Peppermint Sticks Recipes

PEPPERMINT PUFF PASTRY STICKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Unfold pastry sheet. Cut in half to form 2 rectangles. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 18 strips, about 1/2 in. wide. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place crushed candies in a shallow bowl. In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway in coating; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with peppermint candies. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT STICKS

Steps:

• Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Place sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid, and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup registers 305 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully stir in lemon juice, extract, and food coloring.
• Pour hot syrup onto prepared baking sheet, being careful not to touch syrup. Using a metal spatula coated with cooking spray, fold edges toward the middle (this will help cool the syrup). When it is cool enough to handle but still quite warm, using plastic gloves, strech and pull candy, folding it over onto itself before pulling again, until it is opaque and just starting to firm up, about 10 minutes.
• Immediately pull off pieces to form long pencil-thin ropes. Working quickly, cut into 7-inch lengths with a pair of kitchen scissors. Continue pulling until all candy is used or is no longer pliable.
• Temper chocolate: Heat 2/3 of chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water until chocolate registers 118 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat, and add the remaining chocolate; stir with a rubber spatula (avoid using a wooden spoon, which can impart other flavors) until it cools to 84 degrees. Remove any unmelted pieces, and discard. Return bowl to pan, and stir until chocolate reaches 88 to 90 degrees.
• Dip top 3 inches of each pepperment stick in the chocolate, if desired. Allow excess to drip off; set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let harden.

PEPPERMINT STICK COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Set aside half the dough. Divide remaining dough in half; add green food coloring to 1 portion and red food coloring to the other. Cover dough separately. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 350°. Divide green and red dough into 24 portions each. Divide plain dough into 48 portions. Roll each into a 4-in. rope. Place each green rope next to a white rope; press together gently and twist. Repeat with red ropes and remaining white ropes. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes before carefully removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a microwave, melt white chips; stir until smooth. Dip cookie ends into melted chips; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with crushed candies and place on waxed paper. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT STICK SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture is smooth and candy is melted, stirring occasionally. , Pour into small airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator. Serve warm over ice cream or cake.

PEPPERMINT STICK ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt until pale yellow. While whisking, slowly add the cream and the milk. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to cool at room temperature. Stir in the peppermint extract. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Set a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan in the freezer to chill.
• If adding the chocolate chunks, stir together the chocolate and vegetable oil and set aside. Churn the ice cream mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of processing, add the candy cane pieces and very slowly drizzle in the chocolate mixture. (If added too quickly, the chocolate will clump; when the ice cream has been fully churned, use a pair of kitchen shears to cut any pieces that are too large.) Transfer the ice cream to the prepared loaf pan, cover well with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.