February 11 - National Peppermint Patty Day

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Peppermint Patty Shortbreads
Categories: Pastry, Cookies, Chocolate, Dairy
Yield: 30 servings

MMMMM---------------------------DOUGH--------------------------------
1 c (230 g) unsalted butter;
- room temp, more for pan
1 ts Kosher salt
1 c (205 g) granulated sugar
1 lg Egg yolk
2 1/2 c (320 g) A-P flour

MMMMM-------------------------TO FINISH------------------------------
2 dr Peppermint extract
1 c (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 c Honey
1/2 ts Kosher salt
4 ts Powdered gelatin
4 oz Semisweet chocolate;
- chopped
1/2 c Heavy cream
Crushed candy canes or
- starlight mints; for
- topping

* May use Half-batch of Butter Shortbread Dough

Set the oven @ 350ºF/175ºC.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Make the dough: In the bowl of
a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter,
salt and sugar. Beat on low speed until incorporated and smooth,
scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. (Do
not beat until fluffy, you don't need to incorporate air into the
dough.) Add the yolk and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer off
and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour to the bowl all at once and scrape the bottom and sides
of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat until flour is fully
incorporated, scraping the bowl again if needed, about 30 seconds. The
dough will be in large crumbles.

Add a drop of the peppermint extract to the dough and mix in using
your hands. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper and
pat into a 5" X 7" rectangle. Place another sheet of parchment over
the top and roll the dough into a 1/4" thick piece. Use a floured
cookie cutter to stamp out the cookies, and ransfer them to the
prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1/2" apart. You can push the
dough scraps back ogether and reroll as many times as necessary. Bake
until the cookies are light golden brown at the bottom edges,
rotating once halfway through baking, about 13 minutes. Transfer the
cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the marshmallow filling: In a small saucepan, combine the
sugar, honey, salt and 1/4 cup water. Stir just to incorporate. Cook
without stirring over medium-high until the sugar dissolves and the
temperature of the syrup reaches 240§F, about 5 minutes. (Use an
instant read thermometer or clip a candy thermometer to the pan to
get an accurate reading.)

Meanwhile, add 1/4 cup water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with
the whisk attachment. Sprinkle in the gelatin and gently stir with a
spatula to moisten the grains. Allow the gelatin to hydrate, or
bloom, about 3 minutes, while the sugar mixture cooks.

When the sugar syrup reaches 240 degrees, and the gelatin in the bowl
has bloomed, turn the mixer on low, and slowly add the sugar syrup in
an even stream. Increase the speed to high and whip the mixture until
the meringue is thick, holds its peaks, has doubled in volume and
cooled to room temp, 7 to 10 minutes. In the last minute of mixing,
add the remaining drop of peppermint extract. Scoop the mixture into
a piping bag, seal the top by twisting and set aside while you make
the ganache.

MAKE THE GANACHE: Transfer the chocolate pieces to a small heatproof
bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream gently over low heat until
it just begins to steam, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the hot cream mixture
over the chocolate pieces. Allow the chocolate and cream mixture to
sit for 5 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and
the ganache is smooth.

TO ASSEMBLE: Snip the end of the piping bag to create a small opening.
Pipe peaked mounds of the peppermint marshmallow mixture on the top of
each cookie. If the marshmallow is running off, allow it to cool
another minute or two in the bag at room temperature.

Dip each cookie, marshmallow top down into the chocolate until the
marshmallow is completely coated. Once all the cookies have been
dipped, decorate with the crushed candy canes. Allow the chocolate to
cool completely and set. Keep the cooled cookies at room temperature
in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

By: Yewande Komolafe

Yield: 30 cookies

RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

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