Holiday

White Chocolate Peppermint Tuile Cookies

December 17, 2019 by Alyssa

Impress your holiday guests with these white chocolate peppermint tuile cookies, crispy chocolate wafers filled with a sweet minty mousse.

I’m not sure why I added tuile cookies to my baking bucket list but when I revisited my list a few weeks ago, I was excited to try my hand at them at making them. I knew I wanted to make a tuile cookie stuffed with something because, seriously, who wouldn’t want to eat a cookie stuffed with a delicious filling? And, since we’re heading into the holiday season, I chose to make chocolate tuiles and filled them with a white chocolate peppermint mousse.

The chocolate tuiles are rather mild in flavor but they’re very crisp and they’re the perfect vehicle for holding the fluffy, white chocolate mousse. Tip: Serve these cookies within an hour of assembling to ensure they stay crisp.

The white chocolate peppermint mousse is lick-the-bowl delicious! It reminded me of a sweet peppermint candy, nothing too overpowering just subtle hints of vanilla and holiday mint. The mousse starts with a base of white chocolate ganache which you fold into a bowl of freshly made whipped cream. To finish it off, you folded in candy cane pieces for a little crunch and the result is a sweet, silky white chocolate peppermint mousse. I actually enjoyed eating this straight from the bowl, no tuile cookie involved!

Making the Tuile Batter

Making tuile batter is quite easy, just 5 main ingredients — butter, sugar, cocoa powder, flour & egg whites. All the ingredients whip together easily in a stand mixer resulting in a stiff, thick batter. Looking at the batter, it appears as if it won’t make much but since tuiles are spread so thin, the batter actually results in about 50-60 cookies, which means this recipe is rather time-consuming because you bake the tuiles in small batches of 4-6 cookies at a time.

Tuiles Require a Stencil

When I first looked into making tuile cookies, a stencil was suggested. After searching a few blogs, I also saw an option for creating your own template by tracing a shape onto parchment paper and spreading the batter by hand to fill the pattern.

My first attempt where I tried to spread the batter into the circles by hand.

Not wanting to invest in a tuile template for just one baking session, I chose to go the ‘make your own route’. When it was time to make the cookies, I took a 3-inch round cookie cutter and traced it on to my parchment paper to create a template and began spreading the batter as thin as I could into the circles using an offset spatula. The cookies coming out of the oven were fine using this method, maybe slightly thick, but I felt okay about the result.

However, I hated how time-consuming it was to spread the batter evenly into the circles by hand. It was taking me longer to spread the batter into the hand-drawn circles than it was to actually bake the cookies. And that’s when I decided to make my own stencil.

Innovating in Real-Time

I traced the same 3-inch cookie cutter circles onto an old silicon baking mat and cut out the circles to form a stencil. I then placed the silicone mat on top of parchment paper and using my offset spatula, I spread the batter into the cutout circles, scraped away the excess then carefully peel off the stencil to reveal six perfectly round tuile cookies ready for baking.

Spreading the tuile batter into the stencil

My handmade tuile template using an old silicon baking mat.

I found this method to be much easier, way more efficient, and the baked tuile’s thickness was perfectly even when compared to my original hand-spread tuiles. #lessonlearned If you choose to make these cookies, you can DIY your own tuile template as I did or you can purchase one on Amazon, which is probably cheaper than ruining a silicone baking mat.

Time to Bake & Roll

My tuile template made six tuiles at a time but I found I could only roll about 3 tuiles at a time once they were removed from the oven. When I got to tuile number four, the cookie had started to cool and it cracked before I could properly roll it into the cone shape.

To account for this, I adjusted my baking time to 3-minutes per cookie sheet. I’d then pull the cookies out, quickly roll three of the cookies into their tuile cone shape then pop the remaining three cookies, still on the baking sheet, bake into the oven to ‘warm up’ for 1 more minute then repeat the rolling process with the remaining three cookies.

