Peppermint Dreams

Hello!

Is all your holiday baking done, packaged up all pretty and ready to be delivered?

We still owe some of the special people in our lives some sweet goodies so we’ll be cranking out more confections and delivering them until the eleventh hour, that’s for sure.

Earlier this week I made some Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars for the teachers, office staff and yard duties {if there is a newer more politically correct term, please share…I feel like [yard duty] is the equivalent of [stewardess] which we now call flight attendants}.

I packaged them up as the {nice} counterpart to the {naughty} Oreo lumps of coal.

It’s no secret that over this year I have made several batches of sugar cookie bars. I did make the pumpkin spice version this Fall and was underwhelmed. BUT, this festive candy cane version with peppermint buttercream is to-die-for.

Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars

{via The Busty Baker}

Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup crushed or chopped after-dinner butter mints {used Ralphs brand and only included the white, pink and green ones in the batter ~ sorry yellow!}

Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Pinch of salt
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons milk
Food coloring, if desired {I used just 2 drops of red}
½ cup crushed peppermints or candy canes {processed in my Cuisinart}

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a large 11X17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper and grease paper as well; set aside. {I just used a flat cookie sheet lined with parchment paper}
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in vanilla. Add in flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in butter mints.
4. Spread batter evenly onto prepared baking sheet, smoothing top. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. {I baked mine for 18 minutes, turned off the oven and left them in for 2  more minutes. You don’t want to overcook these…they get too dry, in my opinion} Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
5. While cookie is cooling, make frosting; in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add peppermint extract and salt. Add confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, beating until well combined. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.
6. Spread frosting over cooled cookie, sprinkle with crushed peppermints, then cut into bars. {I like to cut them into triangles}

*****

If you like all things peppermint, you NEED to make these. I love the pastel colored mints running through the bars…not to mention the light pink buttercream peppered with crushed candy canes!

You will dream about these….

Promise.