Cookie Cutter Peppermint Bark

 Hey guys! I’m Christy from The Girl Who Ate Everything. Today I’m sharing Cookie Cutter Peppermint Bark. You know the really good but expensive peppermint bark from Williams and Sonoma? Yeah. You can totally make it at home for way cheaper and it makes great gifts.

A little twist I like to do is make the bark inside of a cookie cutter so not only are you giving a tasty treat but you are giving away a cute cookie cutter as well.

Start by picking out a cute cookie cutter. I found them cheap at Walmart in sets of 2 for just over $1. You can’t beat that. Next, melt your dark chocolate. You can use the nice bars of chocolate like Lindt or Ghirardelli which melt nicely. You can get away with using chocolate chips as well. That’s what I used here because it’s what I had on hand. I used a piping bag because I was making a LOT of these for gifts but you can just melt it in a bowl. Pour a thin layer into the cookie cutter and shake it around to create an even layer.

Place it in the freezer to harden for about 10 minutes.

Next, you will do a layer of white chocolate. Here you’ll want to go with high quality chocolate like the bars or almond bark. White chocolate chips tend to seize up easily when heated so I don’t recommend using those. Mix in a little peppermint extract and crushed candy canes and pour it on top of your chocolate layer.

Sprinkle some additional crushed candy canes on top and let the chocolate harden in the freezer. Look how cute this gingerbread man is?

You’re done. So easy, right? You can either pop the chocolate out of the cookie cutter or leave it in. Either way, it’s a great gift! This can also be made in one big layer in a 9×13 pan and then broken into pieces once hardened.

 Hey guys! I’m Christy from The Girl Who Ate Everything. Today I’m sharing Cookie Cutter Peppermint Bark. You know the really good but expensive peppermint bark from Williams and Sonoma? Yeah. You can totally make it at home for way cheaper and it makes great gifts.

A little twist I like to do is make the bark inside of a cookie cutter so not only are you giving a tasty treat but you are giving away a cute cookie cutter as well.

Start by picking out a cute cookie cutter. I found them cheap at Walmart in sets of 2 for just over $1. You can’t beat that. Next, melt your dark chocolate. You can use the nice bars of chocolate like Lindt or Ghirardelli which melt nicely. You can get away with using chocolate chips as well. That’s what I used here because it’s what I had on hand. I used a piping bag because I was making a LOT of these for gifts but you can just melt it in a bowl. Pour a thin layer into the cookie cutter and shake it around to create an even layer.

Place it in the freezer to harden for about 10 minutes.

Next, you will do a layer of white chocolate. Here you’ll want to go with high quality chocolate like the bars or almond bark. White chocolate chips tend to seize up easily when heated so I don’t recommend using those. Mix in a little peppermint extract and crushed candy canes and pour it on top of your chocolate layer.

Sprinkle some additional crushed candy canes on top and let the chocolate harden in the freezer. Look how cute this gingerbread man is?

You’re done. So easy, right? You can either pop the chocolate out of the cookie cutter or leave it in. Either way, it’s a great gift! This can also be made in one big layer in a 9×13 pan and then broken into pieces once hardened.

Festive peppermint bark made in fun holiday shapes.CourseDessertCuisineAmericanCook Time1 hourServings12 servingsCalories643kcalAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 24 oz semi-sweet chocolate see Note
• 24 oz white chocolate see Note
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 2-3 Tbsp of crushed candy canes more for topping

Instructions

• Place a piece of foil on a plate and place the cookie cutter in the center.
• Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between.
• Pour the semi-sweet chocolate in the center of the cookie cutter, about 1/4 thick. Make sure you keep pressure on the cookie cutter so the chocolate doesn’t leak out the bottom. Shake the plate slightly to even out the chocolate. Place in the freezer for 10-20 minutes or until hardened.
• Melt the white chocolate or almond bark in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between. Stir in some peppermint extract and crushed candy canes. Add more to taste.
• Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the white chocolate on top of the hardened semi-sweet chocolate layer. Shake to even out and sprinkle additional crushed candy canes on top. Place in the freezer to harden.
• Once completely hardened, you can pop the peppermint bark out of the cookie cutter or leave it in to gift to someone. Wrap in cellophane and cute bow.
• This bark can also be made in a 9X13 pan for a sheet of peppermint bark and then broken into pieces once hardened.

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix

This Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix will make a perfect holiday gift!