Just like I didn’t have the proper tuile template, I also didn’t have a tool to roll my tuile cookies around once they came out of the oven so I improvised using the pestle from my mortar and pestle to form a cone shape. Creating the cone shape took a little bit of practice but luckily this batter makes a ton of cookies which allows for the learning curve.

Fill & Enjoy!

Filling the cookies is the easiest part of the entire process. Just place the white chocolate mousse into a piping bag, cut a 1/2 inch hole into the bag and fill the chocolate tuile cones. You can choose to decorate the tuile cookies with more crushed peppermint, sprinkles, or just leave them as-is.

Plan and Serve Immediately

The chocolate tuiles should be made the day you plan to serve them. However, the mousse can be made up to a day in advance (just don’t mix the candy cane pieces in until serving/filling) and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble. I’d recommend filling the tuiles right before serving to ensure the cookies stay crisp. I found that the longer the cookies sit with the mousse, the softer they become. And unfortunately, these cookies don’t keep well either. So eat up!

Check out my full 2019 baking bucket list here!

White Chocolate Peppermint Tuile Cookies

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 60 cookies

Ingredients

For the tuile cookies
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 egg whites
pinch of salt
white chocolate peppermint mousse, recipe below
sprinkles & crushed peppermint for decorating, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a cookie tray with parchment paper. Place your tuile template on top of the parchment paper and set aside.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter for 2-3 minutes then add in the confectioner's sugar. Cream together for 4-5 minutes until smooth.
Add in the egg whites, one at a time. The mixture may look 'curdled' but just keep mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl.
Lastly, add in the flour-cocoa mixture all at once and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Using an offset spatula, thinly spread the batter into tuile template, scraping away excess. Once all molds are filled, gently peel the template off of the parchment paper (my template made 6 cookies at a time).
Bake the cookies for 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness). Remove from oven and quickly roll the tuiles, while hot, into a cone shape. Set the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely. If you're unable to roll all the tuiles without them breaking, pop the remaining tuiles back into the oven for an additional 30-60 seconds to 'warm-up' then continue rolling.
When ready to serve, place the white chocolate peppermint mousse into a piping bag. Cut a hole in the bag that's about a ½ inch wide (to ensure the peppermint candy fits through) and fill each of the chocolate tuile cones. Decorate with sprinkles or additional crushed peppermint as desired.
Serve immediately as these cookies do not keep well once assembled.

Notes

I highly advise you make the tuile cookies the day you plan to serve them or else they become soft. Serve immediately upon filling with the mousse. The longer the cookies sit with the mousse, the softer the cookies become.

White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

90 mins

Total time

1 hour 45 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients

3 cups heavy whipping cream, separated
12 ounces white chocolate chips
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼-1/3 cup crushed peppermint pieces

Instructions

Place the white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm ¾ cup heavy cream until hot, just simmering but not boiling.
Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate chips, let sit for 2-minutes then stir the mixture together until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. Place the bowl in the fridge to chill for at least 30-minutes.
Once the white chocolate is chilled, begin making the whipped cream by placing the remaining 2¼ cups of whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on high until stiff peaks form.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the chilled white chocolate into the whipped cream. Do this gently as to not deflate the whipped cream.
Chill the mixture for at least 60-minutes before serving. Right before serving, fold in the crushed candy cane pieces.

Notes

You can make the mousse 1 day prior to serving if kept in the fridge, just don't mix in the candy cane pieces until serving. Leftover mousse can be served as-is in a small bowl for dessert.

My Thanksgiving Table

November 20, 2018 by Alyssa

My Thanksgiving table setting and an easy, simple Thanksgiving menu for four.

Since living in Texas, <3M and I have typically spent Thanksgiving alone or with a single friend, Punit, who would join us for the long weekend. I always cooked a Thanksgiving meal but it was usually non-traditional, a few years I actually served Indian dosas.

This year, however, my parents are visiting <3M and I from New York f which means I have more motivation to cook a big meal and decorate for the holiday. One of my favorite parts about hosting a dinner for friends or family is putting together a beautiful tablescape. Below, I share my tablescape plans and our Thanksgiving menu fit for four.

