Even though I did not have time to make cut-out cookies like gingerbread men or the marranitos I made last year, I decided I did have time to try these easy Peppermint Muffin-Tin Cookies from Food Network. I have never made color-dyed cookie dough before so the minimal effort was worth it to attempt something new this year. I must say I was surprised that these cookies were so easy to make even though they look complicated! It is a bit of a chore to have to fill each muffin cup with tiny bits of the two dough colors to achieve the alternating colors, but this recipe only makes twelve cookies so it really does not take long.
The recipe suggests using a mixer, but I prefer to do all of my mixing by hand. Other than ending up with a red hand thanks to the food coloring, mixing by hand worked just as well (the color wears off quickly but wear a plastic glove if you prefer). I let my cookies cool in the pan a little too long and an offset spatula did not work to remove them, but fortunately I had a knife with a thin and flexible blade that did the trick.
I did find that these cookies are more festive than flavorful, although the mint extract does become more noticeable if you allow them to sit for a day. If I make these again I might stir some crushed candy cane bits into the dough, and would definitely add a thin layer of chocolate ganache to the tops of the cookies before topping with the sprinkles to emphasize the Peppermint Pattie flavor more. (The colors make these cookies suitable for Valentine's Day as well, so maybe I will try my improvements then.) If you bake for the holidays I hope you had as much fun as I did making these!
Peppermint Muffin-Tin Cookies
2 1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1 large egg
Red gel food coloring
12 York Miniatures Peppermint Patties, frozen
1/4 cup red and white sprinkles
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, peppermint extract, and egg. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the flour mixture, and mix 1-2 minutes until completely incorporated.
Remove half of the dough and set aside. Add 5-6 drops of the food coloring to the remaining dough in the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until completely incorporated (add more coloring if you want a more intense red - I did this accidentally by squeezing too hard on the bottle, but I like the intensely red color I got as a result!).
Alternating between the red and white doughs, spoon 8 heaping 1/4 teaspoon-sized pieces of dough (4 red and 4 white) into the bottom of each of the 12 cups of a standard muffin tin. Press to flatten the dough so the red and white pieces intermingle and form a slight tie-dye look. Place a frozen peppermint pattie on top of and in the middle of each dough round, pressing very gently into the dough but making sure it does not break through and touch the bottom of the pan. Spoon 8 more heaping 1/4 teaspoon-sized pieces of dough (4 red and 4 white), alternating the colors, on top of each peppermint patty and press to flatten and completely cover the peppermint patties.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the red and white sprinkles on top of the dough in each muffin cup to completely cover it. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 1 hour (or freeze until firm, about 20 minutes).
Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges just start to turn golden. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then use an offset spatula to remove the cookies from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Makes 12 cookies.
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