Easy and Delicious Homemade Peppermint hot Chocolate MixCourseBeverageCuisineAmericanKeywordpeppermint hot chocolate mixPrep Time30 minutesCook Time0 minutes0 minutesTotal Time30 minutesServings12 servingsCalories673kcalAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups Dutch Process cocoa
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cup candy canes crushed
• 2 cup Andes mint candies chopped
• 1 cup mini marshmallows optional

Instructions

• Sift together the powdered milk, sugar, cocoa and salt.
• Divide evenly into mason jars leaving about 3-4 inches of headspace for the candy cane and Andes layers.
• Evenly divide the candies between the jars in layers.
• Place lids on jars and add ribbon. Attach a card with serving instructions to fill mug 1/3 of the way with mix and the rest with boiling water. Stir and serve!

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Chocolate Caramel Covered Pears

Chocolate Caramel Covered Pears are a fun change to the regular caramel apple. So yummy!

Earlier this month I was part of a fun Twelve Days of Christmas series over at The Crafting Chicks. I love that song and I love the idea of creating a fun gift for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  I was lucky enough to get day one – on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..A Partridge in a Chocolate Caramel Covered Pear (tree)!

I really do know the right words to the song but today I’ve got some pretty and delicious chocolate caramel covered pears for you.  Perfect for the first day of Christmas!

Don’t be intimidated by the process.  It’s really quite easy.  If you’d like a more detailed tutorial please check out my Caramel Apple tutorial.  I’ve got a couple of tricks for making caramel pears or apples!

I like to use Pete’s Caramel.  It is delicious and so much easier than making your own or unwrapping all those little caramel squares and it tastes better too.  You can buy it at local cake decorating stores, Cash & Carry or on line at Amazon.

I dipped about 6-8 pears in 1/4 of the 5 lb. box.  Just melt the caramel in the microwave.  The other trick I use is to make sure my pears are cold.  One of the biggest problems people have with caramel apples or pears is the caramel sliding off.  If your fruit is cold the caramel starts to set up right away and stays on the fruit.  You will get a little puddling at the bottom but that is o.k. – more caramel to enjoy!

You can always leave your caramel covered pears just like this – pretty & delicious – but I like to dip mine in chocolate.  You can use chocolate chips or Wilton Melts.  Just melt the chocolate in the microwave and if it is a little too thick, thin it with vegetable oil.  I like to leave some of the caramel showing on the top of the chocolate.

I used mini chocolate chips, sprinkles and chopped nuts to sprinkle on the chocolate.

Then just let them set up and you are ready to go.

If you are giving them as a gift as part of the Twelve Days of Christmas I cut some little birds out of a grocery bag using my Cricut Explore (the bird pattern can be purchased in their Design Center).

I just tied some string around the stem and glued the bird to the string.

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Asian Marinated London Broil

This Asian Inspired London Broil is marinaded over night and then cooked to perfection!

In October I had the opportunity to attend a blogger trip to Ohio hosted by Certified Angus Beef.  It was a blast!  I met so many new amazing bloggers and Certified Angus treated us like royalty.  I also learned ALOT about Certified Angus Beef.

Certified Angus Beef® (CAB) is a non-profit organization that was formed 36 years ago to increase demand for high-quality Angus beef. In order for any beef product to be labeled as Certified Angus Beef, a strict set of 10 quality specifications must be met, and those standards are upheld by independent USDA beef inspectors!  We did lots of tasting of Certified Angus Beef and believe me, there is a difference.

We had 3 amazing chefs prepare a fabulous dinner for us one night and then we got the chance to work with them in the kitchen!  We headed to the grocery store and purchased our ingredients and then headed into the kitchen.

I had a blast working with Chef Peter.  I have never successfully cooked a London Broil so we took that on as a challenge!  It is a less expensive cut of meat and I could never get it tender enough for my liking. Chef Peter and I worked together to come up with a yummy Asian inspired  marinade for the London Broil and it turned out amazing!  We let the meat marinade over night and then the next day we cooked it up.

We then had a professional photographer there to photograph our dish!  It was fun to watch him in action.

Of course I took a lot of photos of my own.  Anything to get the shot!

I learned alot – the quality of meat DOES make a difference and that I way over cook my meat.  I always thought I only liked well done meat but I was wrong.  Using a meat thermometer is crucial to getting the right  temperature.  The other trick I learned is the importance of slicing the beef the correct way – always against the grain.  It makes a huge difference in the texture of the meat.

Here is my Asian Marinaded  London Broil.

