Sunday, December 8, 2013

12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day #5 - Peppermint Mocha Cookie Bars

Peppermint Mocha Bars

In my mind, there is something so satisfying and joyful about drinking a seasonal latte from Starbucks at Christmas time!  The flavor offerings are oh-so-yummy and they come in a festive red cup!  I get super excited when the red cups make their return appearance year after year!  My all-time favorite seasonal drink happens to be a Peppermint Mocha Latte!  I love love love this drink!  And that is why I needed to make a Christmas Cookie inspired by the delightful flavor of peppermint combined with chocolate!  

This recipe is super easy...after all it starts with a cake mix!  For the peppermint part of this recipe, I use Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips.  I find them in the seasonal food aisle at Wegmans with the other Christmas candy.  I have also seen them at Target and other food stores.  If you have never tried them, you must - go and buy some right now!  And stock up because I cannot find them the rest of the year!  This is what you're looking for! 

They also happen to be peanut free!


Here's what you need to make the Peppermint Mocha Bars:
  • 1 box chocolate cake mix
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Now Let's make the Peppermint Mocha Bars:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan
  2. In a mixing bowl stir together the cake mix, melted butter, and eggs
  3. Fold in the chocolate chips and peppermint crunch baking chips
  4. Press dough into greased pan
  5. Bake for 20 minutes
  6. Remove from oven and use the back of a spatula to press down the tops of the bars
  7. Return to oven for another 5-10 minutes
  8. Remove from oven and press down with spatula - making the surface of your cookie bars flat
  9. Place pan onto cooling rack and allow bars to cool completely in pan before cutting
A few notes about the Peppermint Mocha Bars:
*This recipe will make 24 generous sized cookie bars or 48 smaller bars
*The method of pressing the surface of the cookie bars down with the back of a spatula is something I do with all cookie bars.  It gives them a great chewy cookie texture inside while being slightly crisp on the outside
*If you are making several batches of Christmas Cookies at once for yourself or to give away, store these cookies separately.  You always want to keep any mint flavored cookies in a tin by themselves because mint is a strong flavor!  If stored with other cookies, it will give off the mint flavor to the other cookies that are mixed in with it - and no one wants a peppermint snickerdoodle! 

 The corner piece - my favorite! 


16 days until Christmas!  Get baking! 

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