The Table

A pretty table doesn’t have to be complicated. I created this year’s Thanksgiving table with a few small purchases from Michael’s and added in Fall items I already had around the house. I like a good mix of high and low items in my tablescape and prefer to add in little details to make the setting interesting to the eye. These small touches are what make the tablescape special.

Here are the supplies I used

boxwood garland
assorted ball jars
electric tea lights
dry lentils (to hold the tea lights)
decorative antlers
pinecones
ornamental corn cobs
golden mini pumpkins
fresh flowers

Fresh Flowers Tips

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you then hit it up for budget-friendly bouquets! TJ’s flowers are always beautiful and seasonally on trend! The two bouquets I purchased were $3.99 each and were more than enough to fill the vases. I love the bright pops of red and orange color the flowers add to the table.

The Menu

Since it’s just the four of us, our menu won’t be as extravagant as a large family Thanksgiving meal but I tried to hit on the important holiday menu items.

Cheese Plate

Every good meal starts with a cheese plate. I chose three small cuts of cheese for the family to enjoy and plan to pair it with some crusty Easy Tiger bread, nuts, and jam as a midafternoon snack.

Savory Sweet Potato Tarts

My Dad loves sweet potatoes and since I’m not baking them for the main meal, I thought I’d serve sweet potatoes as an appetizer. I’m modifying this recipe by Half Baked Harvest for Bourbon Pecan Sweet Potato Phyllo Casserole and baking the filling in for the perfect one bite treat.

Kale Harvest Salad

This is another Half Baked Harvest recipe and it’s a salad I’ve been making for lunch on the regular. I know kale salad may not be traditional for Thanksgiving but I need fresh greens with a heavy meal. I love the Fall flavors — honeycrisp apples, pomegranates, apple cider vinegar, and salty feta cheese. It’s a delicious salad and many of the components can be prepped in advance to make Thanksgiving day assembly quick and easy.

Cornish Hens

For years my Dad has hinted at wanting cornish hens for Thanksgiving dinner in place of traditional turkey, so for his holiday visit, I agreed to hens! I haven’t settled on a specific Cornish hen recipe but am going between this herb-encrusted smoked recipe and a traditional herb & garlic roasted cornish hen option. Either way, I know we’ll be brining the hens to ensure they’re extra juicy.

Herbed Mashed Potatoes

I made a similar recipe for my office’s Thanksgiving potluck last week and they’re delicious! I know some may want straight up traditional mashed potatoes but I prefer a little boost of flavor. These are made with heavy cream and an herb-infused butter using thyme and sage. Deliciously addictive.

White Wine Gravy

Every Thanksgiving dinner needs gravy. I’ve made this white wine gravy in the past and I love the subtle flavor the wine adds. This will be lovely paired atop the herby mashed potatoes and if I accidentally dry out the Cornish hens, at least we can smother them in the gravy.

Cranberry Sauce

I love, love, love fresh, homemade cranberry sauce and Martha Stewart’s recipe is seriously the best. Martha’s recipe results in a sauce that’s not too tart with a fresh citrus note and lots of cozy spices from cloves and cinnamon. I love using the leftover sauce in the morning on top of Greek yogurt or pancakes.

Autumn Pavlova

Rather than a traditional pie, I’ll be making my Autumn Pavlova with roasted apples, maple whipped cream, and a salted caramel drizzle. I’ve been craving this dessert since I first made it so I’m excited to make it again and share it with family.

Our menu is small this year but it covers all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. It’s also a meal that I’m excited to make for my Mom & Dad.

What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?

Holiday String Light Cookies: Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars

December 19, 2017 by Alyssa

Chocolate sugar cookies serve as a base for these Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars with a thick layer of fluffy, sweet peppermint buttercream and a simple yet adorable holiday string light decoration with mini M&M’s

It’s the holidays and as much as we all want to do #allthethings sometimes it’s just.not.possible. So when it comes to cookies, bar cookies are an easy way to create a homemade treat with minimal effort. My Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars are easy to whip up and I’ve given you the cutest yet simplest way to decorate them so you can maximize your holiday fun and minimize your holiday fuss

Here are a few tips to ensure these treats go as smoothly, and as quickly as possible.