Asian Marinated London Broil & Giveaway

AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 1 London Broil
• 1 C oyster sauce
• 1 C ginger soy sauce
• 1 7 oz. jar of plum sauce
• 1 Tbsp hot chili sauce
• 1 7 oz. jar of hoison sauce
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger squeeze the juice out after shredding and use juice, throw away the pulp
• 1 C rice vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 C honey
• 1/2 C pineapple juice
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 C Vegetable oil
• 1/2 C olive oil
• green onions for garnish
• grilled pineapple for garnish

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients except green onion and pineapple for marinade.
• Place London Broil and marinade into a container to marinade and cover.
• Refrigerate over night.
• Bring meat to room temperature
• Broil until meat reaches temperature of 128-130 degrees

Asian Marinated London Broil & Giveaway was originally written by Leigh Anne Wilkes at https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/asian-marinated-london-broil-giveaway/.

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Be Grateful Banner {Activity Day}

Create a Be Grateful banner easily to show your gratitude. Blessings Bags are another fun activity to share your blessings with others.

For my very last Activity Day Girl activity (yes, it really was my last) we had a fun Gratitude Activity.  Here I am with my cute girls I am going to miss so much!

We had 3 projects we did.

Candy Corn Blessings

Each of the girls put together Candy Corn Blessing bags for each member of their family and I encouraged them to use them at Thanksgiving dinner or as part of a family night activity.  Be sure to check out the post I did along with the free printables that are available in the post.

Blessing Bags

I wanted the girls to do something that they could share with someone else, someone not in their family.  We put together blessings bags.  Each of the girls brought something to include in the bag.  Water bottles, granola bars, fruit cups, toothpaste, toothbrushes, chapstick, tissues, peanuts, crackers etc.

We used gallon size zippered bags and each of the girls made two bags to give away.

I encouraged them to leave the Blessing Bags in their car and to find someone they felt would really benefit from the bag.  They are then to report back to me what they did with the bags.  They were excited about the opportunity to give these away.

We used a cute printable from my friend Mique over at Thirty Handmade Days to attach to the bag.

Be Grateful Banner

For our third activity the girls created a Be Grateful Banner where they and their family could share things they are grateful for.

Ahead of time, I cut out little banner shaped pieces of paper for them to write their blessings on and some colorful fall leaves (using my Cricut Explore) that could hang between the blessings.

We used washi tape to decorate the banner pieces and to cover wooden clothespins which would hold the pieces to a string.

The girls had a fun time decorating their banner pieces and their clothes pins.

 I made a little Be Grateful printable they could add to one of the banner pieces.

Download the Be Grateful Printable here

It was a very fun activity and the girls went home with lots of way to express and show gratitude!

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Ice Cream Sundae Kit

Hi friends! This is Mary from Barefeet In The Kitchen and I’m thrilled to be hanging out here with Leigh Anne today. I met Leigh Anne in Ohio a little over a month ago and discovered that we are kindred spirits. I wish we lived closer to each other, because I would be at her door for a late night dessert and chat at least once a week! Leigh Anne is every bit as sweet and kind in person as she is on her blog. 

When Leigh Anne told me about her Bake Craft Sew holiday series and asked if I’d like to participate, I remembered the Sundae Gift sets that we gave to our neighbors last Christmas. With minimal effort and a quick trip to the store for the ice cream, you can have these gift sets ready to go.

You’ll need: 

1 recipe of Homemade Chocolate Sauce, poured into 3 – 4 small jars

1 recipe of Homemade Caramel Sauce, poured into 3 – 4 small jars

3 – 4 cartons of vanilla ice cream, or whichever flavors you like best

Feel free to make a cute tag and wrap everything as adorably as you like. (I can’t even pretend that I would have a clue how to do that.) I am all about a gift bag and some tissue, if I’m really feeling fancy. We delivered these to our neighbors last year with a carton of ice cream in my youngest boy’s hands and a jar of sauce in each of his brother’s hands. Our little ice cream sundae kits were very well received!

Happy baking, gifting, and holiday feasting to all of you. Thanks for letting me visit your corner of the internet today, Leigh Anne!

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Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Impossibly Easy Mini Cheeseburger Pie Recipe

AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large onion chopped or 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Baking Mixture

• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 C Original Bisquick mix
• 2 eggs

Garnish

• ketchup
• mustard
• pickles
• tomato chopped

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375.
• Spray regular size muffin tip with cooking spray
• In a skillet brown hamburger and onion until cooked through. Drain
• Cool for 5 minutes and add in Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and cheese.
• In a bowl mix together milk Bisquick and eggs. Whisk with a fork
• Spoon 1 scant tablespoon of baking mixture into each muffin cup
• Top with 1/4 C hamburger mixture
• Spoon 1 tablespoon baking mixture over top of hamburger mixture
• Bake for 20-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and they are golden brown.
• Run a knife around edge if needed to remove from muffin tin
• Top with tomato, ketchup and mustard

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White Chocolate Granola Bark

Today I am so excited to welcome Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia to the blog.  I have been a big fan of hers for a long time.  Her photos are gorgeous and her recipes amazing.  I am a big white chocolate lover so can’t wait to try this recipe!  

