101 Days of Christmas: Chocolate Candy Cane Blossoms

source: Mandi Ehman

A couple of years ago, I decided to dress up my chocolate crinkle cookies with a candy cane kiss, and the resulting cookie was a hit. It’s extremely rich, but the combination of chocolate and peppermint is downright addicting!

Like peanut butter blossoms, these are really easy to make, although I have found that the chocolate dough is stickier and ends up coating my hands as I roll the balls of cookie dough. It’s well worth it for the final result, though.

P.S. Note that these need to chill for at least four hours. You don’t want to start making them at, say, 6:30 at night for a Christmas party the next day unless you want to be in the kitchen until 11 p.m. You’re welcome.

source: Mandi Ehman

Ingredients:

• 48 candy cane chocolates
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• ¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, and then stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Use a melon baller to shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in confectioners sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Note: If your dough starts to get too sticky, stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Unwrap chocolates while you wait and immediately press one into center of each cookie. The cookie will crack around the edges as you do. Move to a wire rack to cool.

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	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way as well as a wife and homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.