The cookies are a chocolate sugar cookie base so they’re lighter than a brownie but slightly crumbly.

Tip: When you put the dough into the pan, use your hands and a small rolling pin to gently push the cookie dough into the corners as it won’t spread easily.

While the Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars bake, whip up the peppermint frosting! It’s my standard vanilla frosting base with just a touch of peppermint extract. Peppermint extract is dangerous. Even a drop too much can turn your treat from delicious to medicinal.

Tip: Measure the peppermint extract away from the frosting bowl and add it to the frost 1 drop at a time, tasting as you go to get your desired flavor.

Frost your Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars then cut them into squares. Sadly, cutting perfect squares are difficult in a 9×13 inch pan. To achieve 2-inch by 2-inch squares, once baked, I cut a 1/2 inch of cookie off of each side of the pan before cutting it all into squares. It reduces the size of the pan to 8×12 inches which makes it easy to cut.

Tip: Use a ruler and mark every 2-inches (both across and length-wise) before making your hard cuts into the bars. As for the scraps, those are baker scraps that you can nibble on while you work!

When it comes time to decorate the Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars, don’t worry too much about making perfectly strung lights out of the M&Ms!

Tip: The less precise you are, the better the string lights will look — just like in real life, sometimes the lights hang a little low or a little high!

Enjoy these easy, quick treats and have a great holiday with your loved ones!

5.0 from 2 reviews

String Light Holiday Cookies: Peppermint Chocolate Cookie Bars

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 24

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup greek yogurt
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup dutch cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups vanilla frosting, recipe below
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tube black Wilton Decorator's frosting**
½ cup mini M&Ms

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*F
Line a 9x13 inch pan with a sheet of parchment paper
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium until creamy, 1-2 minutes
Add in both the sugars and mix another minute on medium
Add the egg, vanilla, and yogurt, beating until combined
Add in the flour-cocoa mixture in 2 additions until all the dry ingredients are fully combined*
Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and using your hands or a small rolling pin, evenly spread the dough into all corners of the pan
Place in oven and bake for 13-14 minutes
Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting combine 2 cups vanilla frosting with ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract, adding more as desired
Frost the cookies using an offset spatula and cut into bars, remove cookies from pan & decorate
To decorate, use the black frosting and a Wilton 2 tip to draw lines on to the cut bar cookies
Adorn the cookies with mini M&Ms set on their side to look like holiday string lights

Notes

* You may need to use our hands to fully incorporate the dry mixtures as the electric mixer often leaves flour at the bottom of the bowl
** Alternately, you can color a ½ cup of the remaining vanilla frosting black and place it in a decorator's bag with a Wilton 2 tip rather than purchasing pre-made black frosting

5.0 from 2 reviews

Standard Vanilla Frosting

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ cup, 1 stick unsalted butter softened to room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extra
4-6 tablespoons half & half

Instructions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and shortening.
Add in 4 tablespoons half & half and the vanilla extract. Combine well.
Add the meringue powder, salt and 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and combine.
Continue adding the confectioner’s sugar, 1 cup at a time until it’s all combined into the frosting.
Add the additional tablespoons of half & half to achieve the desired thickness.

Best Holiday Cookies: 21 Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes

December 1, 2017 by Alyssa

Inspired by the holiday cookie trays of my childhood, here’s a round-up of the 21 best holiday cookies you should consider for your holiday cookie exchange or when putting together a cookie tray for all the season’s gatherings!

For the past few years, I’ve led the charge organizing a holiday cookie exchange at my office. And if I’m being honest, part of the reason I do so is a bit self-serving.

I love to bake and am always looking for a reason to do so. But I also love to taste a ton of cookies and treats, and on the day of the holiday cookie exchange, it’s the one time a year that I eat myself into a cookie-fueled sugar coma.

