Over the past few days I have completed a number of items off my Christmas checklist.

1. Decorating: the decorations are the best they are going to get for this year!
2. Shopping: I have been able to get out a few times and complete my list
3. Wrapping: while my son is asleep I’ve pulled everything out and wrapped it all:)
4. Baking: this weekend is crazy with social obligations so I got out the bake goods and baked some cookies. (Now we are already for the Christmas Parties)

I baked Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies:

I found this recipe on Epicurious webiste

The ingredients needed for the chocolate cookie:

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

The ingredients needed for the filling:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 drops (or more) red food coloring

• 1/2 cup crushed red-and-white-striped candy canes or hard peppermint candies

Once you have all your ingredients together, this recipe is fairly simple

Whisk together flour, salt and cocoa

In a seperate bowl, mix together sugar, butter and an egg

Add dry ingredients into the egg mixture

Freeze dough for 1hr

Take a tablespoon worth of dough and roll into a ball. Then take a cup and flatten the dough till it’s 2″ in width.

Bake at 350 for about 10 mins.

While the cookies are cooling:

Beat sugar and butter in medium bowl, add peppermint extract and 2 drops food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended. Spread 2 generous teaspoons filling on 1 cookie to edges and top with another cookie. Finally, roll the cookie in crush peppermint and your done!