Chocolate Candy Cane Tower Recipes

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED CANDY CANES

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip curved ends of candy canes in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper., In a microwave, melt white baking chocolate; stir until smooth. Drizzle over chocolate. Decorate with toppings if desired. Let stand until set., Use to stir servings of hot cocoa.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten to 2-in. rounds with the bottom of a glass. Bake 6-8 minutes or until set (do not overbake). Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a microwave, melt white chocolate with 1 teaspoon oil; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Repeat with semisweet chocolate and remaining oil. Sprinkle tops with crushed candy canes; let stand until set.

CANDY CANE CHOCOLATE LOAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Coat three 8x4-in. loaf pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add egg whites, eggs, coffee, yogurt, oil and extracts until blended., In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to brown sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Drizzle melted white baking chocolate over loaves. Sprinkle with crushed candies.

CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE TOWER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and 4 cups water. Whisk until just combined -- a few small lumps left is just fine.
• Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to the pan and swirl to coat evenly. Add about 2 cups of batter to the pan to make the first pancake. Cook for 6 minutes on the first side, adjusting the heat as needed to cook gently without burning. When small bubbles start to burst on the surface, sprinkle over a few chocolate chips and slide the pancake onto a flat plate. Place the pan over the plate and flip the pancake back into the pan. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then remove the pancake to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Continue with the remaining batter, going down by about 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup for each pancake. When the pancakes get small enough, feel free to simply flip with a spatula. You should end up with about 8 pancakes.
• Place the cream cheese, butter, sugar, peppermint extract, salt and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed until fully combined and light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Place the largest pancake on a flat cake stand. Spread some of the frosting over the top of the pancake, leaving a 1/3-inch border on the outside. Sprinkle with some of the crushed candy canes. Continue stacking the pancakes with the frosting and the candy canes, going down in size as you stack. Insert a long skewer through the center of the cake to hold the layers in place. Trim the skewer so that the top is flush with the top of the cake, and cover with more frosting. Decorate with mini meringue cookies on top if desired.

CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until the mixture is nice and smooth. Mix in the vanilla and egg. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix just until the dough comes together. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate it for a couple of hours.
• While the dough is chilling away, unwrap the candies and place them in two plastic bags, separated by color. Crush the candies to pieces with a rolling pin. Throw the crushed mints into separate bowls and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll the dough into balls. Place the balls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or baking mats. Flatten them slightly with the bottom of a coffee mug or glass. Bake until just set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt the almond bark in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl and stir until smooth. One at a time, dip the cooled cookies halfway into the melted almond bark. Sprinkle the top sides generously with crushed mints, holding the cookies over the bowls to catch the excess. You can mix red and green on the same cookie, or do some with just red and some with just green.
• Lay the cookies, sprinkled-side up, on parchment paper or a baking mat and allow them to set completely. Serve with a few whole mints on the side.

CANDY CANE CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Pulse the cookies and granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined.
• Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the side of the pan. Bake until set, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it starts simmering, then remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Gradually whisk one-third of the warm milk into the egg mixture, then pour into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, about 3 minutes. Continue boiling, whisking, until the mixture is thick like pudding, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the semisweet and mint-flavored chocolate and the butter. Pour into the prepared crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate until set, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Right before serving, beat the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and peppermint extract in a medium bowl with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on the tart and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

CANDY CANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a mixer bowl or by hand, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in egg, almond extract, vanilla, and salt. Blend flour into mixture in several additions, beat until just combined.
• Remove half the dough from the bowl. Blend red food coloring into the half remaining in the bowl until the coloring is even. Cover dough a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out as you work. Use a floured teaspoon to measure 1 teaspoon each of white and red dough for each cookie. Roll into 4-inch ropes on a lightly floured surface. Place a red and white rope side-by-side, press together lightly and twist to form a spiral. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Curve top down to form handle of a candy cane. Bake until set, about 9 minutes. While the cookies are baking, put peppermint candies in a resealable plastic bag and crush into small pieces with a rolling pin. Mix the candy with the sugar. Place cooling rack over shallow pan. Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheet and gently place onto cooling rack. Sprinkle with candy/sugar mixture.
• Optional: Cool cookies, drizzle with melted chocolate, and add more candy mixture on top of chocolate.

CHOCOLATE AND CANDY CANE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
• Cream brown sugar and margarine in a bowl with an electric mixer until well blended. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract until light and creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop 1/4-cup scoops of dough onto the prepared sheets; cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are lightly toasted, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets briefly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Spread melted white chocolate to cover the top of each cookie. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over top. Let white chocolate cool completely before serving, 15 to 20 minutes.