Peppermint Cookie Bark

During the holidays, homes are filled with carefully wrapped gifts, festive decor, and the smell of peppermint, all bringing back great memories. We love to bake during the holidays, and there is nothing like a good peppermint bark to get you in the holiday spirit! It smells, tastes, and looks like Christmas with the pretty red and white colors dancing around. There’s just something about it that makes it feel like we’re truly in the middle of the best time of the year!

Around the holidays, there’s so much to get done, which is why I always look for ways to create special moments with my family but keep it within reach. One tradition that is important to everyone is baking cookies for Santa. For the most part, we usually stick to classic recipes like chocolate chip and sugar cookies, but this year, consider sprucing things up a bit.

But what do you do when you don’t want to spend all the time it takes to achieve that perfect cookie? You don’t want to take the time to bake everything from scratch, but you want that same homemade taste. We turn to Betty Crocker so that we can get it all done quickly, leaving plenty of time for our family this holiday season!

Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes offer us the flexibility of baking cookies for the holidays, but still enjoying time around the tree. They make holiday cookie decorating so doable, and offer up so many incredible ideas at the Betty Crocker Holiday Cookie Hub!

This year, choose to spend more time around the tree with your loved ones, rather than in front of the oven. We promise, you’ll thank us for it later!

PEPPERMINT STICK COOKIE BARK

-1 pouch Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix

-1/3 cup butter, softened

-1 egg

-1 bag (12 oz) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups)

-1/3 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes (14 miniature)

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Combine Sugar Cookie Mix with your softened butter and egg. You can work it with a spoon or clean hands – whichever you prefer. Once the dough is formed set aside.

2. Grab a large cookies sheet and cover with aluminum foil and smooth out your dough to cover most of the pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Watch for the edges to brown and then test the center of your dough with a toothpick. Once the dough is done, remove from the oven and let cool.

3. Once your giant cookie is cool, you are ready to prepare your toppings. Break up your candy canes by placing in a food storage and using a rolling pin. Once that is done, you’ll want to melt your chocolate according to the package directions. When your chocolate is melted, simply smooth it out – edge to edge – over your cooled cookie. Be sure to add your peppermint topping while chocolate is still warm.

4. Place cookie bark in the fridge to completely cool and harden the chocolate topping. Once everything is set, you’re ready to break down the cookie into bark pieces! I love having the kids join in on this part because it’s super hands on and fun! There’s simply no wrong way to make a bark piece so this is the perfect recipe to make with kids and have them get in on the fun!

This recipe is great for gifting to all of your friends and coworkers. Dress up a batch of Holiday Peppermint Cookie Bark in a holiday box, and be sure to add a bow on top!

Betty Crocker makes baking for Santa and for your family so easy! Enjoy!

Need extra party inspiration? Don’t forget to follow our #GetYourBetty on Pinterest board that’s loaded with fun ideas… and Follow Betty Crocker on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest for more inspiration to celebrate the every day!

Styling by Denell Pepin

Photography for Best Friends For Frosting by Megan Belanger

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Betty Crocker . The opinions and text are all mine.