115 g/1 stick butter, softened 60 g/1/3 cup caster/superfine sugar 140 g/1 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain/ all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 1 tablespoon milk (optional) 100 g/4 oz. good quality white chocolate 1 teaspoon peppermint extract 2 tablespoons crushed sugar candy canes a bark-textured cookie press (optional) 2 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment Sb Gift Cookies Peppermint Bark Peppermint bark is one of the most traditional American Christmas candies - sheets of peppermint-flavoured dark and white chocolate topped with candy cane sprinkles. These cookies are my cheeky version inspired by these treats - with a proper bark effect cookie! These are made using a clever bark press which is easily available in cake decorating stores or to order online, but if you don't have a press you can easily create a bark pattern using the tines of a fork, or simply make plain cookies dipped in melted peppermint bark instead. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Whisk together the butter and caster/superfine sugar until light and creamy. Add the flour and cocoa and whisk in to make a soft dough. If the mixture is too crumbly add a little milk. On a flour-dusted surface, roll the dough out to about ½ cm/¼ inch thickness using a rolling pin and then stamp out fingers of cookie dough about 7 x 2 cm/2¾ x 1 inch in size. Using a spatula, carefully lift the cookie shapes onto the prepared baking sheets. Press the bark press into the dough to make a bark pattern. If you do not have a bark press then make bark patterns in the dough by scraping it gently with the tines of a fork. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just firm. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack. Once the cookies are cool, break the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl resting over a pan of simmering water. Do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water. Heat until melted and then stir in the peppermint extract. Dip the end of each cooled cookie in the melted chocolate and then sprinkle each with the crushed candy canes. Place on a sheet of baking parchment and leave in a cool place to set. The cookies will store for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It is best to store the cookies flat in single layers and between sheets of parchment paper. - -60 g/1/3 cup soft dark brown sugar 115 g/1 stick butter, softened 1 heaped tablespoon cream cheese 170 g/1 ¼ cups plain/ all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting FOR THE DECORATION 350 g/1 ½ cups fondant icing/confectioners' sugar, sifted 4-5 tablespoons soft shredded coconut food colouring gels in colours of your choosing (optional) a mitten-shaped cookie cutter (optional) 1 large baking sheet, greased and lined with bakig parchment 1-2 piping bags fitted with small round nozzle/tip Iced Mitten Cookies You can make these pretty little mitten cookies in any colour you wish and be creative with the patterns. If you do not have a mitten cookie cutter, cut out a mitten shape from card to use as a template and then cut around the template over the rolled out dough, using a sharp knife. Whisk together the brown sugar and butter until soft and creamy. Add the cream cheese and flour and mix to a soft dough. Wrap the dough in cling film/plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350 ° F/gas mark 4. On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the dough thinly to about 5 mm/¼ inch thickness using a rolling pin and cut out 1 O mitten cookie shapes. Carefully lift up the cookie shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven until the cookies turn light golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the cookie sheet to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. To decorate place about two thirds of the icing/confectioners' sugar in a bowl and mix with a few tablespoons of cold water to make a glossy runny icing. You want the icing to still be quite thick so that it coats the cookies well but it should be runny enough to cover the whole cookie easily. Place a sheet of parchment paper or foil under the cooling rack to catch any drips. One at a time, dip the top of the cookies into the icing and then invert and place on the tray. Make sure that the whole of the top of the cookie is covered in a thick layer of icing. If you have missed any spots, then drizzle over a little more icing using a spoon before the icing starts to set. Sprinkle the coconut over the icing before it sets around the bottom of each mitten to resemble the cuff. Leave for the icing to set completely. If you want you can colour the icing half way through so that you end up with different coloured mittens. Once the icing is set, mix the remaining icing with a little cold water (a few teaspoons) to make a thick stiff icing that you can pipe to make patterns. Divide into several bowls if you wish to decorate with several colours and colour each with a few drops of food colouring gel. Spoon the icing into the piping bags and pipe decorative knitted patterns onto each of the mittens. Leave for the icing to set. The cookies will store for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It is best to store the cookies flat in single layers and between sheets of parchment paper. Seasonal Magic 11Next >