Peppermint Bark Meringues

Don't forget to enter the "Good Cookie" spatula giveaway--details at bottom of post!

The Setting: My mommy's house.

The Soundtrack: The holiday playlist on my mom's iPod.

Steaming up the Oven: Peppermint Bark Meringues.

The Scenario: Baking for two parties, and, well, just for fun.

Did I tell you I am obsessed with using peppermint bark as an ingredient right now?

I also have limited time and a bag of leftover (and scraggly looking) peppermint bark to which I'd like to give new life, so the path is clear: Peppermint Bark Meringues.

Meringues are spectacular in their versatility (i.e. meringue ghosts) and simplicity--well, they can be kind of complicated (Italian and Swiss), but the way I do it (French) is a cinch.

Also they are fat free--before you start adding chocolate, anyway--which is definitely a welcome bonus around the holidays.

These Peppermint Bark Meringues are crisp on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside, with a burst of melting chocolate and mint crunch.

So without further ado....

Peppermint Bark Meringues
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup crushed peppermint bark (place peppermint bark in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, place over a large cutting board, and use a wooden mallet to crush the bark into small pieces)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or brown paper (a new use for any paper grocery bags you may have hanging around).

With an electric mixer on med-high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla just till stiff peaks form.

With the mixer still on, add sugar 1 T at a time, allowing it to be beaten into the mixture after each addition. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the crushed peppermint bark.

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag and pipe little "kisses" onto the parchment or brown paper, spacing about 1/4-inch apart.

Each cookie should contain about 2 T of the meringue mixture.

Bake at 275 degrees F for 15 minutes. Larger meringues may require more time, while smaller meringues will require less. Allow to cool completely before carefully removing from the paper--in some spots the chocolate or peppermint may want to stick to the paper, so not every cookie will remove cleanly, but you should be able to maintain the structure of the cookie.

Don't forget to enter the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula Giveaway!

This spatula rules, and it will be given away FREE to one of my lucky readers! OXO is even paying for the shipping!

To enter the giveaway, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

Peppermint Bark Cupcakes

Don't forget to enter the "Good Cookie" spatula giveaway! Details at bottom of post!

The Setting: The air outside may be cold and damp, but the air inside smells like chocolate!

The Soundtrack: Amy Grant holiday radio on Pandora.

Steaming up the Oven: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes.

The Scenario: Because it is the holiday season, because I am newly obsessed with the theme of peppermint bark, and because I have committed to bringing two dozen cupcakes to a party tonight, dark-chocolate cupcakes, peppermint-flecked whipped-white-chocolate ganache, and spears of peppermint bark will come together to make sweet, sweet, Peppermint-Bark-Cupcake love.

Step one: Peppermint Bark

See last post for the how-to. Reserve 1/4 cup of very finely crushed peppermints and powdery bits.

Step two: White Chocolate Ganache

1 pint heavy whipping cream
12 oz white chocolate chips (for an airier frosting, or 16 oz for a thicker, richer frosting)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a large microwave-safe bowl or 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, microwave cream for 70 seconds. Stir and microwave an additional 70 seconds. You want the cream to be hot enough to melt the chocolate, but not quite to a simmer.

Whisk in the white chocolate, whisking till completely melted. Whisk in the vanilla. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for two hours.

Step three: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Make dark chocolate cupcakes and allow to cool completely.

The recipe I use comes from Cooks Illustrated and includes both cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate for deep, dark chocolaty-ness and butter and sour cream for richness. Unfortunately, it is not my recipe, so I cannot disclose it to you, but if you are an online subscriber of Cooks Illustrated, definitely check it out! Otherwise, I'm sure a chocolate cake mix or your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe will be perfect.

A totally unsolicited note on Cooks Illustrated: If you are not an online subscriber to Cooks Illustrated (the publication from the folks at America's Test Kitchen), you can generally sign up for a free 14-day trial, which is how they got me. If you are like me, though, you'll go ahead and let your credit card be charged once your trial is up, as Cooks Illustrated is one of, if not THE best resources online for TESTED and perfected recipes, kitchen-gadget recommendations and tips, and they have absolutely no advertising, which is why they charge a subscription fee.

