Peppermint Bark Cookies - Or, An E for Effort

I've been searching for an innovative Christmas cookie recipe that I can bake and bring home for the holidays. Bon Appetit's peppermint bark cookie recipe immediately grabbed my attention, since it combines two favorite treats - shortbread and peppermint bark - in one bite! So, I tested the recipe this weekend. My eagerness for the recipe's end result caused me to overlook the unusual amount of effort required to get there, which was hinted at in the recipe but proved to be even greater in execution. The recipe is below, along with my commentary in italics.

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 C sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (This is about 3/4 C, but I put 1 C in and still could have used more.)
• 1/2 C finely chopped red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes
• 2 ounces high-quality white chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.
2. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl.
3. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend. I beat well beyond a "just blended" state in an effort to achieve a dough-like consistency - no such luck.
4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. The dough was so crumbly, I didn't think it would form into a continuous layer. The moistened fingers, plus a few minutes of pressing, made all the difference. I've made shortbreads before, but none have been this resistant to forming proper dough or easily spreading throughout a pan.
5. Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack when done.
6. Immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over cookie base. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over. My semisweet chocolate chips took over 3 minutes to cool enough for spreading. The melted chocolate was easy enough to spread, but of course I did not immediately reach an even chocolate distribution. I hammered candy canes to get peppermint shards, but the canes resisted the force well and left me with peppermint powder and larger-than desired candy chunks. I ended up taking a sharp knife to the bag of candy, which was slightly more effective at creating small pieces than the hammer. Still, I wish the pieces were consistently smaller.
7. Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. I enjoyed using the double-boiler method to melt the white chocolate, and I even added some candy cane powder to the chocolate for additional color and flavor, However, the chocolate did not drizzle particularly well. Also, it took the melted chocolates more than the recipe's suggested half hour to cool. The cookies were ready for removal from the pan approximately 2 hours after I applied the white chocolate.
8. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into pieces. The parchment paper was a great idea - cookie removal was a breeze. I cut 28 total cookies.
   
   

I had never put so much time and effort into making cookies! Fortunately, the results were pleasing. The shortbread was buttery and surprisingly chewy for such a thin cookie - the immediate application of chocolate on top must have kept a lot of moisture in! The semisweet chocolate layer was smooth and tasty, though it did not consistently stick to the shortbread. The candy pieces were also surprisingly chewy, so what initially concerned me about their size was a non-issue upon eating. Of course, the mint-and-chocolate combination was a winner. Lastly, the white chocolate drizzle with hints of peppermint powder was delicious! Ghirardelli chocolate is so sweet and smooth, and the hint of peppermint taste and cool crunch was the perfect finishing touch on this multifaceted delight.
I would make these cookies again, but I hope an easier yet equally delicious recipe will come my way!