Jennifer's Receipts

Jen and Hannah Welcome to the Receipt* section of our website. Food is such a very important part of life and it is more than just nourishment for our bodies, it is food for our minds and beauty to our eyes. Tasha Tudor (my Granny) spent many hours teaching me to pull taffy, decorate gingerbread, make peppermints and of course, make the perfect cup of tea. I have so many fond and delicious memories that I felt it was time to share some of my favorite recipes with you. Email me with any questions, I always enjoy hearing from other cooks!

*Receipt is the old spelling of 'recipe' and was always used by Tasha Tudor.

Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread

Printable version


Valentine's Day is another of my most favorite holidays!! I was talking about holidays with my children the other day and we realized we had a lot of favorite holidays! Each has its own magical component that makes it special. I love the colors of VAlentine's Day and the paper doilies, cutting out hearts in paper and in cookie dough. Of course I have many different heart shaped cookie cutters, one can never have enough! The joy of making the Valentines Day card all the way to the envelope and decorating it with love. And it is simple. A card is enough at this holiday. However, if you want to add another special component, try these cookies. Aside from the traditional sugar cookie which lends itself to many beautiful heart designs, this cookie is rich and bursting with peppermint flavor. Simple outlines with frosting, a message or just plain, these cookies will be a sure hit with your valentine. Enjoy the holiday and take the time to send some handmade love!

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

3 oz. cream cheese

2 oz. (2 sq.) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions:

Whisk the first 3 ingredients together. In mixer bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, cream cheese, chocolate and extracts. On low speed, mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Divide into 4 pieces, flatten into discs, wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours. heat oven to 350 degrees. on lightly floured board, roll out a disc, adding flour as needed, to approx. 1/4-inch thickness. with a floured 3-inch heart cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Lay on cookie sheets and place in freezer for 10 minutes to set the shape and surface for baking shapes. Bake cookies 12-15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Decorate with icing and other decorations. (remember, the quality of the extracts always affects the flavor of the cookie!)

Receipt Archive:

All receipts are intended for home use.