As we’re nearing the holiday season, I’ve rounded my favorite cookies recipes, creating my ideal cookie tray in preparation for your holiday cookie exchange. These recipes are a combination of cookies my Mom used to make for me while growing up as well as a few new favorites that I’ve thrown in!

Hopefully, you’ll find some inspiration in these cookie recipes if you’re participating in a holiday cookie exchange or putting together a cookie tray of your own to share at holiday gatherings.

21 Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes

Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars I love these bars because they’re sweet, crunchy and full of chocolate, nuts and a graham cracker base!

Mexican Wedding Cookies It’s like these were made for holiday cookie plates, they look like little snowballs!

Gingerbread or my own Chinese Five Spice Gingerbread if you’re looking for a modern twist.

Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies These have a chewy, brownie-like center that make them ridiculously addicting. I love to freeze these and eat them straight from the freezer.

Classic Cutout Cookies This recipe links to my Valentine’s Day cookie post but the recipe is one I use every season. I love this classic cutout cookie recipe because it requires NO CHILL TIME. Which in my opinion, is super important during the holidays because when you want cookies, you don’t want to wait for 2-hours for the dough to chill out.

Peanut Butter Blossoms but please make these with the Brach’s Chocolate Stars rather than a Hershey Kiss. I promise you, the stars are SO much better for these cookies. They’re easier to eat and you’re able to get a taste of chocolate in every bite.

Ginger Cookies What’s the holidays without some ginger? These have candied ginger throughout and they’re great for dunking.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars Is there anything better than a shortbread bar with raspberry and white chocolate chunks? These are so good you can eat them for breakfast. Or, try a spin-off of these bars with my Raspberry Coffee Cake

And because every cookie tray needs a few classics, how about Oatmeal Raisin, Snickerdoodles, or Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Toffee Bar Cookies If you love Heath Bars, these Toffee Bar Cookies are made for you! With a shortbread base, a layer of chocolate and toffee bits they’re heaven!

Peppermint Mocha Cookies These are always a favorite because they’re so festive! Chocolate cookies that have been dipped in white chocolate and rolled in candy canes.

Crinkle Cookies Another chewy, chocolate cookie that looks as if it’s been dusted with snow!

Mocha Chocolate Drop Cookies Chocolate with a slight hint of coffee. You’ll want to eat these while drinking your coffee Christmas morning and opening gifts!

And since you can’t have a cookie tray without a few other sweet nibbly bites, here are a few other treats that you should consider making.

I find these additions are great for filling the blank crevices that piles of cookies sometimes leave or make a great addition sprinkled around the border of the tray. Plus, incorporating some non-cookie treats ensure there’s something for everyone when you bring your cookie tray to share!

Buckeyes This may be foreign to you as I think buckeyes may be a Northeastern dessert. But if you love peanut butter and chocolate these are for you! They’re like a big ball of peanut butter (similar to what you’d find in Reese’s pumpkins at Halloween) that have been dipped into chocolate. It’s splendidly delicious.

Chocolate Fudge My Mom used to make this fudge recipe with marshmallow fluff and it’s amazing. Pretty much a no-fail fudge recipe. It’s a silky, smooth, sweet fudge!

Caramel Popcorn Don’t be intimidated here, it’s worth the effort. My mom incorporated nuts into her recipe and it’s perfect for munching.

Spiced Nuts Remember those nuts you get at carnivals or country fairs? You can make them at home and they’re oh so easy.

Peppermint Bark This is perfect when you’re in a pinch. It’s as simple as melting chocolate and sprinkling it with crushed candy canes!

What Trash Are you familiar with this? My Mom’s friend is known for making this every year. My favorite part is picking out the pieces of Chex Mix that fully covered in white chocolate…and the M&M’s of course. You can make a bit more festive by using red and green M&M’s!

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

February 15, 2016 by Alyssa

I’m a sucker for any holiday as it gives me an excuse to bake holiday-themed goodies. This year, I couldn’t help but be swept up by the mass of hearts, pink, and red that greeted me at Target earlier in the week, so of course, I quickly snatched up a set of heart cookie cutters with the intent of making some holiday themed cookies!