Chocolate Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate, caramel and salt go so well together. Anytime I see a treat with these ingredients featured, I must taste it. (And yes, I even got the glazed doughnut from 7/11 one day that was topped chocolate glaze, drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with sea salt. It was so good and so bad for me! I couldn't resist) Forget I told you that. If I see a recipe I must make it. My husband and I both love this flavor combo and have been addicted to a Fleur de sel caramel ice cream we discovered one day at the grocery store. Fleur de sel is a potent and delicious sea salt.


I think the first experience I tried where I actually fell in love with this flavor combination was when my husband made these Espresso Caramel Bars for my birthday one year. His favorite chef is Giada De Laurentiis so most of his dishes are using her recipes. Wow, they were amazingly delectable and addictive. Beware and be prepared when you make them. Your friends and family will request them from you often.


This cake is easier to make in my opinion. If you haven't had the awesome experience to try the chocolate-caramel-salt combo, you're missing out. Take the leap and enjoy!


Chocolate Bundt Cake
1 c brewed coffee
1 c butter, unsalted
1/2 c Guinness Beer
1/2 c cocoa powder, plus some for dusting the pan
1 1/2 c sugar
2 c flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/2 heavy cream, warm
2 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coarse sea salt to sprinkle over top of cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


Brew 1 cup of coffee. Set aside. Butter the bundt pan and sprinkle in a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder and shake around to coat the pan evenly to prevent sticking.


In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the coffee, Guinness and cocoa powder stirring with a whisk. After the butter is melted, incorporate the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.


In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Whisk the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture.


Slowly add the flour to the chocolate mixture and whisk until all ingredients are combined.


Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.


When cake is done, let cool for one hour before attempting to remove from pan. Run a rubber spatula around the edges to loosen from pan and gently flip pan over onto a wire rack. It should remove easily.


While cake is cooling, make the caramel sauce. To a medium saucepan, add sugar and water over medium-high heat. Place cream in a separate small saucepan and heat until warm.


Stir the sugar and water until sugar has melted. Let the sugar it without being stirred. The caramel will start to boil and turn a golden brown color. When the coloring happens, remove from the heat. Stir in the warm cream and whisk. Add salt, vanilla and butter and continue to whisk until everything is combined. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Drizzle caramel sauce over the cake and sprinkle the sea salt. Enjoy!

Sublime Chocolate in Allen

I hosted my friend's Bachelorette Bash last weekend.   The fabulous weekend consisted of shopping, chick flicks, delicious drinks, disco dancing and much needed girl time!  Best of all, we stopped in at Sublime Chocolate in Allen, TX.  So I wanted to share our wonderful and memorable experience. 

We were shopping in the area and decided to enjoy a few treats and take a break in between stores.  I had recently read a great article on a foodie blog and knew it would be a great treat for the ladies.  I also noticed they were voted Best Chocolate in Dallas by the D Magazine!  It's a cozy chocolate shop in the Watters Creek shopping center off Bethany & 75. 

We were warmly greeted and welcomed with smiles from the 2 ladies behind the counter.  They offered us samples of the sipping chocolate in milk, white and dark flavors.  I had the pleasure of tasting the white chocolate which was perfectly creamy and very rich!  So good!

I purchased a sampler box so we could each pick a piece and share.  A small sampler includes 6 pieces of your choice.   It comes in a beautiful box with 2 layers of 3 openings for the delicate bites.  They told me if I bring my box back when I visit again, I receive a free piece of chocolate with a purchase of another sampler. Yay!!

We also decided that drinks were necessary to go with our treat so we tried everything from the Chai Tea, Frozen Hot Chocolate to Frozen Mocha.   All flavors were phenomenal!  If you haven't tried this place, it is a MUST!

We tried the following chocolates and passed them around to take bites of each.  The Soyokaze and Chile & Lime were definitely up there as far as favorites for most of us.  Although it was hard to decide because they were all delectable.   I'm pulling these descriptions from my memory so this is as close to the details as I could remember.

• Milk Chocolate Truffle -  Milk chocolate shell filled with milk chocolate ganache
• Caramel with Sea Salt - Creamy caramel covered in milk chocolate sprinkled with sea salt crystals
• Golden Curry and Coconut - Milk chocolate shell filled with a chocolate curry ganache and flakes of coconut
• The Caliente - Dark chocolate heart filled with a dark chocolate ganache infused with chile powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon
• Soyokaze - Mango, coconut filling in a dark chocolate shell
• Chile and Lime - Dark chocolate infused with fresh lime and dried habanero chile

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

We're in Texas.  It's too hot.  Not in the mood to cook or bake.   