Step four: Assembly

Remove white chocolate mixture from fridge and whip with an electric mixer on low one minute. Increase the speed to med-high and whip till fluffy and able to hold stiff peaks. Avoid overbeating, which could cause the mixture to separate.

Break up/fluff reserved 1/4 cup peppermint powder with a fork if it is caking together.

With mixer on low speed, pour peppermint powder into the white chocolate ganache, whipping just till incorporated.

Transfer icing to a pastry bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Stick a spear of peppermint bark into the top of each iced cupcake. Enjoy!

Don't forget to enter the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula Giveaway!

This spatula rules, and it will be given away FREE to one of my lucky readers! OXO is even paying for the shipping!

To enter the giveaway, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three! I have been told some people have had trouble leaving comments on this blog. If you have any issues commenting, always feel free to comment on my Facebook page, tweet me, or email me!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

Peppermint Bark--And the "Good Cookie" Giveaway Continues!

The Setting: A chilly apartment with a stack of dirty dishes as big as the kitchen--I'm getting to it. And be it known that Hoosband has promised me a bottle of Billecart-Salmon rose if we ever actually finish unpacking from our move, so it's on. Operation organization will be in full force...after the holidays.

The Soundtrack: The furious frenzy of graphite on college rule and the flipping and stacking of papers as Hoosband studies for finals.

Steaming up the oven: Toast. We bought two loaves of home-ground whole-wheat bread at the bake sale yesterday, and they are delicious!

The Scenario: Wrapping up after the bake sale.

It may not have been the sale of the century, but I'd say the Village put on a good sale.

By the time we folded up the card table last night, we'd made $53.50 and sold 3 loaves of bread and 34 bags of cookies or muffins. Not bad, considering we're all a bunch of poor graduate students and spouses!

We still had a bunch of tasty treats leftover, so we set up shop again this morning to catch the post-Mass crowd, bringing the total to...drum roll please...$72.50!

My favorite treat from the sale was a sweet and spicy gingersnap with lemon icing, but the first to sell out was the peppermint bark.

Peppermint Bark

"Real" white chocolate contains cocoa butter but no cocoa solids, the parts that become cocoa powder or blend with cocoa butter to form dark or milk chocolate. Similar products containing no cocoa butter may be sold as white or vanilla "candy coating." The better the dark chocolate you use, the better the bark will be, but it's pretty darn good with just the cheap stuff!

16 oz semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped bulk semisweet, bittersweet, or any dark chocolate

2 cups hard candy peppermints, unwrapped

16 oz white chocolate chips or finely chopped bulk white chocolate

Line a baking sheet, jellyroll pan, or your kitchen counter with parchment paper.

Place dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or a large Pyrex measuring cup, and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring well after each interval until chocolate is melted. Do not heat more than necessary. Alternatively, melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

Pour chocolate onto the parchment paper, using a spoon or offset spatula to smooth out into large, even rectangle. 

Allow to harden slightly. For a quicker hardening, place in fridge or freezer, or place over a tray of ice.

Meanwhile, place unwrapped peppermints in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, making sure to eliminate any excess air from the bag before zipping it closed.

Using a rolling pin, a cast-iron skillet, or wooden mallet, whack the peppermints until they are all crushed. If desired, strain out the smaller pieces halfway through, and continue with the larger pieces that remain.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate evenly over the dark chocolate, and use a spoon or offset spatula to smooth out. Don't agitate too much, or the dark chocolate will melt and blend with the white. Immediately sprinkle the crushed peppermints, including all the powdery bits, evenly over the top of the white chocolate.

Once the chocolate is thoroughly coated, lightly press on the peppermints with your hands to help them adhere. Allow to harden completely.

Once hard, break into pieces with your hands, or cover with a sheet of parchment paper and whack all over with a wooden mallet. Voila, peppermint bark!

Don't forget to enter the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula Giveaway!

This spatula rules, and it will be given away FREE to one of my lucky readers! OXO is even paying for the shipping!

To enter the giveaway, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.