom, a piece of peppermint bark, a few marshmallows and another cookie to top it all off. Then you wrap the entire thing in tin-foil, bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350 degrees and gobble it up while its still warm! Its a great treat for adults, kids and co-workers!

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Sugar Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 cup flour (start w/ 2 1/2 Cups)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together the sugar and butter. Once incorporated, add eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour, soda & salt. Roll into balls and coat in a layer of sugar. Using a spoon, smush the cookies down on the tops bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

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Peppermint Bark:

16 oz 60% Chocolate chips
8 Candy Canes, crushed into different sizes
1 tsp peppermint extract

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate until it is a smooth consistency. Add in the peppermint extract and stir. Fold in 1/2 of the crushed candy canes. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet into a thin layer. Sprinkle the rest of the crushed candy canes on top. Refridgerate for 1-2 hours until cooled and solid. Break into smaller pieces.

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Marshmallows

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 egg whites , room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.
7. Pipe out marshmallows and let rest.