Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Decemeber 26: National Candy Cane Day

Candy canes are the quintessential Christmas candy! They can be eaten in their classic hook shape or as peppermint sticks and flat round mints. Or they can be crushed to decorate desserts, like chocolate candy cane cookies. The dark biscuit contrasts well with the bright red and white crunchy bits. So sprinkle some sweetness on plain chocolate cookies and continue baking holiday goodies with leftover or broken candy canes on National Candy Cane Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman via Tasty Kitchen)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1+ cup melted chocolate (white or milk)
• 1+ cup crushed candy canes, peppermint sticks or round mints (we used a package of pre-crushed candies found in the baking section of the grocery store)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the egg.

In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Gradually add into the butter mixture and blend well. Roll the cookie dough into a ball and cover the surface with a plastic wrap/film. Refrigerate for two hours.

Pinch out 1 – 1 ½ inch balls from the cold cookie dough. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet about two-inches apart. Flatten each ball into a disc with the palm of your hand. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the cookies. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool and slightly harden.

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Dip a cookie halfway in the melted chocolate. Then dip it into a small bowl of  crushed candy canes (or sprinkle onto the chocolate). Let dry on a sheet of wax paper. Continue dipping the rest of the cookies into chocolate and crushed candy canes. Transfer to a decorative serving platter. Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Notes

• These cookies are a bit soft and somewhat bland. But the chocolate coating and crushed candy canes make up for the taste. Perhaps adding ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract in the cookie dough might boost the flavor a bit.
• Search our blog for other recipes using candy canes as an ingredient.

Gelatina de Rompope

(Mexican Egg Nog Gelatin)

December 24: National Egg Nog Day

When we attend prayer gatherings for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) or go to Las Posadas at friends’ homes in South Texas, we contribute traditional Mexican desserts for the occasion. Mexican wedding cookies or flan are popular requests but sometimes we bring another seasonal sweet, such as gelatina de rompope, a Mexican-style gelatin made of spiked egg nog.

Rompope is believed to have originated in the convents of St. Claire (Santa Clara) in the city of Puebla, Mexico, during the 17th century. The word is derived from “rum,” which is the alcoholic ingredient found in Mexican egg nog.

Get into the holiday “spirit” with gelatina de rompope on National Egg Nog Day, which is also the last day of Las Posadas and Christmas Eve. ¡Salud!

Recipe

(Adapted from Festive Fever)

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup sugar, granulated white
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ packets unflavored gelatin (we used Knox brand)
• 1/3 cup water, cold
• 1 cup rompope (we used Santa Clara brand)
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a saucepan, boil the milk over medium heat. Remove from the stovetop and mix in the sugar, cinnamon sticks and baking soda. Dissolve the gelatin in cold water. Stir into the milk mixture until well blended.

Add the rompope. Set aside to cool slightly. Discard the cinnamon sticks. In a large mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the milk mixture.

Pour into a lightly-greased gelatin mold (all we had was a bundt pan). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm. Gently loosen the sides with a tootpick. Carefully invert onto a plate. Return to the refrigerator until ready to slice and serve.

Notes

• The gelatin may be poured into individual ramekins or dessert cups.
• Fresh seasonal fruits/berries may be added to the center of the gelatin.
• Feliz Navidad to all our blog readers from us at HI Cookery!

Mayan Chocolate Sparklers

December 21, 2012: End of the Mayan Long-Count Calendar (Doomsday)

If you are reading this blog post, then the world did not end, as predicted by the Mayan calendar. So celebrate your survival with Mayan Chocolate Sparklers! These cookies have cracks resembling earthquake fault lines and include a sprinkling of peppers for a flavor burst symbolic of a volcanic eruption. Made with traditional Mesoamerican ingredients, such as chocolate and cinnamon, Mayan Chocolate Sparklers are the perfect doomsday dessert. For an apocalpytic appetite, eat these cataclysmic cookies and “party like there’s no to-Maya!”

Recipe

(Adapted from Robin Hood Foods) 

For the cookies

• ¾ cup vegetable shortening
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar, granulated white
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¾ cup flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• ½ – 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• pinch (or to taste) cayenne pepper
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the topping 

• ½ cup sugar, granulated white
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening and butter with the sugars. Beat in the eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, black and cayenne peppers. Gradually blend this into the butter mixture until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Roll into a ball and transfer to a glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate to firm up for around half an hour. Meanwhile, make the topping by combining the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Remove the cooled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Roll into one-inch balls and coat in the topping mixture.

Place the balls two inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. The center of the cookies will be slightly soft but the edges will firm up when cool. Remove from the oven. Let cool on the pan for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: Approximately 5 dozen cookies.

Notes

• December 21 is the earliest date of the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year—in the Northern Hemisphere.
• We added a teaspoon of Mexican vainilla (vanilla extract) after beating in the eggs to add a sweetness to the cookie dough. We doubled the amount of chocolate chips for a chunkier chew.
• The last photo in the set of directions features a wood carving of an Aztec calendar, which has some similarities to the Mayan calendar.
• Many have tried to predict when the world will end. But no one knows the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36).