By Lillyan Baker

Nothing says the holidays like the colors red and white with a sweet mint flavor! It’s that time of year again to don the gingerbread apron and break out the Christmas tin boxes for peppermint presents that will make your friends mmm… with delight all season long.

Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

Yield: Makes about 1lb.

1/4 c almonds, finely chopped

8 (1-oz.) sqs. semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped

6 (1-oz.) sqs. white baking chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Red food coloring

1/3 c peppermint candies, crushed

1. Line an 8″x8″ baking pan with aluminum foil. Spread almonds in pan; set aside.

2. Place semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high one minute; stir until smooth. Microwave 10 to 15 more seconds, if necessary. Pour semisweet chocolate over almonds. Allow to harden.

3. Repeat microwave melting instructions for white chocolate. Stir peppermint extract into white chocolate. Pour half of white chocolate mixture into another bowl and tint pink using red food coloring. Slowly pour white and pink chocolate over semi-sweet chocolate; gently swirl with a knife. Sprinkle top with crushed candies. 4. Chill until firm, about one hour.

5. Use foil to lift candy from pan; break into pieces. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Peppermint Layer Cookies

Yield: Makes about 70 cookies

1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 c sugar

3 c flour, plus more for rolling

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract, divided

20 to 25 drops red food coloring

15 to 20 drops green food coloring

10 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

5 oz. peppermint candy canes or peppermint candies, finely crushed

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, sift flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl.

2. With mixer running, add egg and yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture and beat on low just until combined.

3. Divide dough into thirds. Shape 1/3 into a disk; set aside. Return another third to mixer, raise speed to medium low, and add 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract and red food coloring; shape into a disk and set aside. Clean mixing bowl and paddle attachment. Put last third of dough in mixing bowl and beat in remaining 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract and green food coloring; shape into a disk and set aside.

4. Draw a 6- by 8-in. rectangle on a sheet of waxed paper.

Turn sheet over and lightly flour it. Working with one disk at a time, put dough in center of rectangle. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, your fingers, and a pastry scraper or a ruler, roll and shape each disk to fit rectangle. Layer each dough rectangle between sheets of waxed paper and chill at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before continuing.

5. Peel waxed paper from rectangles and put one sheet on counter; discard the rest. Set green dough on waxed paper. Top with red dough, lining them up as evenly as possible, and gently press down. Top red dough with plain dough.

Gently roll dough stack with a rolling pin to seal layers, then trim uneven edges with a very sharp knife. Note: Store cookies, peppermint ends up, in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze cookies for up to 2 months.

6. Cut dough stack lengthwise into three 2-in.-wide columns.

Cut each column crosswise into 1/3-in.-thick pieces. Lay pieces 2 in. apart on 3 parchment-lined baking sheets.

Freeze 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°.

7. Bake cookies 7 minutes, then switch positions of baking sheets and bake until bottoms are light golden brown, 7 minutes more. (You may need to bake in 2 batches if your oven won’t hold 3 baking sheets; keep cookies in freezer until ready to bake.) Cool cookies on wire racks.

8. Put chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will fit over a pot with a few inches of water in it (bottom of bowl should not touch the water); set bowl aside. Bring water to a boil uncovered, turn off heat, and set bowl over water. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth. Dip each cookie about

1/2 in. into chocolate, then dip into or sprinkle with crushed candy. Set on waxed paper to harden (or chill in refrigerator 15 minutes).

Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Yield: Makes 4 dozen

1/2 c butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp red food coloring paste

Parchment paper

Peppermint Frosting

1. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended, scraping bowl as needed.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

3. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12- x 8-inch rectangle on a piece of lightly floured plastic wrap.

4. Knead food coloring paste into remaining portion of dough while wearing rubber gloves. Roll tinted dough into a rectangle as directed in Step 3. Invert untinted dough onto tinted dough; peel off plastic wrap. Cut dough in half lengthwise, forming 2 (12- x 4-inch) rectangles. Roll up each rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side, using bottom piece of plastic wrap as a guide. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze 4 hours or up to 1 month.

5. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut ends off each dough log, and discard. Cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

6. Bake at 350° for 6 to 7 minutes or until puffed and set; cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

7. Place Peppermint Frosting in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe about 2 tsp. frosting onto half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, gently pressing to form a sandwich.

All recipes from MyRecipes.com.