Hi there! I’m Lindsey Johnson and I blog over at Cafe Johnsonia. I work full-time as a food photographer and stylist in addition to blogging. This time of year is my absolute favorite because there are so many delicious things to make. It’s hard to know where to start! I kicked off the holiday candy making season at my house with White Chocolate Granola Bark. It makes a great gift for neighbors and friends, or to stash away in a tin to pull out when you need a little treat. The best part is that it is incredibly easy to make.

All you need for this bark are two ingredients – white chocolate chips and granola. I make my own granola, so that’s what I used for this recipe. Any kind of granola will work just great. Of course, use you can also change things up by using milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate. I used chocolate chips because it makes things even easier – no chopping necessary – but bar chocolate is also great to use here. I prefer to use high-quality chips because they melt and taste better. Check the package to make sure it says “cocoa butter” on the ingredient list rather than palm oil.

The steps are as easy as can be, which is nice during this busy time of year. Just melt the chocolate, stir in the granola, and spread it out onto a baking sheet. Let it set up then break into pieces, and package. It really only takes about 10 minutes of active time, the rest is just waiting patiently (or not-so-patiently) for the bark to set up so you can eat it!

When it comes to packaging, I always go for something super simple because that’s how I operate. A small cellophane bag tied with pretty holiday twine and a little tag. I am in love with using a simple stamp set I bought from the office supply store. We use it a lot to make little labels and tags. (I’ve used it to make business cards too!) And that’s it!

Just be prepared to make batch after batch of this bark – it’s so addictive! Everyone will love it.

Prep Time2 hoursCook Time5 minutesTotal Time2 hours 2 minutesServings1 .25 lbs.AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups granola plus 2 Tablespoons for sprinkling.

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. (Waxed paper won’t work as well here.)
• Place chocolate chips in a heat-safe glass bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water or microwave on 50% power for 30-60 intervals. Stir until smooth and fold in the desired amount of granola. (For thicker, chunkier bark use the full 2 cups.)
• Pour the mixture out onto the lined baking sheet. Spread into a 1/4-inch thick even layer. Sprinkle the extra 2 Tablespoons of granola over the surface of the bark.
• Set somewhere cool to set up for about 1-2 hours. (Can be placed in fridge to set more quickly.)
• Break into shards of various shapes and sizes. Package into an airtight container or small bags.

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Orange Brownies

Servings18 -24 browniesAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened (but not melted)
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 2 tsp orange extract
• 2 tsp orange zest divided
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 T orange juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Add butter, eggs, orange extract and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Beat at medium speed until well blended.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center.
• Remove brownies from oven and pierce with a fork or toothpick.
• Combine confectioners’ sugar, orange juice and remaining 1 teaspoon orange zest in a small bowl and pour over brownies.
• Cool completely before cutting into squares.

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Peppermint Double Chocolate Cookies

Have you ever wanted a soft chewy cookie studded with tons of chocolate chips and peppermint candies? Boy do I have a recipe for you!! These peppermint double chocolate chip cookies will fix any chocoholic craving you may have! They are perfect to add to those holiday cookie trays!

We absolutely love soft chewy cookies filled with chocolate chips at our house and these are the perfect fix. These cake like cookies are just perfect!!

Since there are just two of us here I have been scooping the dough onto a cookie sheet and putting in the freezer, when they are frozen I put them in a freezer bag.

That way when we want a warm cookie to have with an ice cold glass of milk I just take a few out of the freezer and bake away!! I cant tell you how many cookies this has saved from the trash!! We can’t eat a whole batch of cookies before they get stale!!

AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 1 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cups chocolate chips
• 1 C Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking bits

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together.
• Mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy about 4 minutes.
• On medium speed mix in shortening, then eggs and vanilla; beat until creamy.
• On low speed add flour mixture a little bit at a time and mix until just combined. Add in chocolate chips and peppermint crunch baking bits and mix until distributed in dough.
• Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to drop the dough onto the baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake about 13 minutes until edges and tops are firm.
• Cool on sheets 5 minutes then remove to wire racks and cool completely

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