I say take this sinful recipe and make a double batch to enjoy while you watch your favorite chick flick indoors with the A/C cranked down.   You can thank me later!  Now go indulge!

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

1/2 c peanut butter, smooth or chunky

3 c. quick cooking oats

1 tsp vanilla 

3/4 c brown sugar, packed

3/4 c unsalted butter

pinch salt

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over low heat.  Add in the vanilla, salt, brown sugar and oats.  Cook for 4-5 minutes.  Using a rubber spatula, press half of the mixture in the bottom of a buttered 8x8 dish.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips or chunks and peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate is melted.  Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture, reserving a little to drizzle over the top. 

Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate and peanut butter, pressing down gently.  Drizzle the remaining chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars. 

Refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting and serving.   I cut into small bites so they last longer and they are very rich.   Enjoy!

S'mores Brownies

I've been on a chocolate kick so I made brownies... again.  I can't help myself!  ;p  But at least I don't mind sharing with others.  I even made a batch to give away to a friend and her kids.  Yes, the whole batch!  Okay, I'll lay it all out there... she let me have 1 while I was at her house drinking wine.  They went so well together.  I used my previous brownie recipe from the Peanut Butter & Nutella Brownies as the base and then made it into S'mores brownies.  I left out the peanut butter and nutella and then just added more cocoa along with some chocolate chips then topped with marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs.  mmmm So good!!

1/2 c butter, melted

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 c cocoa powder

1/2 c plus 1/4 c separated, semi sweet chocolate chips

6 large marshmallows, cut or torn into small pieces

2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.  

Measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine. 

Stir the sugar into the melted butter.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.   Stir in 1/2 c of chocolate chips.

Pour mix into the prepared pan.   Top with marshmallow pieces, remaining chocolate chips and graham cracker crumbs and bake for 20-25 minutes or until top forms a crust. 

** I baked for 20 minutes and kept checking every 5 minutes after that with a toothpick to make sure it came out clean.  I think it was done at 30 minutes but every oven is different.

Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies

  

Since I have some free time on my hands, I decided to bake something that my husband would enjoy.  He's a huge fan of Peanut Butter and Nutella.  What do you get when you mix the two things together??  Greatness dancing in your mouth!  I watched them closely so they didn't overbake as I had not tried this recipe before.  It was worth it as they came out perfectly moist.  He came home with dinner and dessert waiting on him. 

1/2 c butter, melted

1 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 c flour

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp (1/4 c) peanut butter

4 tbsp (1/4 c) Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.  

Measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine. 

Stir the sugar into the melted butter.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. 

Put the Nutella and peanut butter in a small bowl and microwave until runny. (about 30 seconds)  Fold into brownie mix.  If you barely mix it you will have delicious ribbons of the sauce throughout.  

Pour mix into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until top forms a crust. 

** I baked for 20 minutes and kept checking every 5 minutes after that with a toothpick to make sure it came out clean.  I think it was done at 30 minutes but every oven is different. 

Mocha Brownies

I had a chocolate craving the other day and decided to whip up a quick batch of brownies. I didn't want them too sweet so I put less sugar than normal and added a little instant coffee. I must say that was a good move as they turned out just perfect.

4oz unsweetened chocolate (4 squares if using baking chocolate)
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp instant coffee granules
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use butter or cooking spray and grease up a 9x13 baking pan. I used a glass pan. (If you use a dark pan, oven should be at 350 degrees.)

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwave-safe bowl stirring every 60 seconds until melted. (About 2 minutes) Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir in sugar into chocolate. Mix in vanilla and coffee granules. (Test to see if it has the flavor you want and add more coffee in tsp increments as needed.) Then add eggs one at a time until each one is incorporated into mixture. Stir in flour. Spread in greased pan.

Bake at 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan; cut into squares. Makes 24 brownies.

March Cookie Madness

We're going to a BBQ today to watch the basketball games, drink and eat delicious food. I asked if there were specific cookies he wanted and the host requested Chocolate Chip Pecan. I'm not one to eat cookies with nuts but I don't mind making them for a friend. And I have to admit, I did give in and try one after being tempted by the chocolate-nutty smell that filled my house. They were really good! I may have to rethink the whole nut thing. I also made Oatmeal as they are my all time fave. I've provided both recipes and pictures.


Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used the mini chips)

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, beating well after each one. Gradually beat in the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate and nuts. Use a cookie scoop or spoon and make rounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool in pan for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.















Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned work)

options: 1 cup raisins, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and any other optional ingredients if you choose. (nuts, chocolate chips, raisins). Use cookie scoop or spoon to drop rounds onto ungreased cookies sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute on pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen.

Oreo Brownies

My husband loves to send me links of things I should try out as far as baking or cooking. It usually means, "Hey babe, I think these look delicious. Can you please make these for ME?". I didn't mind trying these out as I was definitely in the mood for some chocolate, which doesn't happen very often at all. I know.. weird. I made them last Sunday and shared a few with a couple of friends that came over to watch the Oscars with us. I took the rest to co-workers who devoured them in no time. A couple of people warmed them up in the microwave for just a few seconds and said they were so delicious warm. The smell of them warmed up was amazing!!



2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup +2 tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chopped Oreo cookies (25 cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9"x13" baking pan.

In a heatproof medium bowl, microwave butter, chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate until melted and smooth. About 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar. Blend the chocolate mixture into egg mixture; cool to room temperature.

In a medium bow, sift together 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture. In a small bowl, stir Oreos and remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Add Oreo mixture to chocolate mixture. Pour batter into baking pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; do not overbake. Allow to cool. Refrigerate, tightly wrapped, until cold; then cut into squares.

Valentine's Day Treats

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

I decided to try and win the love of my new co-workers with some homemade treats for Valentine's Day. And it worked! Everyone enjoyed the goodies. Chris sent me a website with a recipe for homemade thin mints. These were a little time consuming in my opinion but so worth it. I would still buy the box of them from Girl Scouts just to have instant gratification.

The cake balls are a required holiday treat I share. Everyone seems to love them. They're so moist and delicious you can't have just one. They're very versatile so you can make shapes and try different cake mixes. Making homemade cake just for these cake balls seems like a waste of time and good ingredients so the boxed mix is definitely the way to go.






















THIN MINTS

2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind) I used evaporated milk since I had it on hand.
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 peppermint extract

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Put the mixer on low speed and add the milk and extracts. Gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated.

Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours until dough if firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice dough into rounds no more than 1/4 thick. If they are too thick they will not be crisp. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Cookies will not spread very much so you can put them close together. Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are firm at edges. Cool cookies completely on wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

DARK CHOCOLATE COATING

10oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

In microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high in microwave stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.

Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, using a fork turn to coat and give a little shake to remove excess chocolate. Place on parchment or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is dry.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

RED VELVET CAKE BALLS

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13x9 cake)
1 tub cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 pkg chocolate bark or baking chocolate (regular or white)
wax paper

After cake is baked and cooled completely, crumble in large bowl. Mix thoroughly with the whole tub of cream cheese frosting. I use a sturdy spoon or rubber spatula. Using a cookie scoop, make balls of the mixture and lay onto cookie sheet. (should make 45-50.) Chill in the freezer for a couple of hours or until firm. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package. Using a fork, turn balls in the chocolate and tap off excess. Then lay on wax paper until dry.

Guinness Cupcakes

Superbowl Sunday is a day for beer and food. So I put the two together to make a delicious treat called Beer Cupcakes (to be more specific, Guinness Cupcakes).

I took a batch over to a friend's house to share with everyone. There's always so much food at John & E's so I figured we'd have some left over. So I have a few to take to my new co-workers tomorrow. I'll just put them in the kitchen and let them devour on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Cake:
1 1/2 cups Guinness
1 stick, plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (chopped into chunks)
3/4 cup unsweetened special dark cocoa powder
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze:
8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put paper liners in 2 muffin tins or great them up if you don't want to use liners.

Combine the Guinness and butter in a small saucepan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa and brown sugar. In a large bowl, mix the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla. Then add the beer mixture and mix. Sift together the flour and baking soda and fold into the batter. Fill muffin molds 3/4 full (about 3 cookie scoops full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers come out clean. Check it at 20 minutes to make sure you don't overbake. Let cool in tins for about 5-10 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely while you mix ingredients for glaze.

Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth. Sift in sugar and beat. Add milk and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

*To create a thinner glaze, use more milk. To make thicker, use more powdered sugar. Either way, add a little sugar or milk at a time and mix to desired consistency.

Batter makes 24 cupcakes.

Andes Mint Chunk Cookies

I use to not have the appreciation of chocolate and mint together. I started to love the combo when I had an Andes Mint. hmmmm I tried out some cookies using a package I found in the baking section of Andes baking chips. I knew they just HAD to be good. Sure enough... they are. These cookies probably disappeared faster than any I've made recently. My husband must approve of their deliciousness.

Please note that most baking recipes call for unsalted butter. This one, however, calls for salted. So make sure to get that for extra flavor. I used the unsalted but I could kind of tell it was missing something. It probably won't make a huge difference but just wanted to point that out.


1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg (10 oz) Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips (or you can chop up a package of the Andes chocolate mints)
2 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Blend butter and sugars until incorporated. Add vanilla and eggs and blend well. Then add baking soda and baking powder. Stir in the baking chips and then the flour. Chill for approximately one hour in the fridge. Using cookie scoop, make balls of dough. You can probably use scoop for uniform size but you can roll in hands to form balls as the dough may be a little crumbly. Put balls of dough on non-stick baking sheets and slightly flatten with fingers. Raise the oven rack one level above middle. bake at 350 for approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

My husband (Chris) and my best friend (Lesley) love bacon. So I thought I'd try something out of the ordinary just for them. I tried two recipes that were very different. The first turned out very bland and was more like a biscuit than a cookie. I should have known by looking at it that without sugar and vanilla it was going to be a little tasteless. Lesley enjoyed them and took the leftovers home to have with coffee for breakfast. Chris & I didn't like them at all so we were glad that they weren't going to waste. Then I tried another recipe this morning that turned out amazing. It could use more bacon and chocolate but I'll include that in the recipe so that you don't feel cheated. The glaze is optional but it definitely adds another layer of sweetness to the cookie.


Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Maple-Cinnamon Glaze

6 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips (I cut up baking chocolate into chunks and it worked well)
1 cup crumbled cooked bacon (about 1 pound)
Maple-Cinnamon Glaze (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugars and extracts until blended. Then add the egg and mix until incorporated. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir together (or mix on low).

Stir in chocolate chunks and crumbled bacon until integrated well.

Create a ball out of the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from fridge. Use a cookie scoop or roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place dough about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough slightly with fingers by pressing on center. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack while you make the glaze.

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup (best if you use 100% maple syrup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp water

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add a little water at a time to get a creamy consistency.

Spread a small amount of glaze on top of each cookie. Makes about 18 cookies.

Let me know what you think!!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches

Once you get the tree up you know that Christmas is just around the corner. (usually closer than you had realized) My husband, Chris, and I went to chop down our Christmas tree again this year. Yes, you can actually do that in Texas. We found a wonderful tree farm about 45 minutes north of us in a small town called Bonham, Texas. The first year we decided to start this family tradition, we visited two other tree farms in the same area. Nothing was really up to par with what we expected. I can't really explain how we decided on Wishing Star Farms. Maybe it's the talkative and sweet nature of the owners or it could be the friendly big dog named Buster who runs up to greet each visitor as they get out of their vehicles. Or maybe it's the smell of the campfire where you can toast marshmallows while you sip on tasty hot chocolate. Each time we go, it's like we're visiting relatives or old friends. They make us feel so welcome. It's become a tradition since we've moved to our first house. I think it's been about 5 years now. We both love fall and winter and especially Christmas. This is definitely a tradition to keep alive.

For this special day, Chris requested that I make some sweet treats to enjoy after we set up our tree. He shared a link which had the top 50 cookies. He selected one recipe and said we should try it. So even though I was tired and my feet hurt from walking all day, I made a quick list of what I needed and went off to the store to grab the few ingredients to make his treats. It was a long day but well worth the effort. They looked too pretty and seemed like they'd take a while to make. So needless to say, I was NOT excited at first to put so much work into them. But as I got started, I realized they were really simple. I hope you find them as easy and tasty as we did.















COOKIES
1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg

FILLING
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops red food coloring (or more depending on the shade of pink/red you like)

1/2 cup crushed red & white striped candy candy canes

For Cookies: Whisk flour, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in the egg. Add dry ingredients and beat until blended. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough using a teaspoon or cookie scoop, then roll in one hand until dough forms a ball. The dough may be crumbly at first but will come together the more you play with it. Place balls on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass or hands, flatten each ball to 2-inch rounds. (edges will crack) Bake about 11 minutes. Do not overbake or cookies will be too crisp. Cool about 5 minutes then transfer to racks to cool completely.

For Filling: Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add peppermint extract and 2 drops of food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended. (add more food coloring if you wish for desired color) Spread 2 generous teaspoons of filling evenly over flat side of 1 cookie to edges; top with another cookie flat side down and press gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.

Place crushed candy canes on plate. Roll edges of cookie sandwiches in crushed candies or use fingers to gently press on filling edges. Store in a single layer in airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature or frees up to 2 weeks. MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIE SANDWICHES